Original article can be found at http://www.ilf.net/eff/Censorship/Terrorism_militias/online_militias.articleA primer explains how to train for Islamic holy war. A San Diego organization recruits Muslims to fight Russians in Chechnya and relays communiques from insurgents in Algeria. The Palestinian group Hamas defends killing Israeli civilians.
These messages aren't being whispered in clandestine corners, or mailed to news organizations in envelopes with cut-and-paste letters: They're being posted on the Internet, in public forums accessible to millions of people.
Cyberspace has become a new front in the battle for control of the land known as Palestine and for strictly religious Islamic rule in Algeria, Egypt and other countries.
The other end of the Mideast political spectrum is on-line too. Statements from Kahane Chai, a right-wing Jewish group banned in Israel and deemed terrorist by the U.S. government, are transmitted in Judean Voice, a new electronic newsletter from New York.
``Like every other weapon (the Internet) can be used for good or for evil,'' said a March 14 commentary. ``It is up to us to learn how to master every weapon better than our enemies.''
In many countries, particularly the United States, most if not all of these activities are legal, covered by free-speech guarantees. And even in some countries where such speech is banned, it can get through via the Internet.
These militants join many other extremists trying to use computer technology to get their message across: neo-Nazis and other white supremacists, Holocaust deniers and activists who advocate killing abortion providers.
Jewish organizations and other targets of such speech are concerned that their attackers now have a cheap and effective forum for propaganda. But free-speech advocates shun any attempts at censorship.
``The best way to counter hate speech is with more speech,'' said Eric Tachibana, on-line services coordinator for the Electronic Frontier Foundation, which fights for free speech and privacy in cyberspace.
The overwhelming majority of messages on Mideast and Muslim issues are devoted to more mainstream, if heated, discussions of politics and religion.
One frequent topic is criticism of stereotypical portrayals of Muslims as bearded terrorists. Another is the meaning of the Arabic word ``jihad,'' which some translate as personal striving to do good deeds in the name of Islam.
Others view jihad as spreading Islam by force -- holy war -- and the Internet has become a virtual battleground. Among postings The Associated Press found recently in public Internet sites:
--A holy war primer urges Muslims to become proficient at firing and repairing guns, figure out how to smuggle weapons and people into battle areas, and gain expertise with electronics.
The primer's author wasn't clear; it was sent in January 1993 to Palestine-Net, an electronic mailing list, apparently by a student at the University of Manitoba in Canada. It remains available in a number of public Internet archives.
--A library of official Hamas information available on a public ``gopher,'' one type of Internet information-retrieval system, established by the Westlake, Ohio-based Alquds Organization.
--Fund-raising appeals for mujahideen, or Muslim ``freedom fighters,'' in many countries, and for Sheik Omar Abdel-Rahman, a blind Egyptian cleric on trial for allegedly plotting to blow up New York landmarks.
``Supporting Jihad is an Islamic obligation. It is a must for Muslim survival these days. Please donate to Jihad and Mujahideen,'' the San Diego-based American Islamic Group implored last June in its ``Islam Report,'' sent nearly daily to about 15 e-mail lists and electronic bulletin boards known as newsgroups.
Frequently included in the newsletter is the group's bank account number for wire transfers. But in a telephone interview, Islam Report's publisher, Kifah Jayyousi, said his group's main focus is on disseminating news, not raising money, and he says he's doing nothing illegal.
--In March, Islam Report also published an appeal from Chechen President Dzhokar Dudayev for 10,000 Muslims worldwide to join the war against Russian troops trying to crush his regime.
Islam Report also regularly relays communiques from Algeria's Armed Islamic Group, including one threatening killings of female relatives of soldiers and police in the North African country. And the electronic newsletter publishes ``Jihad News'' -- detailed accounts of insurgents' attacks against Algeria's military regime.
Watchdog groups and law enforcement officials say it's impossible to gauge the effectiveness of such militant postings.
And if the Internet is being used for specific plotting, it likely would be in private e-mail that is encrypted or sent through one of a number of computers that remail messages anonymously.
Some public messages -- including the jihad primer -- warn of the possibility of monitoring by intelligence agencies.
Governments and mainstream organizations also find a voice on the Internet. The Israeli government has a sophisticated computer server for official information, while the independent Jerusalem One gopher, based in Jerusalem, archives various critical reports about terrorism.
And Americans can access transcripts of reports on terrorism and other topics by the Voice of America, the radio network for U.S. propaganda that is prohibited by law from broadcasting in the United States.
Free speech advocates say it's more dangerous to censor Internet messages than to allow extremist speech.
Tachibana of the Electronic Frontier Foundation said it's better to hope that groups that advocate illegal acts ``will be especially stupid in the process and get caught.''
The Anti-Defamation League would like to help see to that.
``We're undertaking efforts to monitor the activities of Muslim extremists and others on the Internet,'' said Tom Halpern, associate director of the ADL's fact-finding department. ``When evidence arises that a posting constitutes or encourages illegal activities, naturally we'd bring it to the attention of law enforcement.''
What about speech that falls short of being illegal?
``Expose it,'' Halpern said. ``Just because someone has a right to do something doesn't make it right.'