Maris Tiller
FSEM – Forbidden Texts
11/18/2021
The magazines produced by ISIS are pieces of religious and political propaganda that seem to be mostly written for people already involved in the movement. To find it persuasive one must already be mired in the ideology and religious beliefs they espouse. I for one was wholly unpersuaded and mostly just confused because I did not understand most of what they were discussing. However, I did find myself drawing parallels to some of the broader ideas of the magazines to my own knowledge of American Chrisitian Fundamentalists. Obviously, not every parallel can be drawn. What particularly caught my attention was in the 2nd issue the mention of a coming flood, presumably in reference to Noah’s ark or some Islamic equivalent that I am unaware of. Throughout the issue they proclaim that the flood is coming and the only way to prevent it or to be saved is to join and help the progression of the Islamic state. This reminded me of how fundamentalist Christians will talk about the rapture, as something that is definitely coming and only the “true Christians” can be saved. This sort of apocalypticism, I think, is common in very extremist religions, playing off the fear people may have of death and destruction and their lives falling apart around them and using that to pull them into their belief system.
The ISIS magazines also have a similar villainizing of perceived enemies, much like other religious propaganda. There’s villainization of non-believers in particular, most often ones who were a part of the religion and left. Anyone outside of the movement is considered an enemy, particularly the western world (America, Britain, the rest of Europe, etc.). Because of this belief that most people are enemies, it is far easier for them to justify some of the things they do. In fact, at times they show them off proudly under the guise of keeping order and dealing out justice. After all, if a person is an enemy of all you believe, how can one possibly justify not treating them horribly? One can see this in America as well, particularly the “law and order” doctrine.
Although I believe this, as I said before, I do not think these magazines are really meant to radicalize anyone, while some Christian propaganda of the same nature might be produced with that purpose. It is hard for me to personally be able to tell, since I am pretty unfamiliar with Islam as a religion and am even less familiar with its more extreme side, but I cannot see anyone who is just picking up these magazines and is in a similar position as myself being convinced by them.