[MAGHAREBIA] Arab interior ministers want to keep a closer watch on extremist websites.The new agreement emerged from the 30th session of the Arab Interior Ministers Council, which ended Thursday (March 14th) in Riyadh.
Twenty-one Arab ministers approved recommendations to monitor extremist websites used for recruiting young people, as well as online communications between terrorist groups.
The ministerial summit also discussed civil defence plans and strategies to combat the illegal use of drugs, Kuwait's al-Taleea reported on Thursday.
"There are many serious challenges facing the Arab nation and threatening its security, as well as its developmental, cultural, and humanitarian progress," Saudi Arabia's Okaz reported King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz as saying.
Addressing these challenges to Arab security requires an "accurate diagnosis and a comprehensive vision", he added.
"Support for the capabilities of security services, unification of efforts, the development of joint security co-ordination, and activation of the roles of our religious, social, educational, and guidance institutions" would all be required, the monarch said.
Observers noted, however, the difficulty of controlling the electronic content of jihadist websites.
"The Arab interior ministers' plan is very ambitious and important because many young people start their journey towards terrorism by learning about these groups via the internet," Omar Ould Dahmed, an expert in youth issues, told Magharebia.
"The content, especially related to combat and training, as well as songs glorifying jihad, attract many people," he added.
Provided Arab nations implement the ministers' recommendations, such websites can be monitored and their content controlled. Furthermore young people who browse such websites can be monitored and their suspicious activities identified.