Agreement on a clear definition of media concepts and terminology related to the terrorist phenomenon is crucial. It transcends the proper generation of ideas and perceptions to protecting researchers and specialists in areas related to media issues, such as politics, law and international relations, from misrepresentation or manipulation of those terms.
It also contributes to achieving deeper and more far-reaching goals in many areas of human life. Such as stability, security, peace, justice, human rights, intellectual and cultural education of young people, spreading the culture of peace among nations and peoples, and influencing the standing and dignity of nations and their relationship with the rest of the international system.
Terminology and Concepts
The loss of a unified lexicon of terminology that enables media professionals to abide by it and helps them to be accurate in their use has made it difficult to grasp the differences between certain terms, such as terrorism aimed at indiscriminately killing civilians, extremism aimed at fundamentalist change and the distinction between armed individuals facing occupying forces and terrorists.
This brief article addresses three issues to illustrate and reflect them in general rather than in detail. First, what is meant by terrorist terms? Second, the impact of the circulation of these terms in different areas. Third, the areas and uses of concepts and terminology related to terrorism.
Many media terms related to the terrorist phenomenon are spread internationally in various official or private media, in the media of traditional or virtual terrorist organizations. Most of those concepts and terminology are open to interpretation and multiple clarifications, which expands the prevalence of loose media terminology and misconceptions and negatively affects many aspects of human life and aspects of political and security stability.
In addition, these terms and concepts entered the lexicon of Arab Islamic Media and had a clear impact on the formation and conscience of the Arab and Muslim man. These words have become negative perceptual manifestations of the recipient, creating distorted images of Islam and Muslims among Muslims themselves. One of the most prominent examples used in the media is the term “Islamic State” and its use in reference to ISIS.
What is meant by the terrorism terms in the media? Alternatively, what is meant by the terminology of terrorism in the terrorist media?
Terrorism media terms or terrorism terminology related to the media domain means the collection of media concepts and terminology related to or overlapping with the terrorist phenomenon in other aspects and domains, such as politics, security and law. Notable examples include information penetration, promotion of terrorism, electronic jihad, virtual damage, and communicative pledge of allegiance, parallel information sources and the stirring up of sectarian discourse.
Recently, there have been some specialized and institutional endeavors and efforts to monitor, collect and limit these terms to an independent publication, and subsequently define and clarify what they mean to address the problems and challenges posed by the chaos and confusion in interpreting and employing these terms and concepts. Notable among them are the “Dictionary of Terrorism Terms” project adopted by the Islamic Military Counter Terrorism Coalition and the “Unified Terminology Guide” in covering the phenomenon of terrorism.
Impact and Influence
The terminology of terrorism in the media domain has many different effects stemming from the expansion of the areas of the terrorist phenomenon itself and its threats, in addition to the power of the media and its influence on various human, developmental and civilizational aspects. These terms overlap with other areas, whether affected or influenced by those areas. They include political, cultural, legal, social, economic, security and military meanings.
By way of example and not limitation, in the media sphere, terrorism terms have a significant and dangerous impact on the formation of individuals’ awareness and culture, in so-called mass communication, or the cultural and ideological impact of the terrorist phenomenon. Different media can convey misperceptions about some issues related to the terrorist phenomenon by inflating certain concepts and terms, caring for some particulars and separating them from their general context.
The difficulty of reaching agreed definitions of the terms of terrorism has had a clear negative impact in the legal and legislative sphere, particularly on the achievement of criminal justice and human rights. Foremost among them is the very concept of terrorism along with other terms of the media side. The term terrorism continues to be defined differently at the international level to this day, with the exception of the definition contained in the Arab Convention for the Suppression of Terrorism of 1998. It is regrettable that the literal Arabic translation of this term, translated from the Latin term terrorism, has many serious implications. Most notably the adoption of the term by many researchers and the media in its Western meanings, and action to combat terrorist crimes in accordance with that Western concept.
Adding to the difficulty of agreeing on definitions of terrorist terms is the loss of scientific, literary or academic reference to which reference can be made to determine the meaning of the terms and concepts used in the media. Most counter-terrorism laws lack exhaustive definitions that prohibit many media terms and concepts associated with terrorist crimes, especially crimes related to information technology, media and electronic journalism, social media, or crimes of media financing and support.
The magnitude of the political and psychological impact and influence is well known due to the anarchism and ambiguity in the meaning of many of the media terms of terrorism. The media generally circulate those media terms related to the terrorist phenomenon without investigation or scrutiny, which negatively affects the validity of media broadcasting. Thus, it deprives the recipient entitlement to access the correct information, as well as profoundly affects the political stability and relationship between peoples and governments.
The concept of political poisoning resulting from the circulation of those distorted terms used by some media upon covering terrorist operations, and in various programs related to the terrorist phenomenon, may have a significant impact on the destruction of quite a few political attitudes and international relations. Political poisoning targets the mind and self of man in an attempt to influence his constancy and thinking. Political poisoning is part of a full-scale psychological war, and its success or failure is often not seen until years later, measured by how much it changes the sectors of a country’s political elite, intellectual elite, and then public opinion.
A study based on a survey of media professionals in a media strategy to counter the terrorist phenomenon, entitled “Contact person and problems in dealing with terrorism issues”, has established a range of media terms and concepts that need to be fine-tuned by specialists and experts in order to improve the level of media follow-up to terrorist incidents. The study recommended that some terms should be replaced with others, in order to normalize the terrorist phenomenon without inflating or underestimating it and to escape the trap of contributing to the spread of terrorism.
Fields and Uses
The terminology and concepts of terrorism related to the media field are used in many human, developmental and civilizational fields and disciplines, directly or indirectly. This is because of the overlap and exchange between them and the need for those fields to use different media.
This overlap has been aided by the proliferation and rapid development of the media in the last decades of the twentieth century, especially electronic media and social media penetration. Perhaps the most dangerous area in which terrorist media terminology is used is in the legislative and legal domain, with regard to legal concepts and terminology specific to terrorist offences, as well as the media war between political regimes and their security agencies on the one hand and terrorist organizations on the other. Some international media, information networks and websites have contributed to the widespread and immediate publicity of terrorist acts. As a result, terrorists have an extensive media presence throughout the world.
This has enabled terrorist organizations to manipulate media terminology and change it to conform to their interests in disseminating terrorist ideas. Thus exploiting their own media, or by transmitting documents, articles and newsletters written, published and circulated by official and private media without revision or scrutiny. Consequently, spreading misleading, defamatory religious and human terms to serve the interests, orientations and curricula of terrorist organizations.
The use of media terms and concepts of terrorism cannot be confined to this brief article, such as propaganda and marketing, in which terms such as promotion and facilitation abound. In addition, the military and security domain uses media terms, such as recruitment, electronic jihad, masterminds, lone wolves and suicidal children, as well as the financial sphere in which the terms extortion, financing of terrorism, money laundering, etc., are used.
In conclusion
The loss of a unified specialized Arab media reference containing terrorism terms in general, and media terms in particular, and empowering media professionals and others who deal with this type of terminology, is one of the most prominent reasons for the spread of misconceptions when the Arab media follow terrorist incidents.
In addition, it has contributed to the unintended and often indirect support of terrorism by disseminating those concepts and terms that terrorist organizations wish to spread among individuals and societies. Hence, the terrorist phenomenon has inflated by giving it a much larger scale and strength than its real size. Therefore, an important recommendation is the need to expedite the issuance of the “Dictionary of Terrorism Terms” of the Islamic Military Counter Terrorism Coalition. It would serve as a reference for media research institutions and others to standardize terminology, to contribute to the elimination of confusion in the use of terms related to the terrorist phenomenon in general, and Arabic media terminology in particular.