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(Firas)
Since the outbreak of violence in the Palestinian areas in September 2000, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) has counted more than 260 instances where Palestinian children under the age of 18 have been used for terror. They are used in a variety of ways: they are sent to participate in protests and clashes with the IDF; to smuggle weapons; to dig tunnels; to conduct reconnaissance patrols; and to gather intelligence. Twice in the past few months, the IDF has even stopped young children who had been dispatched to kill Israeli soldiers by detonating explosive devices strapped to their bodies.
Although computers and the Internet are still relatively rare in Arab countries, they are nonetheless being used as yet another tool in recruiting men, women, and children for terror activities. And whilst the publishing of online magazines for children with inciting content is not yet a widespread phenomenon, it is beginning to grow, and should therefore be taken as a potentially serious threat.
Young Muslim children are being addressed by terror groups through the Internet, and persuaded to act against the “enemies of Islam.” The Media Line (TML) has reported in the past about Hamas’ online magazine for children – The Conqueror. A similar Egyptian website – Our Children – is affiliated with the terror group The Muslim Brothers. Yet another is a Saudi site called Firas, not known to be affiliated to any terrorist group, but with just as powerful messages as the first two sites mentioned.
Our Children
Like The Conqueror, this site is very ‘child-friendly.’ Looking at the pictures on the site, it is understandable that young children would find it appealing. Lively pictures of ancient heroes, cute cartoon animals, and colorful balloons, all invite the innocent youngster to enter the site.
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Upon entering the site, one can see several sections – not all have inciting content, at least not at first glance. But from reading some of the stories and information on the site more thoroughly, a different picture emerges. Take, for instance, what the site has to say about Jerusalem: (excerpt) “Since the Jews occupied Jerusalem… they have tried to demolish the Muslim places, especially Al-Aq’sa mosque – which they have tried to destroy more than once.” When explaining what chairman of the first Zionist Congress in 1897, Theodore Herzl, had to say about Jerusalem, the site allegedly quotes Herzl. “The murderer Theodore Herzl said: ‘If one day we will get Jerusalem, and I will be alive and able to act, I will destroy everything which is not holy for the Jews.'”
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The stories section is also not as innocent as it seems at first glance. In it one can find the story of a young child who is learning about Hamas leader Sheikh Ahmad Yasin, assassinated by Israel earlier this year. At the end of the story, the child understands Yasin “was a prominent sheikh who saved the Muslim nation.” Then the child decides to “imitate [Yasin] and dedicate his life for Jihad [holy war], with the aim of freeing Al-Aq’sa mosque.”
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The Al-Aq’sa mosque features not only in this story, but also in what is described by the site as “a nice game.” With the mosque in the background, an aircraft with the slogan “Allah is the greatest” on its side tries to hit helicopters with Stars of David painted on them. Through this game, the player is being fed one of The Muslim Brothers’ messages in a very concise way: fighting the Zionists to re-conquer Jerusalem is the will of Allah.
And how do you fight the Zionists? You imitate those who appear on the Heroes section of the website. For example: two Hamas leaders, Ahmad Yasin and ‘Abd Al-‘Aziz A-Rantisi, and another Palestinian leader from the 1930s whose name was taken by Hamas’ military wing – ‘Azz A-Din Al-Qassam.
Firas
Firas is a Saudi weekly comic. Most of its stories are harmless, but one section – Palestine – is anything but. One of the stories it features is called ‘The Way to Heaven.’ It comprises nine pages. Below is one of them. Following is a translation of the speech bubbles (from right to left):
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[Muslim prayer:] Peace and Allah’s blessing be upon you.
[Soldier 1:] We must kill them all sir. We will not calm down until we kill them.
[Soldier 2:] You did well. This is the first time you proved you are not stupid. We must kill them all until there is no one left.
[First soldier on ground:] Fire. They are attacking. Don’t be scared, fire at them.
[Second soldier on ground:] Oh, Oh.
[Arab holding Molotov cocktail:] In the name of Allah.
[Soldiers:] I do not want to die. Run away, no, fire at them, no, run away.
This story has several aims, all inter-connected and similar to what appears on the Our Children website. Before heading off on the mission, the children are seen praying. This is to show where Muslim terrorists find their justification – at least according to what they say – in the Islamic religion. Then the explanation comes: we target the Israeli soldiers because they want to kill us all. Note that the soldiers’ faces look evil as well as stupid. The confusion in the last picture is apparent. The soldiers are frightened, and one of them is shouting conflicting orders. The children are seen throwing rocks. In the future, they will no doubt follow the example of the older man who throws the more advanced weapon, the Molotov cocktail. It is also worth noting that the soldiers, despite their rifles, are helpless against the primitive weapons used by the Palestinians. All of these messages are constantly conveyed in many Arab media outlets, including children’s magazines.
The Conqueror online magazine, which TML first wrote about when it was established in 2002, reinforces this idea in its December 2004 issue. In one of its stories, entitled ‘The Stone Children,’ a boy asks his sister what good a stone is when thrown at a tank. His sister answers: “The soldier in the tank is not afraid of the rock, but of the one throwing it.” This online magazine has recently been shut down by an unknown source.