Religious legitimizations of suicide bombings by Jihadi-Salafi militants: The role of religion in the legitimization of suicide bombings by Jihadi-Salafi militants in Syria and Iraq between 2010 and 2015

Abstract

This thesis focuses on the religious legitimization used by Jihadi-Salafi suicide bombers in their statements. Five legitimizing statements of Jihadi-Salafi militants who carried out their suicide bombings between 2010 and 2015 in Syria and Iraq are analysed. The research identifies the significant religious concepts – the religious discourses – the militants use to legitimize their acts. The analysis consists of an emic approach directed to using religious terminology in the statements and an etic approach that aims attention at the academic view on the terms retrieved in the emic half of the analysis. The etic approach includes the Critical Discourse Analysis by Antonio Reyes. The religious discourses in the legitimizing statements obtained through the two-folded analysis are: martyrdom, authority of God, jihad, and emotions of vengeance and hate against infidels.