September 21, 2004 | Memo
Hosting Hate: American Internet Companies and Their Terrorist Clients
Key Facts
· Certain American Internet and media companies host websites and provide the programming of two of the biggest terrorist threats to the U.S. – Al-Qaeda and Hizbollah.
· Following the attacks of September 11, 2001 both the executive branch and Congress created some impressive weapons to curb terrorist financing. Executive Order 13224 empowers the U.S. government to impose financial sanctions against those “that support or otherwise associate” with “specially designated global terrorist” (SDGT). Specifically, the SDGT order, in addition to Congress’s USA PATRIOT Act (sections 311 and 319), empowers the Treasury Department to take action against the financial structure of terrorist organizations, blocking their fiscal transactions and targeting the banks that support them.
· Executive Order 12947 and the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (50 U.S.C. 1701-1707) prohibit the provision of “financial, material, or technological support” to any SDGT, while U.S. Code makes it illegal to “knowingly provide material support or resources to a foreign terrorist organization” (Title 18, U.S.C. Section 2339B).
Analysis
· Telestar5, a California-based company, broadcasts al-Manar, Hizbollah’s television station, to subscribers in North America 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
· Internet Companies are providing web services and hosting to a number of Al-Qaeda and Hizbollah internet sites.
· Those companies that have hosted Hizbollah sites include:
§ Alabanza Inc., based in Baltimore, Maryland hosts
o Hizbollah’s weekly newspaper at www.intiqad.com
o Hizbollah’s radio station at www.al-nour.net
o HIzbollah’s women’s organization at www.alaaleb.org
o Hizbollah’s Islamic Emdad Charitable Committee at www.alemdad.org
o Hizbollah schools at www.maahadalmahdi.org and www.daralislamia.com
o Hizbollah’s Boy Scouts Organization at www.almahdiscouts.org
o Hizbollah’s Hospital Organization at www.alrassoul.org
§ DataPipe, based in Hoboken, New Jersey hosts
o Hizbollah’s television station at www.manartv.com
§ ServePath LLC, based in San Francisco, California hosts
o Hizbollah’s Secretary-General Hassan Nasrallah’s web site at www.nasrollah.org
o Hizbollah’s radio station at www.alnour.net
o A Hizbollah magazine at www.baqiatollah.org
o Hizbollah’s Islamic Resistance Support Association at www.moqawama.org
o Hizbollah’s Development Organization at www.jihadbinaa.org
o Hizbollah’s Charity Society for those Injured in Lebanon’s Wars at www.aljarha.org
o Hizbollah’s Deputy Secretary General Naim Kassem’s web site at www.naimkassem.org
§ iPowerweb Inc. based in Santa Monica, California provides web services to
o Another Hassan Nasrallah web site at www.Nasrollah.net
· Those companies that have hosted Al-Qaeda’s related sites include:
§ Everyone’s Internet Inc., a Houston-based company hosts
o Message forums used by al-Qaeda supporters, including www.alsaha.com and www.qal3ati.org
o Sites that feature Al-Qa’ida’s Al-Battar Training Camp magazine and Sawt al-Jihad, al-Qaeda’s bi-monthly newsletter at www.hostinganime.com/neda4/index.htm and www.hostinganime.com/sout19/bttar.htm
§ Affinity Internet Inc. based in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida hosts
o A pro-al-Qaeda website that also features among other documents, al-Qaeda’s bi-monthly magazine Sawt al-Jihad at www.neda2-friend.co.uk
· Verio Inc., based in Englewood, Colorado hosts
o www.almjlah.com, a pro al-Qaeda web site
Policy Recommendations
· The U.S. government should establish an office whose sole responsibility it is to monitor terrorist media outlets and see to it that American companies stop doing business with terrorists or are punished to the full extent of the law.
· By monitoring terrorist mass media outlets, and taking swift action against American complicity, we send the right message that terror is not welcome on our shores
· Undoubtedly, much of the web-hosting business will go to companies in Europe and elsewhere around the globe. Many of these countries are allies in the war on terror the U.S. could use diplomatic channels to pressure them to close their businesses to terrorist organizations as well.
· There will be those who will argue that providing these terrorist organizations with Internet services supports freedom of the press. Nothing could be further from the truth. By providing these services, Internet companies are directly promoting terrorist propaganda in return for cash payments.
· U.S. media companies regularly refuse to run advertisements they deem unacceptable. They should show the same restraint when doing business in the often shadowy Internet byways and when terrorist funds are involved. It’s not just their responsibility, it’s the law.