The Strategy of Religious Extremists: Military Power and Ideological Appeals

• In Event: Globalizing Extremism

Abstract

Religious extremism is the dominant ideology among contemporary violent non-state actors. However, we know little about religious extremists' strategy in making ideological appeals. This paper studies jihadi groups' ideology as reflected in propaganda and shows that these groups shift on a “religious vs. secular” spectrum according to the wax and wane of their military power. Weaker groups must prioritize their core fanatic believers and foreground a more radical religious ideal, while stronger groups seek broader support from more moderate individuals and thus pitch themselves more secularly. I illustrate this dynamic with an original database of 84 magazines published regularly by 38 jihadi groups from 1984 to 2019. Further, I leverage approximately 6 million tweets from 21 thousand ISIS-related accounts in 2015 to examine the jihadists' mobilization efforts regarding different audiences. Overall, in sharp contrast to the prevailing view that radical jihadi ideology and violence are bound together, I demonstrate that groups rhetorically emphasize religion when they carry out fewer attacks.

Author

• Luwei Ying, University of California, Los Angeles