70% of Extremists Swayed by Exposure to Social Media
A member of the advisory committee at Prince Mohammed bin Naif Center for Counseling and Care revealed about 70 percent of the reasons that prompt young people to believe in extremist ideologies is linked to use of social media networking sites, which broadcast suspicious information from Israel and countries disguised as Islamic sources.
“There are several reasons for young people to become attracted to these extremist ideologies, with media being the number one source of influence, be it in the form of satellite TV or Internet and social networking sites,” said the source, who preferred to remain unnamed. Other sources of influence include preachers and imams who preach deviant and radical ideology.
He said the idea behind the Prince Mohammed bin Naif Center is to attack the legitimacy of these inaccurate ideas by promoting moderate and true values and principles through discussion and counseling.
He said the efforts of the council have proven successful, as expressed by many young people who received counseling at the center and have gone on to graduate and become positive and active members of the community.
According to Dr. Abdul Mannan Bar, psychological counselor and member of the advisory committee at the center, the majority of people who engage in extremist ideologies and are affected by these messages are between the ages of 17 and 30. About 8 million young people are targeted within the strategic plans of these deviant groups, he said.