Propaganda

and Public Relations

Behind the

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?
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Timesweek

by Will True
October 17th, 2014

Winter 2014

n mid-July, a video featuring

Canadian-born Andre Poulin began spreading around the Internet. Poulin, who had converted
to the religion of Islam six years prior
and vaguely resembles John Lennon,
looks directly into the camera with an
assault rifle resting against his right
shoulder and the flag of the Islamic
State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) waving
over his left. He implores Muslims of
the Western world to abandon their
lives and come to Syria to fulfill their
religious obligation and fight against
the kuffar (non-Muslims).
Later in the video, Poulin is seen firing a rocket toward a Syrian airfield
before storming the battlefield. The
camera is rocked by an explosion, and
a dust cloud covers the screen. In the
next scene, Poulin is found slumped
against a wall, unmoving. His death is
celebrated as that of a martyr by the
faceless narrator of the video.
Since their declaration of statehood in
June, ISIS has experienced an influx of
foreign-born fighters. By mid-September, ISISs foreign mujahideen (soldiers
of Islam) numbered 15,000 in Syria,
including 2,000 Westerners. These outsiders join the ranks of Iraqi and Syrian
radical Islamists in their 12,000-plus
square miles of conquered territory.
But what prompts people to fight for
ISIS? How does the Islamic State con-

migrating 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.

Andre Poulin, pictured in an ISIS propaganda video. (New York Times)

vince Muslims to abandon their daily

lives and take up arms against their ideological opponents? What do they have to
offer to the citizens of their state?
The Institute for the Study of War (ISW)
has done extensive research on the
ideology and reasoning behind ISISs
publicity campaign and internal machinations, and the answer is deceptively
simple: a strong claim to religious authority, and effective government.

As the media is fond of noting, ISISs

public relations campaign is of an extraordinarily high quality. The propaganda videos produced by ISIS, also
known as the Islamic State, are expertly edited and place a high premi-

um on emotional manipulation. Their

most impressive work can be found in
their monthly publication Dabiq, an
English-language magazine. It is beautifully crafted, brutally graphic and an
intricately detailed representation of
ISIS activity and their Islamist ideology.
In her report Dabiq: The Strategic Messaging of the Islamic State, research
assistant Harleen Gambhir analyzed
the first two editions of the magazine
for the ISW. The small town of Dabiq is
located in Syria, where the West and Islam meet in apocalyptic battle according to hadith (traditional Islamic literature). Titling the magazine with this
end-of-days rhetoric implies that ISIS
wants to be seen as the jihadist group
that will lead the Muslim community
into worldwide domination as the result of the Wests destruction at Dabiq.

If a Muslim cannot perform hijrah, it

is their duty to hold localized bayat
(pledges of allegiance) to ISIS and its
khalifah (religious leader) Abu Bakr
al-Baghdadi. If possible, these bayat
should be recorded to promote a sense
of unity among Muslims and fill the
hearts of the kuffar with painful agony.
This is a sentiment echoed by Andre
Poulin in his posthumous propaganda
video: If you cannot fight, then you can
give money. If you cannot give money,
then you can assist in technology.

In its Middle East security report ISIS

Governance in Syria, the ISW examines
the government that was installed in
their regional capital of Raqqa, which
was captured in January of 2014.

Authors Charles Caris and Samuel

Reynolds find that ISIS has built a
holistic system of governance, offering services and goods once offered
by the Syrian government before civil
war threw the country into turmoil.
This model of government is touted
by ISIS as a significant reason for fellow Muslims to join them in their war
against the kuffar.
Unlike similar radical Islamist sects
like al-Qaeda, which try to establish
religious authority first and foremost,
ISIS believes that a functional govern-

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

ment is the first step toward establishing a legitimate caliphate.

To ensure that their state is home to
like-minded Muslims only, ISIS forces
rival rebel groups out of newly conquered territory and either excommunicates or executes apostates and dissenters. One of the first things ISIS does
upon entering a new location is hold
an outreach meeting called a dawah,
in which ISIS teaches the public about
their brand of Islam in a welcoming
manner, so as not to stir up controversy.
When ISIS informally conquers a
city or province, they establish rudimentary governmental offices in
two branches: administrative and
service-oriented. The administrative
branch establishes their brand of Islam as law among the people, establishing a court system, a police force,
and an Islamic education system.
Additionally, the citizens of war-torn
regions benefit greatly from ISIS
Muslim services, their term for human services. They provide their Muslim constituents with any basic needs
they require, including food, gasoline
and medical aid. They also control
several bakeries which provide cheap
food for the local population.

ISISs claim to religious authority is

explicitly stated in their propaganda, and relies on passages from the
Quran and widely known hadiths. Using these core texts, ISIS creates complex logical arguments supporting the
formation of a true khilafa (caliphate,
or supreme Islamic state).

The first two covers of Dabiq. (The New Republic)

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Timesweek

Aside from justifying their religious authority, Dabiqs secondary purpose is

to bring Muslims into their ranks from
all over the world. In the beginning of
each issue, Dabiqs staff asserts that
it is every Muslims religious duty to
perform hijrah (migration) and come
to the Islamic State.ISIS assures im-

Members of ISIS in Azaz, holding outreach meetings to win public support. (Aymenn Jawad Al-Tamimi, Brown Moses)

Winter 2014

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.
With the fate of the Middle East in
the balance, decisive action will be
taken in the coming months. For the
time being, the war against ISIS will
be fought on two fronts: on the battlefield, and in digital media.
A map of ISIS-controlled locations across Syria and Iraq, as of September 10th. (ISW)

The featured article from the first issue of Dabiq. (ISW)

Five Steps to an Islamic State

In their first major feature, Dabiq lays
out a clear five-step process by which
ISIS can become a legitimate Islamist
state. The magazine draws upon the
beliefs of fallen al-Qaeda in Iraq (AQI)
leader Abu al-Zarqawi, whom ISIS
asserts as the spiritual successor to
their movement. Before its eventual dissolution, AQI gained notoriety
for its caliphate-centric rhetoric and
used tactics similar to ISIS in order to
establish a pseudostate.
Zarqawi served with al-Qaeda in Afghanistan alongside Osama bin Laden, but did not submit to his authority. This allows ISIS to differentiate
itself from al-Qaeda within the region
and lay legitimate claim to sole religious authority.
ISIS seeks to replicate the rhetorical and
practical success of Zarqawi in the region by following his words and actions:
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Timesweek

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.

1. Hijrah: ISIS urges Muslims worldwide of all capabilities and professions to abandon their lives and join
them in the Islamic State.
2. Jamaah: After the call to hijrah, a
large body of dedicated jihadist Muslims (a jamaah) is necessary to form
a base of operations.
3. Destabilize Taghut: The jamaah
engages in warfare against the taghut
( false idol) enemy forces, creating chaos with vehicle bombs and IEDs.

In another, two teenage girls fled their

home country of Austria to join ISIS,
and are now married to ISIS fighters
and expecting children.
These stories help spread ISISs content
through more traditional media, and
play a significant factor in their recruitment of Muslim extremists worldwide.
On September 10, President Barack
Obama announced to the public that
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

Will True is a graduate student in

professional writing at Carnegie
Mellon University.

Information for this article provided by

Jihadology, Al Jazeera, The Atlantic, the
Clarion Project, the Institute for the
Study of War, the Daily Mail, and CNN.
Cover photo: ISIS fighters marching
during a parade at the Syrian town of Tel
Abyad. (Reuters)

Every week, it seems, a new twist in

the ISIS propaganda narrative rears
its head. Whether it be a new issue of
Dabiq, a journalist reciting ISIS talking
points under threat of death, or the
brutal beheading of a Western aid
worker, ISIS finds new ways to spread
their message across the world.

4. Tamkin: After provoking panic or

withdrawal of taghut forces, the jamaah is to bring together conquered
territory and forces and capitalize on
the chaos created.
5. Khilafah: With enemy forces scattered and consolidated territories,
the foundation for a caliphate has
been created.

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.

An infographic found in Dabiq, illustrating

ISIS path to statehood. (ISW)

This brutal message of religious extremism appears to be working anecdotally,

giving the messengers that much more
power. In one story, a Chicago teen was
arrested on October 6 at the airport for
attempting to join the extremist group.

President Barack Obama, announcing planned action toward ISIS. (WBUR)

Winter 2014