Dr. Moign Khawaja
moign.bsky.social
Dr. Moign Khawaja
@moign.bsky.social
Lecturer @DCU. Co-author of book "Islamic State, Media & Propaganda - Performances of the 'Visual Caliphate'". Real Madrid forever!🤍
7) Timelessness & relevance

The book is timely, as it sheds light on IS's state-building efforts & its use of modern media, which remain relevant for understanding contemporary jihadist movements. It also explores how IS's blueprint for statehood might inspire future groups with similar ambitions.
March 7, 2025 at 4:10 PM
6) Bridging gaps in literature

The book addresses lack of scholarly focus on IS's audio-visual materials, esp. its multilingual video output. It contributes to the growing literature on visual analysis of IS videos by offering a deeper understanding of its propaganda techniques.
March 7, 2025 at 4:07 PM
5) Contribution to Counterterrorism Research

By analysing IS's propaganda strategies, the book provides insights into how they used media to recruit supporters, project power, and legitimise themselves. These findings are crucial for understanding and countering violent extremism.
March 7, 2025 at 4:07 PM
4) Exploration of Stateness

The book examines how IS portrayed itself as a state by focusing on 4 key aspects of statehood - population, territory, government, and foreign policy - per Montevideo Convention. It provides exclusive insights into its governance and foreign policy.
March 7, 2025 at 4:06 PM
3) Emphasis on Videos

Unlike other research on IS's publications (e.g. Dabiq), this book highlights the importance of videos as IS's preferred medium for propaganda, which were central to its state-building narrative and quest to seek legitimacy from its audience.
March 7, 2025 at 4:05 PM
2) Visual Longitudinal Analysis

It is the first book providing comprehensive visual analysis of hundreds of IS propaganda videos, spanning from declaration of Caliphate in 2014 to territorial collapse in 2017. This longitudinal approach offers a detailed look into IS's state-like performances.
March 7, 2025 at 4:04 PM
Our book is unique for the following perspectives:

1) State Aspect of IS - While others debated IS's Islamic identity, this book is focused on how IS projected itself as a modern state through its official videos, filling a significant gap in existing research.
March 7, 2025 at 4:04 PM
This book is dedicated to all forgotten victims of #ISIS worldwide, esp. in #Iraq and #Syria. Hope justice will be served one day. Deeply thankful to all the friends who helped me throughout the process esp. Raghad Al Hindi, Hasan Shaban Al Lawati, Miron Lakomy, Ali Fisher & many others.
March 7, 2025 at 4:03 PM
Special thanks to @galwaygrrl.bsky.social for supervising the PhD thesis, which set the very foundations. Also thanks to DCU President Prof. Daire Keogh, DCU VP Research @johndoyle.bsky.social, Prof. Gary Murphy, Dr. Tanya Ni Mhuirthile, Prof. @debbieging.bsky.social & Dr. @gezimvisoka.bsky.social
March 7, 2025 at 4:01 PM