Steven Stalinsky

Steven Stalinsky
Occupation(s)Executive Director, MEMRI
Scholar
Author
Columnist
Years active1988–present
Academic background
EducationWalden University (PhD)
Academic work
Main interestsMiddle East, Islamic terrorism, Terrorism, American Foreign Policy
Notable worksAmerican Traitor: The rise and fall of Al-Qaeda's U.S.-Born Leader Adam Gadahn(2017)

Steven Stalinsky is an American scholar of the Middle East and Terrorism[1] whose writings focus on the interplay between Islamic terrorism and technology, and especially terrorism and social media. He has served as executive director of the Middle East Media Research Institute (MEMRI) since 1999.[2]

Commentary

On terrorism and social media

Stalinsky has published analysis on the use of social media by Al-Qaeda and ISIS.[3][4] He has been interviewed by media outlets about terrorist use of social media, especially about terrorist use of Telegram, VK, and encryption.[5][6]

Stalinsky's writing on Al-Qaeda's online magazine Inspire was cited in a U.S. Department of Justice terrorism case.[7] In 2013 and 2014, several media organizations used Stalinsky's research describing the indoctrination and exploitation of young children by Al-Qaeda and other jihadist groups.[8][9]

Stalinsky also spent years pressing Twitter to take action about jihadis' use of their social networking service – efforts which culminated in a 2013 congressional letter to the FBI urging them to take action.[10]

On terrorism and drone use

Stalinsky co-authored a study for MEMRI on the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant's and other Jihadi organizations use of drones that has been cited by many media outlets. The Washington Post subsequently interviewed Stalinsky for an article on how Islamic State uses unmanned aerial vehicles.[11]

On Muslim communities in the US

On February 2, 2024, Stalinsky published an opinion piece on The Wall Street Journal titled "Welcome to Dearborn, America's Jihad Capital".[12] The article criticized the Dearborn, Michigan community for perceived "enthusiasm for jihad against Israel and the West" stemming from the Hamas led terror attack on Israel on October 7th, 2023. Dearborn mayor Abdullah Hammoud described Stalinsky's article as being "inflammatory" and linked it with "an alarming increase in bigoted and Islamophobic rhetoric online targeting the city of Dearborn".[13] President Joe Biden and Gov. Gretchen Whitmer joined in the condemnation.[14]

On Anti-Israel Protests in American Universities

On April 22, 2024, Stalinsky published an opinion piece on The Wall Street Journal titled "Who's behind the Anti-Israel Protest".[15]

References

  1. ^ "Developing Industry Policies to Mitigate Terrorists' Misuse of Social Media Platforms". Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies. Walden University. Retrieved 17 December 2024.
  2. ^ "LinkedIn Profile for Steven Stalinsky". LinkedIn. LinkedinIn. Retrieved 17 December 2024.
  3. ^ "Commentary: Online jihad". UPI. 2013-08-07. Retrieved 2016-07-09.
  4. ^ "Orlando Shows the Limits of Facebook's Terror Policing". Wired. Retrieved 2016-07-09.
  5. ^ Kirkos, Bill (17 March 2016). "Minnesota police officers appear on kill list". CNN. Retrieved 2016-07-09.
  6. ^ Purnell, Newley; Yuniar, Resty Woro (2016-01-19). "Islamic State Eludes Southeast Asian Authorities With Telegram App". The Wall Street Journal. ISSN 0099-9660. Retrieved 2016-07-09.
  7. ^ "AL-AULAQI v. OBAMA et al". Justia Dockets & Filings. Retrieved 2016-07-09.
  8. ^ "Syrian Jihadists Target Children for Indoctrination, Training". Voice of America. 23 February 2014. Retrieved 2016-07-09.
  9. ^ Warrick, Joby (2023-05-17). "Al-Qaeda-linked Syrian faction touts training camp for boys". The Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved 2016-07-09.
  10. ^ "Feds take little action against U.S. Web companies hosting sites linked to terror". The Washington Times. Retrieved 2016-05-23.
  11. ^ Warrick, Joby (2023-05-24). "Use of weaponized drones by ISIS spurs terrorism fears". The Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286.
  12. ^ Stalinsky, Steven (2024-02-02). "Welcome to Dearborn, America's Jihad Capital". The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved 2024-02-03.
  13. ^ Sutter, Tara (2024-02-03). "Michigan mayor ramps up police force near places of worship, citing 'inflammatory' WSJ op-ed". The Hill. Retrieved 2024-02-03.
  14. ^ "Biden, Whitmer join in condemnation of Wall Street Journal column on Dearborn". Michigan Advance. 2024-02-04. Retrieved 2024-02-05.
  15. ^ Stalinsky, Steven (2024-04-22). "Who's Behind the Anti-Israel Protests". The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved 2024-04-23.