Americans Attracted to ISIS Find an "Echo Chamber" on Social Media

(New York Times) Scott Shane, Matt Apuzzo and Eric Schmitt - The online community of Islamic State sympathizers in the U.S. numbers in the hundreds, experts say. They have spent months marinating in the rhetoric and symbolism of the Islamic State, courtesy of Twitter and other Internet platforms. In this electronic hothouse of mutual support, a sort of round-the-clock pep rally for a cause most Muslims shun, Americans join other English speakers to try to outdo one another in pious zeal. Anat Agron, who tracks English-speaking Islamic State supporters for the Middle East Media Research Institute, described the initial reaction to the San Bernardino attack: "People were rejoicing, celebrating. They were talking about how beautiful it was for a married couple to do this together."


2015-12-09 00:00:00

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