MASTER THESIS Titel der Master Thesis / Title of the Master‘s Thesis „The Digital Caliphate: The use of propaganda in DAESH communication operations to legitimise, radicalise and recruit“ verfasst von / submitted by Jovana Vujanović angestrebter akademischer Grad / in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts (MA) Wien, 2016 / Vienna 2016 Studienkennzahl lt. Studienblatt / A 992 884 Postgraduate programme code as it appears on the student record sheet: Universitätslehrgang lt. Studienblatt / Universitätslehrgang Master of Arts in Human Rights Postgraduate programme as it appears on the student record sheet: Betreut von / Supervisor: Nenad Šebek, BA Journalism The media is the most powerful entity on Earth. They have the power to make the innocent guilty and to make the guilty innocent, and that’s power, because they control the minds of the masses. - Malcolm X Acknowledgments I would like to take the opportunity to thank the people who supported me during the writing process. To Naomi O’Leary and Koen Vidal for their contributions; To Cassandra Brown, Josie Caprara, Aliesha Dowlath, Constanze Riha and Hilary Wirachowsky for their moral support over the last two years; To Ferdinand Riha for translating the abstract; To Shane Singh for editing; To Hebah Baker for checking in on me regularly; To Charlotte Verhofstadt for helping me format and brainstorm; and to Anna Steiner for editing, but mostly for keeping me laughing. A special thank you to my family for being an incredible support system. To my parents, Dragan and Brani, I want to thank you for your endless love and unyielding belief in my abilities. To my sister Ana, thank you for helping me finalise the topic and for always pushing me to be the best version of myself. Obožavam vas! Finally, this thesis would not have been possible without the guidance and support of my supervisor Nenad Šebek. I am so grateful for the time and energy you put into this thesis. Thank you for not allowing me to abandon this topic and for demanding I strive for excellence throughout the entire process. Acronyms and Definitions .................................................................................................. 1 1 Introduction and Background .................................................................................... 2 1.1 Introduction to Research and Methodology .................................................. 2 1.1.1 Research Question .......................................................................................................... 3 1.1.2 Methodology ..................................................................................................................... 3 1.1.3 Overview ............................................................................................................................. 3 1.2 Introduction to DAESH .......................................................................................... 4 1.2.1 Significance of a name ................................................................................................... 6 1.2.2 Rise of the Media Extremist ........................................................................................ 8 1.2.3 Human Rights in Context and role of Freedom of Religion .......................... 9 Relationship of DAESH and Islam .................................................................................................................. 9 Interpretation of Human Rights .................................................................................................................. 14 Conclusion ................................................................................................................................................................ 14 2 The Digital Jihad: Terror in the digital age ......................................................... 16 2.1 DAESH Communication Operations ............................................................... 16 2.1.1 Introduction ................................................................................................................... 16 2.1.2 Video Production ......................................................................................................... 17 2.1.3 DAESH Narratives ........................................................................................................ 19 2.2 Winning the Propaganda War? ....................................................................... 24 2.2.1 Introduction ................................................................................................................... 24 2.2.2 DAESH Communication Operation Strategy .................................................... 25 Social Media ............................................................................................................................................................ 25 Contribution of Mainstream Media ........................................................................................................... 29 DAESH’s Dabiq Magazine ................................................................................................................................. 31 2.2.3 Power of Propaganda: an effective strategy? ................................................... 34 2.3 Conclusion .............................................................................................................. 36 3 Radicalisation and Recruitment ............................................................................. 37 3.1 Introduction ........................................................................................................... 37 3.2 Significance of online presence in Radicalisation and Recruitment .. 37 3.3 Normalising the Radical .................................................................................... 39 3.4 Recruiting Foreigners ......................................................................................... 41 3.4.1 The Stories of Jake Bilardi and El Shafee Elsheikh ........................................ 44 Jake Bilardi, Australia ....................................................................................................................................... 44 El Shafee Elsheikh, United Kingdom ......................................................................................................... 46 3.5 Conclusion .............................................................................................................. 48 I 4 Combating Radicalisation and Recruitment ...................................................... 50 4.1 Introduction ........................................................................................................... 50 4.2 Current Responses .............................................................................................. 50 4.3 Mainstream media ............................................................................................... 54 4.3.1 Introduction ................................................................................................................... 54 4.3.2 Critical Analysis ............................................................................................................ 55 US Perspective ....................................................................................................................................................... 56 International Perspective ............................................................................................................................... 63 Conclusion ................................................................................................................................................................ 68 4.3.3 Analysis of Interview responses ............................................................................ 69 Introduction ............................................................................................................................................................ 69 Interview Questions ........................................................................................................................................... 70 Naomi O’Leary, United Kingdom & Ireland ........................................................................................... 70 Koen Vidal, Belgium ........................................................................................................................................... 72 Conclusion ................................................................................................................................................................ 75 4.4 Conclusion .............................................................................................................. 75 5 Extremism and Freedom of Expression ............................................................... 77 5.1 Introduction ........................................................................................................... 77 5.2 Raqqa is Being Slaughtered Silently (RSS) .................................................. 78 5.3 Conclusion .............................................................................................................. 83 6 Human Rights Based Approach (HRBA) .............................................................. 84 6.1 Introduction ........................................................................................................... 84 6.2 Instability in the MENA Region .......................................................................