The similarity of media messages and discourse between groups such as the Muslim Brotherhood and ISIS in attacking Arab armies is an interesting and important topic to explore. Although there are some differences, there are many similarities between the discourse of these two groups, particularly in terms of incitement and attacking Arab armies.
Firstly, the discourse of the Muslim Brotherhood and ISIS is characterized by directing criticism and accusations at Arab armies and their leaders, questioning their intentions and goals, and portraying them as serving the interests of the West and Jews. They use emotional language aimed at provoking anger and resentment among listeners and followers.
Secondly, the media discourse of these two groups is similar in glorifying killing, violence, and terrorism, and inciting rebellion and uprising against Arab governments and armies. They promote the idea that this violence is the only way to achieve their goals and establish an Islamic state.
Thirdly, the media discourse of the Muslim Brotherhood and ISIS converges on the point of distorting the image of Arab countries and portraying them in the worst possible light, showing them as corrupt and failed, and that Arab governments and armies lack the ability to protect citizens and provide basic services.
When ISIS invaded Iraq in the summer of 2014, it had a clear media discourse based on violence, incitement, and distortion. ISIS used various media, including the internet and social media, to disseminate its messages and incite its followers.
The similarity and difference between the media discourse of ISIS and the Muslim Brotherhood
ISIS's discourse relied on portraying the Iraqi government and army as serving Western interests and supporting American occupation policies in the region. ISIS also accused the Iraqi government of corruption and injustice, describing it as a non-Islamic and illegitimate state.
In addition, ISIS used extremist religious discourse, calling for the strict application of Islamic Sharia law and portraying jihad in the name of Allah as an obligation for every Muslim. ISIS invited all Muslims to join and support it in its war against the Iraqi government and army. It is clear that this media discourse aimed to recruit more fighters and incite them to fight, distort the image of the Iraqi government and army in the eyes of the world, and achieve its political and religious goals in the region. This contributed to the entry of the organization into Mosul without substantial resistance from the locals in Mosul.
The Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt is considered one of the most active Islamic groups in the region, with a strong and diverse media discourse used to achieve its goals and influence Egyptian society. This discourse has been used to express their criticisms and opposition to the Egyptian army and government. The Muslim Brotherhood's discourse focuses on religious and Islamic topics and is used to distort the image of the Egyptian government and army, portraying them as illegitimate and deviating from true Islam. The discourse is also characterized by relying on emotional and anti-government and anti-Egyptian army rhetoric, aimed at provoking anger and protests against them. This discourse also includes calls for demonstrations and protests against the Egyptian government and army, as well as calls for participation in parliamentary and presidential elections to achieve the group's interests.
The Muslim Brotherhood also extensively uses social media platforms to spread their messages and ideas and incite their followers. The Brotherhood's rhetoric relies on numerous direct threats and criticisms against the Egyptian military and government, and includes calls for civil disobedience and political opposition to the government.
On the other hand, the impact of ISIS's tools on social media depends on several factors, including the methods used by terrorists to communicate with and influence their followers, the quality of content being shared, and whether or not followers are willing to engage with the content.
One method that ISIS uses to communicate with followers is by creating fake accounts with pseudonyms and spreading extremist content and propaganda. Their tools are also used to disseminate gruesome videos and images that show violent acts, killings, and explosions carried out by the group's members. This type of content can increase fear and terror among followers and potentially incite violence and terrorism. Additionally, ISIS tools are used to communicate with the public through encrypted chat applications, making it difficult for authorities to identify users and track them.
The Muslim Brotherhood, however, cannot be judged to be pursuing the same approach as ISIS through social media as they rely on different communication strategies and tools to disseminate their ideas and influence people. Nonetheless, the Brotherhood extensively uses social media platforms to communicate with their audience and spread their ideas and opinions by creating official accounts and sharing content that represents their vision and goals.
As for the numbers, there are no accurate statistics regarding the number of electronic accounts affiliated with the Muslim Brotherhood on social media, and it is difficult to determine the number of web pages serving their ideology due to lack of transparency in some cases.
The strategies of ISIS and the Muslim Brotherhood in media dissemination differ at this time. ISIS focuses on causing terror and horror through violent and gruesome means, while the Muslim Brotherhood relies on inciting religious and political sentiments among their audience.
Currently, ISIS is focusing on using digital media and social media platforms to spread videos and images of violent acts and terrorism carried out by the group while inciting their audience to join their ranks. They also use encrypted chat applications to communicate with their supporters and organize terrorist operations.
On the other hand, the Muslim Brotherhood focuses on using traditional and digital media to spread their political and religious vision and incite their audience to support them. They also use social media to interact with their followers and identify their interests and concerns.
Currently, the world is witnessing a large spread of news and information through digital media, and terrorist groups are using all available means to influence people and achieve their goals. While security measures, verification, and efforts to combat extremist content have improved in recent years, extremist groups still have ways to continue their spread.
The media image of the Egyptian army among ISIS and the Muslim Brotherhood
The image of the Egyptian army is a contentious issue between ISIS and the Muslim Brotherhood, as it is used to achieve political goals and incite the masses against the Egyptian government.
ISIS and the Muslim Brotherhood have different perceptions of the Egyptian army as follows:
• ISIS: Depicts the Egyptian army as serving the current regime, which they consider secular, and suppressing Islam. ISIS attempts to turn the conflict in Egypt into a religious conflict between Muslims and secularists, and releases videos showing the Egyptian army committing violent acts and violations against civilians suspected of belonging to the organization.
• The Muslim Brotherhood: Depicts the Egyptian army as serving the current regime, suppressing popular will, and consolidating military rule. The group publishes articles and posts that criticize the army's policy and urge citizens to protest against it.
The most famous terms used by ISIS and the Muslim Brotherhood on social media
ISIS and the Muslim Brotherhood use several popular media terms on social media platforms for the purpose of spreading and attracting young people. Some of these terms include:
1. The Islamic State: Refers to the Caliphate that ISIS aspires to establish in the region, and is the state that combines the characteristics of the virtuous city as they portray it to their followers.
2. The Mujahideen: Refers to individuals who fight in the ranks of extremist organizations. The term is attributed to their role in liberating the land from the occupier, referring to the secular Arab armies.
3. The Martyrs: Refers to individuals who die in combat for Jihad. These terms are used to encourage young people to join the organization.
4. Jihad: Means fighting for the sake of Allah and is a term used to incite young people to join extremist organizations.
5. Takfir: Refers to declaring disbelief in others and is a term used to justify the killing of Muslims who differ from the Islamic vision adopted by the organization.
6. Salafist Jihadism: Refers to the Salafi branch that believes that Jihad is a duty for every Muslim. This term is used to incite young people to join the organization.
7. The Muslim Brotherhood: Refers to the Muslim Brotherhood, which is one of the largest Islamic organizations in the world, and these terms are used to expand the popular support base for the organization.
Cognitive foundations for the Muslim Brotherhood and ISIS differ significantly.
The Muslim Brotherhood belongs to the political Islam movement, which believes that Islam should be the intellectual, cultural, and political basis of the state. On the other hand, ISIS believes in applying Islamic law strictly and vigorously and promotes the idea of establishing a global Islamic caliphate.
The cognitive foundations of the Muslim Brotherhood include:
1. Advocacy: They believe that Islam should be the intellectual, cultural, and political basis of the state, and they work to persuade people of the values of Islam and their application in everyday life.
2. Collective work: They believe that collective work can achieve major political and religious goals.
3. Education: They believe that education is the basis of progress and development, and they work to develop educational curricula that are consistent with Islamic values and achieve progress and development.
4. Tolerance: They believe that tolerance and peaceful coexistence with others are the basis of human life.
The cognitive foundations of ISIS include:
1. Jihad: They believe that jihad is an obligation on every Muslim, and that Islamic law must be applied strictly and forcefully.
2. Caliphate: There are significant differences in the concept of jihad and the caliphate between the Muslim Brotherhood and ISIS, and these differences are evident in their messages on social media. ISIS sees the caliphate as the establishment of an Islamic state on strict and strong foundations, and they use this concept to justify violence and terrorism.
As for the concept of the caliphate, the Muslim Brotherhood believes that the caliphate should be democratic and participatory, centered on the concepts of justice, equality, and human rights. They consider that achieving this caliphate is through political work and cooperation with other political parties.
Sources:
There are many books that talk about the media brigades of the Muslim Brotherhood and ISIS, as well as their intellectual ideas and trends, including:
1. "The Muslim Brotherhood and Control of the Media" by Salah Al-Din Osman.
2. "The Muslim Brotherhood and the Media: History and Present" by Amal Al-Rifai.
3. "ISIS: Analysis of Ideas, Methodology, and Strategy" by Hassan Hossni.
4. "ISIS: Its History, Ideology, and Strategy" by Gamal Abdullah.
5. "Contemporary Islamic Movements: The Muslim Brotherhood and ISIS" by Salha Abdullah.
6. "The Muslim Brotherhood: History, Ideas, and Political Action" by Abdul Aziz Al-Shibli.
7. "The Muslim Brotherhood: Ideas, History, and Organization" by Abdullah Al-Alimi.
8. "ISIS: Ideas, Organization, and Strategy" by Huda Al-Saadi.
9. "Political Islam Trends in the Arab World: The Muslim Brotherhood and ISIS" by Imad Abdullah.
10. "The Muslim Brotherhood and ISIS: Ideas, Organization, and Strategy" by Mohammed Al-Shafie.
Comments