Computer Gamers Join the Jihad

by Daniel Pipes
Sun, 18 May 2003
updated Sat, 20 Nov 2004

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I have been arguing for years that the enemy is not just terrorists but the whole movement of militant Islam, including its theoreticians, organizers, preachers, teachers, financiers, and bureaucrats. Now add to that list its computer gamers. According to a New York Times report, "The hottest video game for the teenagers of Beirut's southern Shiite neighborhoods is 'Special Force,' a creation of Hezbollah," the Islamist organization on the U.S. government's terror list. "Segments are based on actual attacks on Israeli positions, the makers say, and include maps provided by Hezbollah's military wing. In one game situation, the player fires simulated pistols and Kalashnikov rifles, seeking to infiltrate an Israeli military position. The opportunities for martyrdom, from exploding land mines and snipers, are rife." (May 18, 2003)

Oct. 21, 2004 update: Add "Under Siege" to the jihadist's hard drive. According to one description, the Syrian-made program for home computers, available later this year, "allows users to assume the role of Palestinians carrying out terrorist attacks on Israeli soldiers. … Users will be able to simulate various types of attacks on Israelis, ranging from a teenage Palestinian armed with a slingshot to a 25-year old toting a machine gun. In addition, one scene is said to depict a Palestinian female suicide bomber in Jenin who hands her child over to relatives before detonating a hand grenade in a crowd of Israeli soldiers."

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