the federal government is hoping to use reformed  jihadists who have returned from the middle east to combat the flow of extremist propaganda circulating online, a new report suggests the method of countering online propaganda from extremist groups like the islamic state has been used in britain, where renowned former militants attempt to deter prospective jihadists from going abroad the news of the government enlisting reformed jihadis  comes after attorney general george brandis last month announced an $18 million campaign to battle extremist  propaganda, reports the age attorney general george brandis last month announced an $18 million campaign to battle extremist propaganda online  the operation, which will be launched in july, will employ a team of  technology experts to assess the impact of extremist propaganda online the government also plans to seek the help of platforms such as google, twitter and facebook, to counter extremist messages the urgency of the cause was brought to national attention this week, when it was reported that 18 year old melbourne teenager jake bilardi who was radicalised and lured to the middle east online  was apparently killed while carrying out a suicide car bombing in iraq bilardi, who left materials for improvised explosives at his family home, was identified by fairfax media this week as the islamic state recruit declared the 'white jihadi' in a viral image of him in front of an islamic state flag a viral image of melbourne teenager jake bilardi (centre), who was believed to have been killed this week while carrying out a suicide car bombing in iraq  the apparent death of bilardi who was  radicalised online brings the urgency of jihadist propaganda to a national podium  the use of former jihadists as poster boys is precarious for the australian government, as they need to ensure the subjects have not committed any crimes or been prosecuted in the past it is illegal to fight with a listed terrorist organisation, to fight against government forces in a foreign country and to travel to parts of iraq and syria without a lawful reason furthermore, the government would need to keep their support for the individual clandestine, since a government allegiance would thwart the individual's credibility in the eyes of the would be jihadis the use of reformed jihadis to deter radicalisation is precarious, since the government cannot endorse criminals, and fighting for a terrorist organisation is against the law  muhammad manwar ali, a reformed jihadist who now works with the british government to dissuade young men from partaking in middle eastern conflicts  one example of a reformed jihadist being used for this cause is muhammad manwar ali, who works with the british government to foil the spread of radicalisation, reports new york times mr ali, who has appeared on prominent media platforms such as itv to speak out against young men travelling to partake in middle eastern conflicts, fought as a jihadi himself in afghanistan, bangladesh, and sri lanka now he runs an educational centre in ipswitch, eastern britain, where he tries to deter young men from the teachings of radical sheiks and enlighten them to the complexities of the war in the middle east abdullah x, a cartoon made by another former jihadist to deter young men from radicalisation  another british reformed extremist who chooses to remain anonymous has even created a cartoon character for the cause named abdullah x the character appears in a number of comics and a youtube channel, which has received hundreds of thousands of views since being uploaded last year in an exclusive interview with sky news, the cartoonist wrote 'i have the knowledge, the background and the experience to understand that narratives such as the one driven by extremist groups have beaten mainstream society in access to the internet' while the federal government is believed to be seeking a suitable candidate to voice their message, they have yet to come across one that fits the criteria
george brandis jake bilardi $18 million britain
using former jihadis to counter radicalisation is a method used in britain  george brandis recently announced $18 million  against jihadi propaganda  the apparent death of jake bilardi brought the topic to national attention  the government must ensure the subjects are not convicted of any crimes 