Using Social Media to Combat Religious Extremism in Iraq

Abstract

Religious extremism in this era has become one of the dangerous plagues that threaten societies with their various political, intellectual and economic orientations. As a result of the information revolution, some extremist groups have begun to invest in means of communication, especially social networking sites, to spread their ideas and beliefs. On the other hand, there are official and unofficial bodies that also own social networking sites, and these sites need purposeful planning to confront this dangerous phenomenon. Therefore, the aim of this research is to identify how to "employ social networking sites in combating religious extremism in Iraq." To achieve this goal, the researcher adopted the descriptive analytical approach, and the research tool was a questionnaire consisting of (12) twelve paragraphs, and it was presented to a sample from the College of Education at the University of Kufa consisting of (120) one hundred and twenty male and female students. After analyzing the answers of the sample members, the researcher reached a number of results, the most important of which are the following:

1. Men of science, specialists and students can employ their electronic sites to spread ideas capable of confronting religious extremism.
2. The necessity of adopting a thoughtful media discourse to confront the extremist ideas broadcast by some social networking sites.
3. Preparing moderate religious programs that aim to achieve Islamic unity and confront religious extremism.
4. Social media sites can be used as a supportive element for educational and pedagogical institutions in building a generation that carries noble values.

The research concluded with a list of sources and references