Scholars call to reconsider First Amendment's Freedom of Speech following ISIS online campaign

Legal scholars have called to reconsider the First Amendment's Freedom of Speech in line with the online campaign that ISIS is carrying out in the US.

The Huffington Post reported that legal scholars Cass Sunstein and Eric Posner called for the limitation on the scope of the First Amendment protection following the radicalization messages posted online by the Islamic State targeting Americans. At the heart of this issue is the fear that the terrorist group could easily influence people to join their cause and carry out attacks in the United States. This is a credible fear, but some argue that it is not enough to jeopardize certain constitutional rights.

The Freedom of Speech may not be altered unless there is "clear and present danger." According to the New York Times, this means an actual imminent threat, which for both the scholars is the success of the Islamic State to groom jihadists via the web. This concern has also gone to the political realm. Unsurprisingly, Donald Trump and Hilary Clinton called on Bill Gates and other tech giant leaders to close off sites where these recruitments may occur.

The Slate pointed out 17-year-old Virginian Ali Amin, who discovered ISIS online. He was slowly getting deeper into the messianic world of the Islamic State. He eventually helped the terrorist group transfer funds and send recruits to the airport. He was convicted of supporting ISIS and was sentenced to 11 years in prison.

Meanwhile, researches from George Washington University found 300 ISIS sympathizers who live in the US. These people use Twitter to turn Muslim Americans into radical ISIS supporters. Most of these naïve individuals are simply seeking for general information about religion.

ISIS members will then take advantage of that curiosity and slowly inject ardent point of views. That individual will continue asking more questions and he or she will be involved in a private conversation via Twitter or other messaging apps. 

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First Amendment, Freedom of Speech, ISIS online campaign, Legal scholars Cass Sunstein and Eric Posner

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