ABSTRACT
Daesh is globally known for its virulent ideologies and violence. Despite these facts, they have managed to receive worldwide support, as evidenced by the participation of individuals from various nations in their ranks. Daesh’s recruitment strategy includes engaging people with their ideological messages, predominantly through digital platforms. While previous studies have highlighted various violent ideologies in Daesh’s propaganda or the what-aspect of it, a detailed analysis of the discourse of dream account, which is an understudied element in extremist discourse, has not been given much attention yet. In Daesh propaganda materials, there are accounts of their deceased fighters’ prophetic and apocalyptic dreams, which served as one of their motivations for attacks against the perceived enemies (Mat Isa 2020). A more in-depth analysis of the dream accounts can further the understanding of the different ways Daesh has used to garner support for its cause and contribute to radicalization. Three approaches were integrated and employed as an analytical framework to examine the selected dream accounts, namely Reisigl and Wodak’s (2016) discourse historical approach to critical discourse studies, the psychological approach specifically examining elements of awe, and the ideological approach to construct the dream discourse. Ultimately, the current study seeks to formulate a model which expounds a new viewpoint on dream accounts as a strategy of radicalization and recruitment for Daesh.
