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Second Life Jihad  

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We've talked a lot about Second Life on Brand Republic as brands have piled into the virtual world, but now it seems Islamic extremists have joined in on the act as well.

According to a report in The Sunday Times, Islamic militants are suspected of using Second Life to hunt for recruits and mimic real-life terrorism.

The paper reported that police and the intelligence services are concerned that Islamic terrorists may have been infiltrated Second Life to preach hate, communicate and transfer money to one another. They might also behind bomb attacks in the virtual world.

That's right, they are blowing up building in Second Life. A virtual nuclear attack was launched on Australian broadcaster ABC and a car bomb blew up a virtual McDonald's…. is that a bad thing? I mean blowing up virtual burger bars?

There are many brand in Second Life including Mastercard, Sony, BMW and Reebok. Anyone of them could be next.

Kevin Zuccato, head of the Australian government’s High Tech Crime Centre, said jihadists may also be using the virtual reality world to hone reconnaissance and surveillance skills.

There are as many as a dozen known jihadis having taken on identities in Second Life. Some have innocuous names while others have names such as Irhabi007 (Arabic for Terrorist007).

It is attractive to Islamic terrorists because Second Life provides a means to transfer money across borders in a way that is more difficult for the authorities to monitor and they can do it all anonymously with avatars that bear little relation to their real-life identities. This is possible because Second Life has its own currency, dubbed the Linden dollar after the firm that owns the world. At the current rate about 250 Linden dollars are equivalent to one US dollar.

Intelligence sources told the paper that although communications traffic through Second Life could in theory be monitored, often the only means of tracking an individual is by tracing the user's IP address, which many people can fake without too much trouble.

The battle against terrorism is already being waged digitally as Islamic fanatics use the web to spread hate against the West and use it as an organising and educational tool where they have posted sick videos of hostages being beheaded. Second Life (or No Life as it has been dubbed) is just a new front.

Having played some online gaming (OK, Socom III) where the object is usually to hunt down some Islamic like terrorist with the automatic weapon of your choice this is clearly an opportunity. Second Life always seemed a little dull to me as do any games where blowing up things is not involved. Now the game's owners have the chance to open Second Life up, arm the inhabitants and hunt real virtual terrorists. A trip to those caves in virtual Pakistan you always dreamed? No problem, we can take you there courtesy of Boeing (Boeing Apache Attack Helicopter rather than a 747).

Of course, it could be that these jihadis are really just pigging out on all that Western culture they have denied themselves in the real world. It would be the kind of hypocrisy that one has come to expect from such people.
Published Aug 06 2007, 03:17 PM by Gordon Macmillan
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Comments

by J Davies
August 6, 2007 12:55 PM
 
Um, how about working with bodies such at the Muslim Council of Great Britain to counter such infiltration and spread an alternative message about tolerance and integration? I agree with much of this piece, but whatever happened to winning hearts and minds?Isn't that what marketers are good at?
 
 
by Tom Roychoudhury
August 7, 2007 11:13 AM
 
The jihadist infiltation into the world of Second Life is no surprise really. The whole idea there is to use as many channels as possible – and why not Second Life? It, after all is a world to conquer – there are countries, organizations, brands, and most of all people. People who can be influenced, attacked, seduced, brain-washed, targetted and infiltrated. I beg to differ on the last para by Gordon. This is by no means an attempt to ape the West. This is a well strategized alternative channel of virtual attack. And, let's not forget, they're all not hiding in the caves in Afghansitan. The jihadists of today are all around us – some dormant, some active, some, like landmines, just waiting to happen.
 
 
by Gordon Macmillan
August 7, 2007 11:46 AM
 
The MCB does not represent the wider Muslim community and its assistant secretary-general, Inayat Bunglawala, favours a "Caliphate" or a Muslim state in Britain. Bunglawala recently edited a magazine called Trends, which he wrote in, which had as a Hamasw poster giveaway featuring an AK 47. It is beyond me why the government talks to these crackpots. Tom my last para was in jest, honest.
 
 
by J Davies
August 7, 2007 2:56 PM
 
Well vegetarians favour a vegetarian state in Britain but we don't label every single veggie a psycho animal rights terrorist. Besides, the MCB does condemn terrorism in any circumstances, whilst repeatingg its opposition to foreign policy, which is hardly the same as brainwashing jihadists. Read the folllowing: http://www.mcb.org.uk/article_detail.php?article=announcement-662 Anyway, my points still holds - marketers are supposed to be good at winning hearts and minds, so why not apply some of this expertise to community relations?
 
 
by CHRISTINE HANNIS
August 7, 2007 3:56 PM
 
 
 
by Gordon Macmillan
August 7, 2007 4:02 PM
 
Christine surely you are not really speechless?
 
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Gordon Macmillan

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