2018/01/02 by Neil Krishan Aggarwal · 1 citation
Social Sciences · #Terrorism, Counterterrorism, and Political Violence #Politics and Conflicts in Afghanistan, Pakistan, and Middle East #Islamic Studies and History #Caliphate #Islam #Scholarship #Historiography #State (computer science) #Allegiance #Political science #Orthodoxy #Declaration #Militant #Creed #Terrorism #Islamization #Middle East #History #Ancient history #Law #Sociology #Archaeology
paper · doi:10.1080/09584935.2018.1430747
openalex publication_date 2018/01/02 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/16
The militant group known as the Islamic State has published periodicals in multiple languages since its declaration of a ‘caliphate’ in 2014. A series of articles in Arabic and English praises Mahmud of Ghazni (971–1030), raising questions into why a group based in the Middle East would take interest in a historical figure from South Asia. This research note situates themes from the Islamic State’s articles on Mahmud of Ghazni against the group’s other writings. Three main themes emerge: his attacks against Hindus were a jihad against non-Muslims; he pledged allegiance to the Abbasid Caliphate; and he annihilated Shia Muslims because of their ‘deviance’ from Sunni orthodoxy. Contrasting such themes against the historiographical record – including scholarship from South Asian Studies – highlights inconsistencies around which counter-messaging strategies could be constructed to advance the goals of counter-terrorism.