Ideological Topoi And Discursive Strategies In Ayman Al-Zawahiri’s And Abu Bakr Al-Baghdadi’s Jihadi Speeches: A Critical Discourse Analysis
This study on the use of discursive strategies and ideological topoi as reflected in the political speeches of al-Qa’ida’s leader, Ayman al-Zawahiri and ISIS leader, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, drawing on different historical-political perspectives, is the result of a particular interest in the ways rh...
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| Format: | Thesis |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
2018
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| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | http://eprints.usm.my/48489/1/ALI%20BADEEN%20MOHAMMED%20AL-RIKABY_hj.pdf |
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| Summary: | This study on the use of discursive strategies and ideological topoi as reflected in
the political speeches of al-Qa’ida’s leader, Ayman al-Zawahiri and ISIS leader, Abu
Bakr al-Baghdadi, drawing on different historical-political perspectives, is the result
of a particular interest in the ways rhetorical and figurative language is employed in
jihadi politics. Since the rise of the two radical movements as an outcome of the
convulsions of the war in Iraq (2003-2011), the Arab revolutions (2010-present) and
the civil war in Syria (2011-present), the increasing power of the non-state leaders
makes it crucial to study their political speeches, to identify their jihadi discourse
topics, their discursive strategies, topoi, fallacies and their micro-legitimatory tools.
The study approaches al-Qa’ida and ISIS jihadi rhetoric from a multidisciplinary
discourse-analytical perspective to deepen our understanding of the two movements’
political power and rhetoric. To achieve this aim, five speeches for each of the two
non-state leaders are analyzed with methodological tools provided by Reisigl’s and
Wodak’s (2001; 2009) discourse-historical approach and van Dijk’s (1998) ideological
square. The extensive analyses of the discourse topics in the jihadi rhetoric of al-
Zawahiri and al-Baghdadi designate that the legitimisation of ‘Self’ is basically
tailored via constructing and de- legitimising the ‘Other’ as evil and as a forthcoming
threat. Even though religious authority is treated with respect and appreciated as a sign
of veneration, it is employed as a source of referential, predication and argumentation
for violent acts. The study concludes that the progress of both non-state leaders in capturing widespread support for extremism among Muslims via their rhetorical
tactics is inextricably linked to the enormous degrees of alienation that distance many
Arab youths from their own local governments in particular and from their Western
sponsors in general, and thus, making their arguments both political and ideological. |
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