Traditional Islamism Confronts a New Actor: Syrian Brotherhood Discourses on Daa'sh
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Date
2016-06
Authors
Goessler, Alyssa
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
University of Oregon
Abstract
Exiled from the Syrian political scene for thirty years, the Syrian Muslim Brotherhood
seized upon the chaos of the 2011 uprising as an opportunity to revive their dwindling
political status in the country. While they have made impressive strides towards this
goal, they were certainly not the only organization to utilize the conflict for political
ends. Daa' sh-the infamously barbaric Jihadi-Salafi institution-began expanding its
operations into Syria as early as 2012. Daa'sh utilizes highly publicized brutality, which
continues to revitalize a public dialogue on Islamism, forcing organizations like the
Syrian Muslim Brotherhood to grapple with a rapidly evolving political and religious
landscape. This Islamist challenge combined with the Ikhwan's struggle to unite various
opposition forces has muddled the rhetorical scheme of the Syrian Muslim Brotherhood.
Add to these challenges some burgeoning internal divisions, and the result is a
rhetorical blunder. In this thesis, I analyze Syrian MB public statements on Daa'sh,
focusing on the rhetorical tools they rely on to respond to the political Daa'sh poses to
the MB's legitimacy. I conclude by suggesting alternative rhetorical tactics the Ikhwan
might use to improve their political standing.
Description
71 pages. A thesis presented to the Department of Social Sciences and the Clark Honors College of the University of Oregon in partial fulfillment of the requirements for degree of Bachelor of Arts, Spring 2016.
Keywords
Islamism, Islam, Syrian Brotherhood, ISIS, Daesh, Syrian Crisis, Political Islam, Rhetoric