Analysis of ISIS Propaganda Targeting Saudi Arabia through Magazines

Abstract

This study examined the various forms of ISIS propaganda targeting Saudi Arabia. It is established that the terror group has been expanding its territory by focusing on Muslim countries across the world. The latest activity depicts the group's unique attention on the non-Muslim world as part of its mass recruitment strategy. Saudi Arabia bears the brunt as the Islamic State accuses the government of infidelity to Sharia law and opposition to jihadism. This research aimed at discovering the use of magazines as tools for circulating propaganda in Saudi Arabia, the themes, and the forms of presentation. As a result, the literature review was conducted based on these objectives. A qualitative research design was adopted since the study used thematic analysis to yield non-quantitative results. The sample magazines-Dabiq, Al-Nabaa, and Roumiyah- were selected due to their frequency of use. Additionally, the period between 2014 and 2016 was selected because it was the period the declaration of Khilafat and ISIS was in its maximum expansion on the ground. The findings revealed that the Islamic state focused on four main themes; wrongful imprisonment, violation of sharia law, expulsion of Mushrikin from the Arabian world, and excommunication and murder of infidel religious scholars. These themes were published in the form of sermons/speeches, Islamic poetry, pictures, and narratives. Finally, it was recommended that there was room for future research to focus on the entire ISIS communication in order to facilitate unbiased generalisation.