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Timesweek
Timesweek
Behind the
Propaganda
and
Public Relations
of
ISIS
The actions of the radical Islamist group ISIS have
drawn international condemnation and military intervention. Why have thousands of Muslims, domestic and
foreign, pledged their lives and deaths to the cause?
by Will True
October 17th, 2014
Timesweek
Timesweek
to the Islamic State.ISIS assures immigrating Muslims that they and their
families will be well taken care of.
To emphasize this, Dabiq features accounts of their military victories, assuring their readers that this is what
awaits them in the Islamic State. By
contrast, Dabiq also publishes graphic photographics of dead opposition
fighters, sending the message that
apostates and nonbelievers are destined for the same fate.
If you cannot
fight, then you can
give money. If you
cannot give money,
then you can assist
in technology.
-- Andre Poulin, deceased
Canadian-born ISIS fighter
Members of ISIS in Azaz, holding outreach meetings to win public support. (Aymenn Jawad Al-Tamimi, Brown Moses)
Timesweek
Timesweek
the United States would begin conducting airstrikes on strategic ISIS locations
in Iraq and Syria. Joining the US in action against the international threat is
a coalition of forces from countries as
diverse as the United Kingdom, Australia, Saudi Arabia and Egypt.
Just prior to that announcement, ISIS
released the third issue of Dabiq. In the
following month, no new editions of
the magazine appeared online, leading
some to conclude that ISISs propaganda efforts had taken a hit. However, on October 14, the fourth issue of
Dabiq hit the web, this time covered by
a picture of the Vatican with the flag of
the Islamic State flying overhead.
A map of ISIS-controlled locations across Syria and Iraq, as of September 10th. (ISW)
1. Hijrah: ISIS urges Muslims worldwide of all capabilities and professions to abandon their lives and join
them in the Islamic State.
However, in eliminating ideological opposition, they often eliminate the technical expertise that would be needed
to expand their efforts. To address this,
ISIS calls upon foreign Muslims not only
to fight but to help maintain their more
technical services. Incoming Muslim
professionals could bolster the sustainability of the Islamic State and further
increase the power of their caliphate.
After gaining full control of the territory, ISIS tightens its grip with stricter religious enforcement and further-reaching human service efforts. Instead of
letting electricity and water systems
fall to ruin, they repair damaged power
lines and dams, keeping the local population somewhat complacent.