Indonesia’s Muslim cyber warriors take on IS
Jakarta: A group of Indonesian “cyber warriors” sit glued to screens, as they send out messages promoting a moderate form of Islam in the world’s most populous Muslim-majority country. Armed with laptops and smartphones, some 500 members of the Nahdlatul Ulama (NU) - one of the world’s biggest Muslim organisations - are seeking to counter the Islamic State group’s extremist messages.
“We’ll never let Islam be hi- jacked by fools who embrace hate in their heart,” tweeted Syafi’ Ali, a prominent member of the NU’s online army, a typical message to his tens of thousands of followers. They are trying to hit back at IS’s sophisticated Internet operations, which have been credited with attracting huge numbers from around the world to their cause. Times of India
The cyber warriors hope to counter the Islamic State’s extremist messages.