Leiden University Student Repository

Ionita, Iulia (2019)

The politicization of Islam: Researching the use of religious nationalism in Internet propaganda strategies: The cases of Saudi Arabia and the Islamic State

Bachelor thesis | International Studies (BA)

The September 11 attacks of 2001, alongside the bombings in Madrid in 2004 and London in 2005, are just some examples of terrorism that have been carried out in the name of Islam. These events have been heavily discussed and debated not only in the West, but globally regarding the use of Islam in committing terrorism. Hence, different scholars have touched upon the concept of Salafism in relation to modern-day terrorism but did not bring enough attention to how it has multiple uses in politics. This research sheds light on the methods of two very distinct political actors which were able to create social cohesion, attract followers and maintain a collective identity within their societies. Therefore, this research investigates how both the Islamic State and Saudi Arabia have used Islam as part of their propaganda strategy online to achieve political outcomes.

Islam

Saudi Arabia

Islamic State

propaganda

Internet

collective social identity

Author

Ionita, Iulia

Faculty

Faculty of Humanities

Specialisation

Internet Propaganda Strategies

Supervisors

Bruijn, Petra de

ECTS Credits

15

Language

en