Framing Jihad and Marginalization: A Critical Discourse Analysis of Al-Shabaab’s Recruitment Propaganda in Eastern Africa.

Abstract

This article examines jihadist propaganda by analysing two key video messages from Al-Shabaab leadership, specifically Sheikh Fua'd Muhammad Khalaf and Sheikh Ali Mohamud Raage, alongside a radical Kenyan cleric, Aboud Rogo. Through the lens of Critical Discourse Analysis (CDA), the study investigates the use of Islamic scripture, emotional appeals, and socio-political grievances to legitimise violence and recruit youth. The findings reveal the strategic use of Quranic texts, historical references, and socio-economic marginalisation to construct a compelling call to arms. Further narratives are juxtaposed with the prevailing situation in the East African region to contextualise the cultural dimension covered in religious clothing. Surprisingly, the three individuals speak from the same script despite being geographically apart and sharing different linguistic codes. Mr. Fua’d Muhammad Khalaf and Mr. Ali Mohamud Raage doing the biding in Somalia with the Somali language as their medium and Al-Shabaab brutality as their ideological microphone, while Aboud Rogo gives the same message on the Kenyan coast to different audiences with different language- Swahili. The paper concludes by highlighting gaps in counter-narrative strategies and the necessity for localised ideological interventions.