In recent years, ISIS has become one of the most notorious groups advocating and deploying violence for political reasons. Arguably, the internet has played a role in facilitating their rise as these groups have taken advantage of an opportunity to communicate directly with their audience. Using rhetorical analysis, frame analysis, and motive talk through justification techniques, this thesis analyzes how the Islamic State’s online publication Dabiq magazine attempts to persuade non-Arabic readers of directly or indirectly supporting and/or joining ISIS. Furthermore, this thesis provides a discussion that considers how both the form and the content of messaging in Dabiq works together in an effort to persuade the reader of an alternative view of the Islamic State group, a view that positions ISIS as legitimate and justified in their actions.

In this essay I examine and criticize Jeffrey Kaplans fifth wave theory of terrorism, the theory is an addition and through the elaboration of professor David C. Rapoports classic Fourth wave theory. I have chosen to do that   by comparing al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula and the Islamic State using their corresponding magazines Inspire and Dabiq. The goal of this exercise is to prove that what we experience with the Islamic State is not the beginning of a new wave of terrorism as Kaplan call it, but a state in making. Kaplans fifth wave gives us a good method to analyze terror organizations in between the state of organization and state but fails to live up to a new wave of terrorism. I therefore argue that what we are seeing for the movement is not the birth of a fifth wave, but rather a new development of a fourth.

This study aims to examine how Daesh constructs the enemy images of their opponents and who the opponents are.  The study adopted enemy image theories as for the theoretical base to understand how Daesh constructs and propagates these enemy images. This study is carried out on qualitative abductive desk study with discourse analysis as the method and relied on Dabiq as the primary data.  Daesh employs enemy images to effectively paint a negative image of the opponent while calling for a variety of actions from their followers. The primary data shows some concepts and themes that are used in enemy image construction being present in Dabiq. The results of of the analysis show that Daesh uses the delimitation between them and us,  a set of values that separate the two groups. This is what has been described as "our" and "their" essence and the final aim which is legitimized war or violence is very clear in Dabiq. This thesis also suggests other ways of looking at the concept of enemy images suggesting further research areas where deemed necessary.

The goal of this thesis was to analysis the Islamic State’s apocalyptic nature by studying both classic Islamic eschatology and the Islamic State’s online magazine Dabiq. In order to conduct this research, I separated my thesis into two separate angles of approach. The first angle (chapters one & two) exclusively looked at Islamic eschatology, classic apocalyptic texts, shifts in how literature was written over time, and on examples of modern messianic revolutions occurring. In this way, I attempted to emphasize how extra-Qur’anic texts have played a large part in providing details for what Islamic eschatology entails. I also looked at modern examples of messianic movements, including in Mecca and Sudan. I concluded by analyzing the shift modern apocalyptic literature underwent beginning in the late 20th century. This highlighted how apocalyptic literature stated focusing on the actions of Western forces—much like the Islamic State has done today. The second angle of approach derived from the final chapters. I looked at the foundation and development of the Islamic State beginning in the early 21st century with Al-Qaeda in Iraq. I proceeded to emphasize how messianic speculation influenced the actions and strategies of Islamic State in Iraq and later ISIS. The final chapter, the crux of my thesis, was an analysis of the Islamic State’s written primary source, Dabiq. I researched all thirteen issues of the magazine for evidence of apocalyptic nature existing.I highlighted how Dabiq is filled with apocalyptic references and classic apocalyptic hadiths. The objective of this thesis was to provide a multifaceted analysis of the Islamic State. It attempted to approach the Islamic State from two different angles to show why apocalyptic thought first arises, how it has led to revolution, and how the Islamic State mirrors those cases. With the Islamic State, a wide variety of interpretations have formed on what it wants and what it is fighting for. Whereas religious motivation has often been dismissed, I used this thesis to emphasize that both religious and apocalyptic motivation have been one of many influences behind the formation and development of the Islamic State.

I den här studien presenteras undersökning som gjorts inom ramen för ett historiebruk med fokus på IS tidskrifter, där en textanalytisk undersökningsmetod har legat till grund för studien. Syftet med denna analys har varit att undersöka Islamiska statens historiebruk i tidskrifterna Dabiq och Rumiyah med tonvikt på dess motståndare. Frågeställningar som denna studie har behandlat sammanfattas enligt följande: • Hur använder IS historien för att rättfärdiga sitt handlande gentemot sina motståndare? • Hur och vilka framställs som motståndare i IS tidskrifter? • Vilka kopplingar finns det i IS tidskrifter mellan vår nutid och händelser i vår dåtid? Studien har visat hur IS historiebruk har påverkat synen på motståndarna. Med IS tidskrifter har det historiska vapnet kunnat användas genom historiska texter, händelser, ord samt personer. Således har IS skräck-propaganda påverkat individers tolkning av historiska källor där haditherna samt Koranens relevans har bidragit till motståndarnas exekution. Med hjälp av historia kan organisationen ifrågasätta motståndarnas tro för att stärka sin egen ideologi. Artiklarna använder historiska ord för att stärka föraktet men även bygga upp en gemensam tradition där historiebruket rättfärdigar handlandet mot motståndarna. Resultatet visar att motståndarbilden består av korsfarare, shiamuslimer, murtaddin samt mushrikin som med hjälp av ett historiebruk ur islams historia stärker IS identitet samt tillväxt.

This study is about the so called Islamic States’ use of Islamic religious traditions in their propaganda magazine Dabiq. The purpose of the study is to find out how ISIS use history as a blueprint to perceive and interpret current events and occurrences. The theories of sociologist Pierre Bourdieu, Capital, and sociopsychologist Hjalmar Sundén’s Role theory is used to analyze how the different religious traditions and stories are used by ISIS and what these represent in the Muslim’s religious frame of perception. The results of this study show that the religious traditions are being used in order to legitimize, justify and establish their so-called Caliphate according to the stories of old. The results also show that not only religious matters are used to emphasize their claim in the Middle East but profane examples as well.

The Islamic State (IS) infamously carried out brutal acts of terrorism against the west. These acts of terrorism in Europe and the USA does, however, not make up most of the violence instigated by the Islamic State. This majority of violence took place in Iraq and Syria, where the Islamic State conquered large territories. The forces that the IS battled in the Iraqi-Syrian theatre of war consisted largely of individuals identifying as Muslim. In some cases, the Islamic State fought other Islamist militias. In this context the concept of Takfir, i.e. excommunication within Islam, is central in the rhetoric of persecution. This paper analyses the Islamic State’s beliefs and practices on Takfir, as it is shown in the propaganda magazine Dabiq. Following a qualitative content analysis of Dabiq's articles relevant to Takfir and defining true Muslims, central themes were identified.  The bulk of the apostasy arguments found in Dabiq is targeted against ethnicities and sects that the Islamic State is at war with. Several arguments for the apostasy of the IS's enemies are explored, and an internal logic is presented throughout Dabiq. Neither the criteria’s nor the process that leads to the proclamation of Takfir, outside fighting the Islamic State, are explained in Dabiq. While examples of such Takfiri declarations are found in Dabiq, they are considerably less common than war-aligned claims of apostasy. What motivates the Islamic State’s practice of Takfir is open ended, as it can be both considered a result of their religious doctrine and a justification for the conflicts which they have partaken in.

This master’s thesis is a comparative propaganda analysis that studies the use of history with a religion dimension, similarities and framing of propaganda messages in the Islamic States propaganda magazine Dabiq and Brenton Tarrant’s manifesto The Great Replacement. The propaganda has been analysed with Jowett and O’Donnell’s propaganda model, combined with Jan Assmann’s theories about cultural memory, historia sacra and cultural semantics. The results show that both actors use history with a religious dimension to frame their messages, but that Tarrant uses more cultural aspects than religious. Both actors also project similar messages such as referring to supranational communities, the sacred history of ancestors, ancient enemies, new foundational history and a call for organisation by their target audience.

The master thesis is focused on media campaign of Salafi militant organizations. These organizations organize their own campaigns to promote their objectives and formulate their own opinions, which they often spread through the Internet. This medium allows the organizations to fully customize their campaign's content, because it is not censored. The 21st century information environment has contributed significantly to making Salafi militant organizations international actors that should be taken into account. In addition, they are able to publish the content of their ideas in different languages while spreading them through several media to reach the widest possible audience. The main purpose of this diploma thesis is to determine whether the objectives of the organizations are reflected in their English-written magazines, namely Gaidi Mtaani and Dabiq, published by Al-Shabaab and Daesh respectively. The objectives of both organizations are divided into four categories, specifically, strategic religious objectives, strategic political objectives, fundamental objectives and intermediated objectives. Since the two organizations are dissimilar and their objections are distinct and therefore incomparable, each organization and its magazine are analyzed separately. The thesis does not seek to generalize...

Syftet med denna studie är att undersöka hur kvinnans roll framställs inom Islamiska statens tidskrifter, Dabiq och Rumiyah. Studien är grundad på en textanalytisk undersökningsmetod med IS texter i fokus.   Frågeställningarna som berörts i denna studie är följande:    Hur framställs kvinnans roll inom IS?  Vilka argument använder IS?  Vilka källor refererar IS till?  I studiens analys framkommer en ambivalent syn på kvinnans roll, det vill säga även om IS avvisar kvinnor från att delta i strid medger de att kvinnorna är grunden till deras stora framgång i jihad. Männen inom IS styr vad som är gångbart sensationellt i kvinnans roller vilket resulterar i ett patriarkaliskt maktperspektiv som cementerar hur kvinnor och män ska vara. Kvinnans roller utökar IS globala utsträckning med hjälp av producering, propaganda samt rekrytering för att stärka IS nätverk av kvinnor och medverkar till IS överlevnad.