Understanding the 'Martyrdom Industry' in Islamic State’s Online Magazines: A Comparative Analysis of Dabiq and Rumiyah

This paper aims to fill the gap in research on the role of martyrdom in the Islamic State’s digital jihad. Its major objective is to understand how the Islamic State’s flagship online periodicals – “Dabiq” and “Rumiyah” – have created profiles of martyrs and exploited them to further its agenda. Moreover, it also attempts to compare both magazines in terms of references to this theme, in order to find out whether the “Caliphate” has adapted its narration concerning shuhada to its deepening crisis in 2016 and 2017. It argues that the significance of this idea grew in time, and it was more accentuated in “Rumiyah.” The study identified five major types of narration in promoting the profiles of martyrs. These are: hagiographic articles, being usually a part of the “Among the Believers Are Men” section, news and reports exploiting inghimasi and istishhadi operations, pieces discussing shuhada of the former IS leaders, religious deliberations founded on such examples as the prophets and Islamic heroes, as well as information concerning martyrdom of anonymous militants and Muslim civilians en masse.