Page 97 - Šolsko polje, XXIX, 2018, no. 5-6: Radicalization, Violent Extremism and Conflicting Diversity, eds. Mitja Sardoč and Tomaž Deželan
P. 97
prezelj et al. ■ islamist radicalisation towards extreme violence and terrorism
and the victims become symbols, and not humans made out of flesh and
blood.
The al-Qaeda propaganda began to flourish when the above identi-
fied propagandistic elements were spread to a broad spectrum of internet
users all around the globe. The group actually started using the internet
for propagandistic dissemination in a similar way as modern states do or
could do. Dissemination of messages was quick and global. Literacy barri-
ers, created by the Arab illiteracy, were transcended by the mixture of au-
dio-visual messages (Rabasa et al., 2006: p. 16).
By the year 2006, Al-Qaeda operated more than 4,000 websites used
for different purposes, such as attracting new members (beginning of the
radicalisation process), communication among the core of the group and
its periphery, fundraising, and planning of new and improved attacks, etc.
(Rabasa et al., 2006: p. 18). Terrorist groups also used websites for public-
ly claiming their responsibility for the past attacks. One such website was
revolutionmuslim.com. This website acted like a hub with links to other
social platforms where individuals could start or proceed their online rad-
icalisation. The hub included links to YouTube (links to at least six chan-
nels), Facebook, Scribd, PalTalk, Slideshare, and BlipTV. One of the great-
est achievements of this hub, if we can say so, was introduction of “e-zine” or
online magazine named Inspire. To this day, there have been 17 record-
ed issues of this magazine. The man behind the dissemination of Inspire,
in its early issues, was Anwar al-Awlaki, sometimes dubbed as: “the bin
Laden of the internet.” He was also well known for online sharing of his
audio tapes and literature. He was also seeking connections with poten-
tial new terrorist members and sympathisers through the comments sec-
tions on his blog posts (Klausen, 2016: pp. 31–34).
On the other hand, propaganda by ISIS became much more com-
plex and multi-faceted than the one by al-Qaeda. ISIS also used violence
as a theme of its propaganda messages. ISIS actually turned out to be a
much more brutal terrorist organisation than al-Qaeda, resulting in even
more brutal messages (e.g. more video materials showing decapitations of
hostages, shooting of prisoners in front of their freshly dug graves, disfig-
ured bodies of enemies, etc.). Flames of War, an ISIS movie from 2014, is a
good example of incorporation of all above mentioned factors. The movie
shows a symbolic image of the ISIS fighter on the one hand and also a very
brutal message to their enemies on the other hand. ISIS fighters are shown
as good, moral, and cheerful human beings, who defeat the opposing side
in a battle. The lives of these fighters have meaning in an attractive way.
These “good” and “moral” men as fighters show no mercy when it comes
down to captured prisoners. The movie uses an example of such prisoners
95
and the victims become symbols, and not humans made out of flesh and
blood.
The al-Qaeda propaganda began to flourish when the above identi-
fied propagandistic elements were spread to a broad spectrum of internet
users all around the globe. The group actually started using the internet
for propagandistic dissemination in a similar way as modern states do or
could do. Dissemination of messages was quick and global. Literacy barri-
ers, created by the Arab illiteracy, were transcended by the mixture of au-
dio-visual messages (Rabasa et al., 2006: p. 16).
By the year 2006, Al-Qaeda operated more than 4,000 websites used
for different purposes, such as attracting new members (beginning of the
radicalisation process), communication among the core of the group and
its periphery, fundraising, and planning of new and improved attacks, etc.
(Rabasa et al., 2006: p. 18). Terrorist groups also used websites for public-
ly claiming their responsibility for the past attacks. One such website was
revolutionmuslim.com. This website acted like a hub with links to other
social platforms where individuals could start or proceed their online rad-
icalisation. The hub included links to YouTube (links to at least six chan-
nels), Facebook, Scribd, PalTalk, Slideshare, and BlipTV. One of the great-
est achievements of this hub, if we can say so, was introduction of “e-zine” or
online magazine named Inspire. To this day, there have been 17 record-
ed issues of this magazine. The man behind the dissemination of Inspire,
in its early issues, was Anwar al-Awlaki, sometimes dubbed as: “the bin
Laden of the internet.” He was also well known for online sharing of his
audio tapes and literature. He was also seeking connections with poten-
tial new terrorist members and sympathisers through the comments sec-
tions on his blog posts (Klausen, 2016: pp. 31–34).
On the other hand, propaganda by ISIS became much more com-
plex and multi-faceted than the one by al-Qaeda. ISIS also used violence
as a theme of its propaganda messages. ISIS actually turned out to be a
much more brutal terrorist organisation than al-Qaeda, resulting in even
more brutal messages (e.g. more video materials showing decapitations of
hostages, shooting of prisoners in front of their freshly dug graves, disfig-
ured bodies of enemies, etc.). Flames of War, an ISIS movie from 2014, is a
good example of incorporation of all above mentioned factors. The movie
shows a symbolic image of the ISIS fighter on the one hand and also a very
brutal message to their enemies on the other hand. ISIS fighters are shown
as good, moral, and cheerful human beings, who defeat the opposing side
in a battle. The lives of these fighters have meaning in an attractive way.
These “good” and “moral” men as fighters show no mercy when it comes
down to captured prisoners. The movie uses an example of such prisoners
95
