Online Terror Hunter: Take Off the Blinders -- Hamas Won't Change
by Allie Martin
February 8, 2006
(AgapePress) - - Despite some observers' predictions in the western media, a terrorism expert does not expect Hamas to abandon violence for diplomacy following the group's surprise victory in the Palestinian elections in January. Jeremy Reynalds heads up Joy Junction, an Albuquerque-based homeless shelter that is the largest in the state of New Mexico. But for nearly four years now -- in his spare time -- Reynalds has investigated terrorists through American-hosted websites and forwarded his findings to authorities. His efforts have included two sting operations and the downing of a number of terrorist-related Internet sites -- and have brought him several death threats from self-proclaimed jihadists.
"Tracking terrorism online began as a hobby for me. Now it has become a passion," he says.
His online exploits have included monitoring of pro-Hamas sites, the terror-supporting group that came out on top in the recent Palestinian elections in Israel. While some officials in the western media have predicted Hamas will now turn to diplomacy, the online terrorist-hunter says recent Internet postings tell a different story.
"Anybody who believes that Hamas is going to change the way they act, react, deal with Israel, is living in a sort of Alice in Wonderland," Reynalds states. "They have shown no signs of doing that. They are not willing to acknowledge the existence of Israel."
Not only are they not willing to acknowledge the Jewish nation's existence, says Reynalds, but recent postings on websites sponsored by terrorists are still calling for the elimination of all "Zionists." He emphasizes the need to spread that word.
"I really hope that people get involved [in doing that]," he says. "And again, ... as I said before, we are living in a post-9/11 culture -- and we really encourage people to realize [that] Islam is not a good religion gone bad. It is a bad religion that is getting even worse."
In May Reynalds will release a book detailing his online terrorist investigations. The title of the book is War on the Web: Fighting the Online Jihad.
Allie Martin, a regular contributor to AgapePress, is a reporter for American Family Radio News, which can be heard online.
