May 12, 2009: Islamic terrorists, who largely recruit from among the young, and poorly educated, have been successful in using the same aspects of Western culture they deplore (video, music and dancing, if you count guys with guns bouncing around) to fuel their propaganda efforts. Recent examples can be seen in Somalia, where an American recruit, Abu Mansour al Amriki is producing videos that seem modeled on MTV. While popular in Somalia, these videos are mainly seeking to recruit more Westerners, and young Moslems living in the West.

The terrorists want the Westerners because they are better educated (or at least literate), and thus more useful as trainers and propagandists. Knowledge of computers is a big plus, because al Qaeda has had a hard time getting people with these skills. These recruiting efforts have been successful, bringing in thousands of recruits to Iraq, Pakistan and Somalia. Rap music is particularly suited to extolling the benefits of a Jihadi lifestyle.