In the wake of 9/11 and the military buildup that has accompanied the Iraqi and Afghani wars, numerous organizations have arisen to fill the void left by the inefficiencies of the public intelligence agencies. In this manner, the advantageous manipulation of current views -- mainly the perceptions of the Middle East and the Islamic religion -- along with the federal government contracting many defense companies, has created a self-perpetuating system of fear and build up. Today I will identify what I believe is a culpable organization that utilizes the internet for less-than-sincere purposes to enable ignorance and stereotypes in the American public.

The NEFA - Nine Eleven Finding Answers - Foundation is a private, non-profit organization conceptualized and created by individuals who desired to help in the fight against terrorism.

They list their objective as sharing their findings and data with intelligence agencies, media, and public in general. Yet this latter method is the only visibility of outreach -- no information can be found on their website about their activities related to the media, other NGO's and non-profits, or with the United States government.

However, a quick search on YouTube or GoogleVideo shows NEFA's contributions: videos of fringe Muslims in Western countries. The primary question one should ask is why does a ‘fact-finding’ intelligence non-profit engage it's audience by distributing videos of radicals acting like radicals?

A recent video of the Islamic Thinkers Society protesting in NYC provides the best substantiation. The evidence is not in the video itself, but the reactions and discussions facilitated by making such content available. With over 130 comments and 39,000 views, this is one of the more popular videos on YouTube. A sampling of the comments:

" Where's a suicide car bomber when you need one?" "This really does show just why it's our duty to go to Iraq, Afghanistan and Iran. Innocent people need to be protected from hate and war mongers such as these, who chant about genocide and nuclear attacks in the street. There's no way we could forgive ourselves if we didn't stop them." "Islamic Thinkers Society may the Lord Jesus Christ have mercy on your souls. Hell will be stoked up a few degrees hotter for your likes....."

From a group of five seemingly senseless youths in New York with no coherent message and no vehicle to spread their message emerges the ability to reinforce public beliefs about the West's relations with Islam. In a city of 10 million with a significant Middle Eastern population, a small group chanting random hatred hardly constitutes infiltration by a terrorist group in our midst (in fact, if you have lived or traveled to New York, random groups shouting on the street for random causes is a regular occurrence)

By acknowledging people better left ignored, NEFA creates an environment that encourages extremist behavior on both sides. Through showing these videos and filtering them through specific channels on the internet, NEFA draws significant attraction to extreme Islamic movements unrepresentative of their culture or religion, giving a platform that creates the illusion they are spokesmen’s of the whole. On the other side, anti-Islamic prejudices are nurtured and pandered to in the American perception, increasing not only simple misunderstanding, but distrust and disdain as well.

Though it is important to realize and expose the existence of fringe elements in Western society, it should be pursued in an objective manner that does not inflame strong responses. By perpetuating ignorance and reaffirming xenophobic and stereotypical beliefs, organizations like NEFA inhibit short and long-term policy through the distortion of American public opinion.