Gathering Storm

13 www.digitaldaya.com Turkey is entering a new battle between the re- ligiously conservative government (the ruling Justice and Development Party or AKP) and the strictly secular opposition party (the Republi- can People’s Party, or CHP). As the government plans for a constitutional overhaul, the reform is aimed according to Prime Minister Recep Tayy- ip Erdogan “...at strengthening democracy and bringing Turkey closer to standards of the Euro- pean Union (which the country wants to join)”. The fight is about who gets to decide important changes in the country from civilian oversight of the military, strengthening of woman’s right, and level of separation of religion and state. Kemal Kılıçdaroglu, the deputy president of the CHP opposition party, plays a key role in the debate and is a popular figure in Turkey evidenced by a gathering of 190,000 fans on Kemal’s Facebook page. YOUTH MOVEMENTS An independent media outlet that is youth- orientated and Jordanian-based, 7iber.com, is a place for citizen-generated content to flour- ish, fostering a critical and informed civil society through an independent and participatory new media. The organization offers a model for free speech in Jordan and successfully launched a viral Gaza conflict campaign.Their website and 7iber’s Facebook page with 1,400 fans was the place where a donation drive for Gaza was announced, as well as new volunteer opportunities and ac- complishments;pictures and video from the cam- paign disseminating these on other platforms. The above findings clearly indicate that the world widewebisnotatoolthatfostersextremism.Instead, the broad and diverse activity today makes a compel- ling case that theW3 is more effective as a tool that promotes moderation,reform and increased connec- tivity among Muslims across the globe. Greater interaction among Muslim cultures and nation states will augment and increase the role of moderate and progressive Islam,creating bonds among believers in faith and cultural values.Indeed, Muslim radicals will continue to utilize the web as a tool of recruitment but the web is a reflection of the people who utilize it.Within the global Mus- lim population,the vast majority of adherents hold moderate views which will only be re-enforced through engagement of like-minded people on a global scale.The web reaffirms moderation among Muslim populations and poses limited danger as a tool for recruitment for extremist groups. TheW3 is more effective as a tool that promotes moderation, reform and increased connectivity among Muslims across the globe. Facebook: A Platform for 21st Century Politics Winning Hearts and Minds on the World Wide Web