Communication in Global Jihad by Jonathan Andre Matusitz

Author:Jonathan Andre Matusitz [Matusitz, Jonathan Andre]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Political Freedom, Political Science, Imperialism, General
ISBN: 9781003106142
Google: Nx__DwAAQBAJ
Goodreads: 54709419
Publisher: Routledge
Published: 2020-11-01T00:00:00+00:00

Teaching of hatred

Global jihadism can be appealing to a shockingly diverse set of individuals. It is a heterogeneous cohort whose ideological cohesion is solidified by a simple fact regarding the jihadist narrative: its teaching of hatred. As a profound and penetrating human feeling, hatred brings up sentiments of rancor, anger, and dislike, often directed against the Other—in the case of jihadists, it is the whole world that should be hated.46 Jihadist hatred is channeled into a conduit of propaganda to incite intimidation or violence against civilians, which is both illegal (e.g., beheading, burning, or cage-drowning videos) or deeply concerning (e.g., framing the Infidels as “worthless dogs”).47

In the jihadist narrative, dehumanization of the enemies is pivotal. The enemies are subhuman. The perception is that their lack of humanity does not elicit feelings of empathy when committing violence against them.48 The teaching of hatred “essentializes” the self and the Other as good and evil entities. One kills the enemies because they are evil. The jihadist use of takfirism (i.e., apostasy) to rationalize the killing of non-Muslims and nonbelievers (Kuffar) is a testimony to this.49 This type of hatred is both religious and political.50 As Sternberg (2003)51 continues,

The second basis is the desire for revenge over injustices and humiliations one (or one’s group) has experienced, especially when threatened egotism has been involved. The third basis is greed, lust, ambition, and other forms of self-interest in instances in which a rival is standing in the way of what one wants. The fourth root, sadism, can precipitate brutal violence but typically may be less relevant to hate.

Those who produce narratives of hatred seek to transform the thought processes of the favored population (i.e., the in-group) so that its members regard the targeted group (i.e., the out-group) in a repulsive fashion—i.e., because of the “injustices and humiliations one (or one’s group) has experienced.” This situation can be further explained through the three-part model of hatred:52

Exclusion of intimacy in hate: hatred increases when repulsion and disgust increase. This works by marking an emotional and cognitive distance between the hater and the victim—as in dehumanization. This way, psychological barriers to violence are eroded too. Hate narratives generally portray the enemies as subhumans who cannot receive, give, or even understand feelings of proximity, warmth, concern, compassion, and respect. For Sternberg (2003),53 normally, these feelings are slow to form and slow to wane.

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