Excommunication, Apostasy, and the Islamic State The practice of Takfir in the Islamic State, an analysis of the propaganda magazine Dabiq. KURS: Bachelor Thesis in Global Studies,15 ECTS PROGRAM: International Work – Global Studies FÖRFATTARE: Jesper Bjelke, Edvard Lervik EXAMINATOR: Ann-Sofie Kall TERMIN: Spring 2020 JÖNKÖPING UNIVERSITY Bachelor Thesis 15 ECTS The School of Education and Communication Global Studies International Work Spring 2020 Abstract Jesper Bjelke & Edvard Lervik Number of pages: 33 “Excommunication, Apostasy, and the Islamic State” The practice of Takfir in the Islamic State, an analysis of the propaganda magazine Dabiq. The Islamic State (IS) infamously carried out brutal acts of terrorism against the west. These acts of terrorism in Europe and the USA does, however, not make up most of the violence instigated by the Islamic State. This majority of violence took place in Iraq and Syria, where the Islamic State conquered large territories. The forces that the IS battled in the Iraqi-Syrian theatre of war consisted largely of individuals identifying as Muslim. In some cases, the Islamic State fought other Islamist militias. In this context the concept of Takfir, i.e. excommunication within Islam, is central in the rhetoric of persecution. This paper analyses the Islamic State’s beliefs and practices on Takfir, as it is shown in the propaganda magazine Dabiq. Following a qualitative content analysis of Dabiq's articles relevant to Takfir and defining true Muslims, central themes were identified. The bulk of the apostasy arguments found in Dabiq is targeted against ethnicities and sects that the Islamic State is at war with. Several arguments for the apostasy of the IS's enemies are explored, and an internal logic is presented throughout Dabiq. Neither the criteria’s nor the process that leads to the proclamation of Takfir, outside fighting the Islamic State, are explained in Dabiq. While examples of such Takfiri declarations are found in Dabiq, they are considerably less common than war-aligned claims of apostasy. What motivates the Islamic State’s practice of Takfir is open ended, as it can be both considered a result of their religious doctrine and a justification for the conflicts which they have partaken in. Keywords: apostasy, takfir, excommunication, the islamic state, dabiq Acknowledgements Several people have been invaluable when writing this paper. First of all, we would like to thank Marco Nilsson, our thesis supervisor, who has been a constant source of guidance and deeper understanding of the context of this paper. Secondly, we would like to thank Anie Weidal and Nils Lervik, who both took the time to give us feedback that certainly improved this paper. Thank you for the support! Table of contents 1. Introduction ............................................................................................... 1 2. Purpose and Research Questions ............................................................ 2 3. Theory and Terminology ......................................................................... 2 3.1 Theory ....................................................................................................................... 2 3.1 Terminology .............................................................................................................. 2 4. Previous Research ..................................................................................... 4 4.1 The uses of Dabiq ..................................................................................................... 4 4.2 The Function and Effect of Takfir ............................................................................ 5 4.3 Ideological Discourse ................................................................................................ 6 4.4 Justifications for Takfir ............................................................................................. 7 5. Methodology .............................................................................................. 8 5.1 Choice of Method ...................................................................................................... 8 5.2 Material Selection ..................................................................................................... 8 5.3 Analysis of Data ........................................................................................................ 9 5.4 Validity and Reliability ............................................................................................. 9 5.5 Criticism of Qualitative Research ........................................................................... 10 5.6 Limitations .............................................................................................................. 10 6. Result and Analysis ................................................................................. 11 6.1 Process of Declaring Takfir .................................................................................... 11 6.2 Rationalization of Takfir ......................................................................................... 13 6.2.1 Apostasy ........................................................................................................................ 13 6.2.2 Crusader-backed ............................................................................................................ 14 6.2.3 Kufr ............................................................................................................................... 14 6.2.4 Hadiths and Scripture .................................................................................................... 15 6.3 Social Identity Theory and Takfir ........................................................................... 15 6.3.1 Categorizing In- and Out-groups .................................................................................. 16 6.3.2 The In-group ................................................................................................................. 16 6.3.3 The Out-group ............................................................................................................... 16 6.4 The Apostatized Factions ....................................................................................... 17 6.4.1 Al-Qaidah ...................................................................................................................... 17 6.4.2 The Rafidah ................................................................................................................... 18 6.4.3 The Tawaghit States ...................................................................................................... 19 6.4.4 Other Factions ............................................................................................................... 19 7. Discussion ................................................................................................ 20 8. Conclusion ............................................................................................... 22 9. References ................................................................................................ 24 10. Annex ..................................................................................................... 28 10.1 The Articles in Dabiq Identified as Relevant to Takfir......................................... 28 1. Introduction The Islamic State is arguably the most infamous terror organization in contemporary times. At the height of the organization’s territorial presence, the Islamic State controlled large areas in Iraq and Syria, and functioned as an unrecognized proto-state. In present time the IS is defeated as a territorial entity in both Iraq and Syria, however remnants of the terrorist organization is still active in the area alongside several affiliated organizations in other regions. The roots of the Islamic State is found as far back as 2002 in Iraq, at the time of which the force was led by Abu Musab al Zarqawi. Originally, the force was a local offshoot of al- Qaidah, referred to as AQ-I (al-Qaidah in Iraq). Following al-Zarqawi's death in 2006, the force adopted the name Islamic State in Iraq (ISI). Leadership of the organization passed to Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi in 2010 and by 2013 the organization had expanded and was conducting operations in Syria as well as Iraq. In early 2014, the Islamic State declared that it was not, nor had it ever been, an offshoot of al-Qaidah and that the IS therefore owed them neither obedience nor allegiance. June 2014 saw the declaration of the re-established Caliphate. Al-Baghdadi was declared Caliph and Imam, i.e. the leader to all Muslims globally. Following the declaration, the organization dropped the references to Iraq and Syria from its name, going from the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria to the Islamic State (Blanchard & Humud, 2016). The Islamic State as a proto-state and an entity controlling territory collapsed during the conclusion of 2017. The Islamic State lost its de facto capital Raqqa, later Mosul fell as well (Clark, 2017). Presently, the Islamic State does not control any territories. At the height of its power, the Islamic State had large production of propaganda material. Al-Hayat Media Center was a part of the Islamic State propaganda machine, that focused on producing and distributing content aimed at a western audience of non-Arabic speakers. Al-Hayat put out videos, short films, articles, news reporters, and the magazine Dabiq. Dabiq is an English