Gathering Storm

14 www.digitaldaya.com Digital Policy for the World Wide Web If theW3 is, indeed, a blank slate, it will assuredly be written upon by political groups such as those highlighted attempting to affect change. These Walls on Facebook are, in essence, re- cruitment centers, frequented by citizenry who believe that engagement and debate is inevitable and beneficial. Wise, enlightened government leaders recognize the importance of keeping Facebook and other political sites open to the population,thus shining the light of rational thought on differing agendas. Were governments to shut down or ban web- sites, several negative outcomes would occur: • Web sites of radical organiza- tions would be elevated in impor- tance. • The government would show fear that extremists and/or advocates might create turmoil within the coun- try. • The messages put forth on some of these web sites would gain credence, though the information contained on these sites serves the sole purpose of any propaganda – to convert believers to a cause, be it re- ligious, political or a combination of the two. • Moderate Muslims would be denied access to the views put forth on web sites and, would therefore, be less aware of the dangers extremists present, and the opportunities pro- gressive advocates afford. • Moderate Muslims would be less likely to turn to their legitimate national and local government leaderstodis-bandgroupsthatspread hateful rhetoric in the name of Islam. Moderate Muslims realize that part of their religion has been “hijacked” by political extremists and exploited in regional conflicts. • An open exchange of views is not a threat to an open government with a stable economic base. Citi- zens will turn to legitimate govern- ment outlets to address extremism in any form. • The majority tends to be moderate and forward-thinking in its views, a positive for the mainte- nance of a stable government and an expanding economic base. For numerous reasons, it is wise to enable access to a variety of views and philosophies, religious tenets and political intentions. In this way, people recognize the options before them. Muslim radicalism and advocacy on the web serves many positive purposes for progressive governments in this region of the world. Facebook: A Platform for 21st Century Politics Winning Hearts and Minds on the World Wide Web