Much of al-Qaeda ?s ideological and training material has been moved onto the Internet, in recognition of the need to decentralize operations and inspire active operatives and supportive followers around the world. These message boards are at the forefront of the effort to accomplish this. There are different forums for everything Jihadist. A site may have a forum devoted exclusively to the Jihad in Iraq , another one just for videos of Jihadist operations from places like Iraq and Chechnya, another for religious ideology and another for politics. There are sometimes even message boards devoted exclusively to the ?Electronic Jihad? ? or, how to utilize more effectively the Internet for terrorist purposes.

The message boards are a boon to analysts for their political ideology. Reading the documents and postings provides an intimate view into the up-to-the-minute evolution of Jihadist political dialogue. They can also provide concrete information on real events in the world of terrorism ? such as the incident of Zarqawi?s wounding (Intel Report). They provide indications of the progress a group is making, sometimes the difficulties it is experiencing, and even its take on the terrain and region in which it is operating ? not just in Iraq, but globally. In rarer cases, even operational knowledge is made available – for example, how to move correctly through Syria to get to Iraq (Intel Report) or suggestions for targeting. Pictures of individuals that the Jihadist community would like assassinated are circulated with the plea that anyone who can, should carry out the task. For example, there have been multiple calls to kill Dutch Parliamentarian Ayaan Hirsi Ali (Intel Report) because of her role in the controversial film ?Submission? . Plans can be adjusted on these boards also. When it was perceived that it might be too difficult to get around Hirsi Ali?s personal security detail, the plan shifted to kill others who had helped her make the film (Intel Report).

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