Page 2 of 2 Not for your average
jihadi By Abdul Hameed Bakier
Front,
who wrote this training section, it is the first
Islamic encryption software.
The section
on the program affirms the necessity of creating
Islamic encryption tools due to the currently
ineffective programs available on the market. In
general, the section talks about five topics: (1)
encryption and correspondence through the
Internet; (2) encrypting personal e-mails; (3) the
degree of encryption and
the
symmetric (128-bit) and asymmetric (1,024-bit)
encryption keys; (4) public encryption keys and
pass phrases that protect them; and (5) private
encryption keys and decryption keys.
The
authors claim that the Secrets of the Mujahideen
program offers the highest level of encryption in
asymmetric encoding that furnishes safe transfer
of public encryption keys over the Internet. The
keys, which use "key prints" to identify the
recipient, can be advertised in the jihadi forums.
In general, the strength of the jihadist
encryption program lies in the following: the use
of the best five algorithms in encryption science;
strong symmetric encryption; private and public
asymmetric 2,048-bit keys; strong compression of
data; use of stealthy encryption keys and
algorithms; secure deletion of files and
elimination of retrieval possibilities; and the
ability to run it from a flash disk, ie, the
program does not have to run from a computer hard
drive.
The encryption training section is
extremely detailed and explains all the technical
implications of the program. The writers claim
that the program surpasses all international
symmetric encryption systems.
Section
5-6: Video technology and subtitling This
is the second lesson in a series that will be
included in future issues of the magazine.
Although very technical, there is nothing unusual
about the video training as it talks about signal
reception, sample rates and vertical video
samples.
In the same context, the training
explains how to dub video clips with subtitles and
background voiceovers. Video skills are clearly
needed by jihadis for their propaganda campaigns.
One well-known example would be the videos
released of the "Baghdad Sniper" (Terrorism Focus,
February 14). Abu al-Hassan al-Magribi, the writer
of this section, concludes by stressing the
importance of translating jihadist propaganda into
as many foreign languages as possible.
The conclusion of the magazine The editor-in-chief ends the magazine with an
article calling on jihadi forum participants to
contribute technical information to the magazine,
saying, "Haven't you thought that you might have
some knowledge that would assist your brothers in
our nascent Islamic state of Iraq? My technical
jihadi brother, this magazine gives you the
opportunity to share whatever scientific knowledge
you have with tens of thousands of jihadis
frequenting the Islamic forums.
"Half of
the efforts we exert in our battles against
enemies of God occupying our land in Iraq,
Palestine, Chechnya and Somalia lie in the media
that will enlighten our fellow Muslims with facts
about the crusaders."
He reminds the
readers of al-Qaeda in Iraq leader Abu Hamza
al-Muhajir's call to Muslim scholars and
scientists to use their knowledge for the benefit
of jihad. Finally, the magazine instructs willing
participants to send their technical articles to
www.teqanymag.arabform.com. That website contains
a welcoming note from the board of editors of the
magazine and a contact form where participants can
send in their technical articles.
The next
issue of Technical Mujahid is set to contain the
following subjects: jihadi forums and secure
surfing on the Internet; smart weapons such as
night vision and thermal imaging; and information
on how intelligence agencies can bug cellular
phones. Also, al-Fajr Information Center has
announced the release of an interview with a
jihadi leader in Afghanistan that will be posted
soon.
Clearly, the Technical Mujahid is
not a magazine for the common jihadi, since it
contains many scientific details. To comprehend
and apply the training the magazine offers, the
jihadi has to have a certain level of education
and specific academic background or be tutored by
an expert in training camps or safe houses.
Nevertheless, it is another example of how the
Internet is used to train fellow mujahideen in
topics ranging from weapons training to secure
communications.
Abdul Hameed
Bakier is an intelligence expert on
counter-terrorism, crisis management and
terrorist-hostage negotiations. He is based in
Jordan.
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