Examining the narratives of radical Islamists and other extremely violent groups: The case of the "Islamic State" (original) (raw)
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The Narrative Characteristics of Islamic Terrorism Discourses
Al-Albab, 2014
While polemics is still shadowing the internationally accepted definition, the word “Terrorism” becomes more controversial when it is paralleled with “Islam”. The Islamic Terrorism discourse is more likely to be an elusive concept if not a Fata Morgana. Its very existence appears as a real entity but its form can hardly be described. It would be always be problematic to posterize such a terrible notion as “terrorism” and put it side by side with a noble concept as in “Islam”. The fact, however, shows that the two-word has been widely discussed in global arena. “Islamic Terrorism” has become a trending topic in global politics and academic discourses in the first decade of the millennium.
Challenging the Narrative of the “Islamic State”
Terrorism and Counter-Terrorism Studies, 2015
ISIS has brought terrorist propaganda to a new level, targeting its main audiences in nearly two dozen languages with up to 90,000 tweets every day. Governments have generally been at a loss as how to counter the ISIS narrative with persuasive counter-arguments to reduce its attraction for rebellious Muslim youths in Western diasporas and Muslim-majority countries. At the core of ISIS' narrative are themes familiar to most Muslims. ISIS has appropriated and instrumentalised them for its main purpose: to expand the Caliphate proclaimed in mid-2014. In this Research Paper, Dr. Alex Schmid identifies a dozen narrative themes of ISIS and discusses them from theological, historical and other angles in an attempt to show vulnerabilities and point the way towards developing convincing counter-arguments. While the potential of this approach is demonstrated, Dr. Schmid argues that a concerted and systematic approach, based on synergetic, inter-disciplinary teamwork, is required to develop successful counternarratives and that these need to be tested on audiences with a cultural affinity to ISIS main target groups before being utilised by credible Muslim voices who wish to engage terrorist ideologues and their potential followers with rational and faith-based arguments. The Research Paper concludes with the observation that developing counter-narratives, while necessary, is not enough. It is even more necessary to develop credible alternative narratives-narratives that can give a new sense of purpose, meaning and hope to those who feel that they have no future in their and our societies.
Terrorism and Political Violence, 2018
TheIslamicState(IS)hasbecomenotoriousforviolent,brutalactionsand the presentation of these actions in social and mainstream media. Excessive violence creates a spectacle for the news media. However, IS propagandaalsoemphasizesitsroleinstatebuildinganditsengagement in social and welfare work. This twofold propaganda enables the mobilizationofdifferentaudiences,butitalsosendsconflictingmessagesabout the organization. In this article, we study the e-magazine Dabiq, emphasizing its methods of gaining support and attempting to recruit Western participants toviolent jihadism. We use theories of socialmovementand subculture to reveal some of the underlying tensions in IS’s communicative strategies. The analysis first identifies how IS frames its propaganda, attempting to mobilize widespread support. Then, it highlights another dimension of IS’s rhetoric: provocations, the creation of sensationalist spectacles of violence and links to excitement seeking, stardom, and popularculture.Weconcludethatcombininggeneralanti-Westernrhetoric and religious imagery with extraordinary depictions of violence has been both a strength and flaw in the organization’s propaganda.
Changes in Jihadi Discourse in the Wake of the Islamic State_Introduction
Changes in Jihadi Discourse in the Wake of the "Islamic State": From Transnational Jihad to Fragmentation, 2022
Despite the military decline of IS, the appearance and success of the organization had a lasting impact on the jihadi movement worldwide. With their declaration of a caliphate in June 2014, the organization demanded the subjugation of other jihadi groups, including al-Qaida. The demand was based on the belief that the group would provide a better (and more successful) alternative to other jihadi organizations. The different ideology and strategy IS offered led to a strong competition within the jihadi community over (possible) followers. As a result, the movement came to be characterized by fragmentation and disintegration leading to more numerous and smaller groups. This book will explore how the fragmentation came along through investigating the jihadi discourse over a 13-year period.
"Terrorism, Communication, and the War of Ideas: Al-Qaida's Strategic Narrative as a Brand"
More than a military confrontation, the fight against terrorism is being played in the realm of communication and it involves ideas, values, and perceptions. Official counterterrorism documents and research on radicalization identify a terrorist narrative being strategically deployed by al-Qaida to fuel extremism and attract new recruits. In this context some suggest that the most effective way for Western democracies to counter terrorism is by developing a credible counter-narrative. The article develops the argument that the concept of narrative is more complex than a simple story. It can be useful in understanding the way strategic narratives, while promoted by specific actors to achieve desired objectives, keep on existing through a collective construction and re-telling process. A strategic narrative can be conceptualized for analytical purposes as a brand, particularly in terms of measuring the extent to which the narrative varies across countries and terrorist groups, over time, and in the mind of audiences. A greater understanding of the social construction of strategic narratives can inform a better assessment of what is feasible in the war of ideas against al-Qaida.
Framing Isis. Ideologia, strategie, comunicazione
2015
Daesh, lo “Stato Islamico” o Isis, è diventata, nell’ultimo anno, un attore di rilievo nelle dinamiche del Medio Oriente. Il movimento non ha avuto un impatto solo geopolitico, con la conquista di porzioni della Siria e dell’Iraq, ma ha mostrato di possedere dei tratti che, nella costellazione del fondamentalismo islamista, lo caratterizzano come un attore spesso atipico; allo stesso tempo, tuttavia, lo “Stato Islamico” è in grado di riassumere nelle proprie modalità ideologico-confessionali, operative, sociali e di esercizio della sovranità alcune caratteristiche già manifestate da altri gruppi estremisti. L’elemento di spicco di Daesh è la coerenza tra i suoi obiettivi e l’ampio ventaglio di attività, sul piano militare, comunicativo-propagandistico, sociale, politico e religioso, che concorrono a generare e supportare la sua strategia di base. Il contributo proposto intende fornire elementi per comprendere come questo approccio strategico di ampio respiro si sia formato e in quali modi Daesh si distacchi dal movimento più importante che lo aveva preceduto, vale a dire al Qaeda nelle sue versioni pre e post l’11 settembre 2001 (al Qaeda prime/core e al Qaeda “in franchising”). La riflessione si centra più esplicitamente sulle dimensioni politico-ideologiche, operativo-militari e simbolico-comunicative dell’azione e delle prassi dello “Stato Islamico”. Infatti, in una prima sezione dell’articolo Roberto Gritti analizza la dimensione socio-politica e ideologico-religiosa dello “Stato Islamico” sui territori conquistati e, in particolar modo, la sua politica nei confronti delle altre sotto-confessioni islamiche. L’identità ideologica e religiosa dell’Isis è esplorata attraverso l’analisi delle correnti salafita e wahabita dell’Islam e, quindi, di come lo “Stato Islamico” si inserisce nella galassia jihadista. Nella seconda sezione Giuseppe Anzera analizza la dimensione geopolitica e strategica dello “Stato Islamico” come forza paramilitare e attore politico all’interno del calderone siriano e della complessa situazione irachena considerando il ruolo svolto dai paesi circostanti e dalle grandi potenze coinvolte nell’area. Nella terza sezione Marco Bruno approfondisce il tema della comunicazione di Daesh, capace di svolgere azioni di propaganda attraverso un uso raffinato dei media in grado di definire una segmentazione attenta dei pubblici e dei messaggi a loro rivolti e di influire nelle dinamiche di framing della stessa immagine, funzionali al perseguimento degli obiettivi strategici del gruppo. Daesh, the "Islamic State" or Isis, has become, in the last year, a relevant player in Middle Eastern dynamics. With the conquest of portions of Syria and Iraq, the movement has not had a single geopolitical impact, but has been shown to possess the traits that, in the constellation of Islamist fundamentalism, often characterize it as an atypical actor. At the same time, however, the "Islamic State" is able to summarize, in its ideological- confessional, operational, social ways as well as in its exercise of sovereignty, some features already expressed by other extremist groups. The main element of Daesh is the coherence between its objectives and broad range of activities at military, communicative, social, political and religious levels, which are combined to generate and support its basic strategy. The contribution, here proposed, aims to provide elements to understand how this strategic and broad approach was formed and in what ways Daesh breaks away from the most important movements that preceded it, namely al-Qaeda in its pre and post versions of September 11, 2001.
Ideology as Narrative The Mythic Discourse of al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghrib
This article examines a corpus of extremist Islamist texts for the period from 2007 to 2012, including transcripts of audio and videos produced by al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghrib (aqim). Utilizing narrative analysis, we examine the way aqim used mythic discourse to disseminate its ideology to audiences and to defend its actions and focus on the deployment of longstanding culturally-embedded 'master narratives' in fragmentary forms as sense-making devices. In the process, we argue that narrative analysis can provide insights into ideologies and organizations in the Middle East and North African region that may elude other analytical methods.
Narratives, Identity, and Terrorism
Contrary to the prevalent view within governments, narratives are not merely a form of communication, a set of descriptive facts, or a series of statements that support an argument. Fruitful avenues of research would aim to better comprehend how Muslims in the West and elsewhere understand themselves in relation to the different narratives that are available to them. For instance, what is it that leads people to adopt narratives that are less socially predominant? It may be that there is a strategic logic to how and when certain identities are upheld, or it may be that there are identifiable factors and conditions that make the adoption of certain narrative identities more likely. One thing is clear: if the adoption of a global al-Qaeda narrative is what galvanizes ideological support for al-Qaeda and motivates terrorist involvement, then perspectives that limit narrative to the realm of language and argument are not likely to have much infl uence, particularly when that narrative identity involves religion.
Both in terrorism research and counterterrorism practitioners’ circles “narratives” are en vogue. The interest in narratives stems from the growing realization, in the post-9/11 context, that both terrorism and counterterrorism take place, beyond the material and military dimensions, in the realm of communication, perceptions and persuasion. The very idea of progress in counterterrorism, in fact, appears to be related to both establishing a credible narrative and damaging “their” narrative. Yet, despite the continuous repetition of the term, surprisingly little effort has gone into understanding the nature of narratives as well as their role in the phenomenon of contemporary extremism: What are narratives, exactly? How do they support—even supposedly drive—radicalism? This chapter aims to fill this gap by explaining the role of narratives in the political mobilization of terrorist groups within a globally interconnected media environment.