The Centrality of the Enemy in al-Baghdadi's Caliphate

The idea of analyzing the theme of conflict and the relationship with the other with reference to the self-styled Islamic State (IS) - in Arabic Dawla al-Islamiyya or also Dawla Islamiyya fi Iraq wa Sham (Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant - Isil/Isis or Daish) – may appear as a merely rhetorical, almost tautological exercise. The violence underlying IS activities and its all-out expansionist attitude are, indeed, the aspects that most significantly characterize the action of the movement under the leadership of Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, also in light of the fact that IS makes no distinction between adversaries (inimicus) and enemies (hostis). IS leaves no room whatsoever to the right of existence of others in a shared social or political space, outside of submission and deprivation. This principle inspires the IS narrative starting from its peculiar concept of caliphate, as clearly explained in the previous chapter, all the way to the definition and relationship with the “other”. This is true not only with regard to the non-Muslim world, but also towards the Muslim universe itself, as shown by the constant application of takfir, and for those jihadists who are not willing to recognize the authority of the “new caliph”. It is clear that any diversity, otherness or juxtaposition, either internal or external to the world in which these subjects operate, falls within the category of the enemy rather than the adversary. The pages that follow aim reflect on the concept of the caliphate in the IS message and to provide an analysis of the relationship that IS has established between the enemy – in its numerous guises – and media communication. More specifically, it will focus on the identification of the ultimate target of the group’s violence and why it was lumped into the category of the hostis. Interestingly, IS has not only achieved results in the field, but it was able to resound its overbearing message through a careful representation of the enemy as humiliated and defeated. With a view to fueling this vision of the enemy, IS was careful to synchronize its activities across the local regional and international dimensions, while also engaging in a campaign for recruitment and an effort to spread terror across the board.