Isis: Humour and satire can defeat Islamic State says US ambassador to UN Samantha Power

The US ambassador to the United Nations said humour and satire are among the best means of countering the attempts by jihadist group Islamic State (Isis, Isil) to recruit young people.

Speaking to the UN Security Council in New York in a meeting on international peace and security, Samantha Power addressed the role of young people in preventing the rise of extremist organisations.

She said the international community was losing the battle against Islamic extremists using the internet to recruit young people.

"The reality is that we are being outspent, outflanked, and out-innovated by terrorist groups intent on recruiting new young members. We have to catch up – for their welfare, and for our collective security," Power said.

"We need to enlist youth themselves in leading this effort. We've seen how powerful youth-led initiatives can be, including those that use satire."

The speech comes after six Somali-American men aged from 19 to 21 were charged in Minneapolis on terror offences after allegedly planning to travel to Syria, where IS controls large areas of territory.

Recently, three London schoolgirls aged between 15 and 16 travelled to Syria, after allegedly communicating with IS followers online.

Earlier in April, Scotland Yard assistant commissioner Mark Rowley warned IS was targeting the young and vulnerable online to carry out "lone wolf" terror attacks.

In the speech, Power spoke a recent viral video made by Egyptian Karim Farok, which remixed an IS "nasheed" chant into a pop song, undercutting the its warlike message.

"Karim's remix was a form of protest, because Isil's fundamentalist interpretation of Islam forbids music with instruments. By transgressing the group's rules, Karim's song encouraged others to express criticism as well, rather than be silenced by fear," she said.

The song inspired a spate of other viral videos mocking IS, including a wedding stunt in that masked men dressed as Islamic militants pretend to kidnap the bride, before breaking out into dance.

In another, three Lebanese women mock an IS beheading video before breaking out into dance.

In the speech, Power also advocated tackling the group's message through encouraging education and critical thinking among young people, and building the trust and support of local communities.