How does ISIS use language to radicalize Western and Arabic followers?
What is it about?
Terrorist groups use language, in their discourse, like any other weapon deployed on the battlefield. This study explores the linguistic operations ISIS carries out to load texts targeting Arabic and Western followers. Given the availability of original Islamic sources in Arabic, ISIS persuades Muslim followers of radical thoughts through recommendations and advise. On the contrary, ISIS resorts to twisting transliteration and customizing definitions of Islamic concepts to radicalize Western Muslims.
Why is it important?
This study manifested the efficiency of FrameNet in investigating Pratt's (2009) linguistic operations involved in war-making. Furthermore, corpus tools highlighted the chronological changes in the radicalization process and the changing centrality of far and near enemies, according to the studied discourse.