Framing the Western Jihad: A Grounded Theory Analysis of Inspire, Dabiq, and Rumiyah Magazines

From skilled propagandists to self-trained lone wolf attackers to armies of foreign fighters, so-called homegrown terrorists (or Western supporters of al Qaeda and Daesh) have played important roles in each movement's promotion, development and strategy. This dissertation project uses grounded theory analysis to examine the ways that al Qaeda and Daesh (also known as ISIS, ISIL, or IS) present their respective movements to English-speakers in Western societies. Ten issues of al Qaeda's Inspire, five issues of Daesh's Dabiq and five issues of Rumiyah (Dabiq's successor publication), published between 2011-2017, are studied. The analysis suggests that al Qaeda and Daesh employ three overlapping sets of frames in these English-language magazines. These frames position themselves within broader historical trends, establish their legitimacy as actors, and establish actors and actions (defining enemies, threats, heroes and recommended activities).