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This volume introduces the concept of Islamist extremist ´master narratives´ and offers a method for identifying and analyzing them. Drawing on rhetorical and narrative theories, the chapters examine thirteen master narratives and explain how extremists use them to solidify their base, recruit new members, and motivate actions.

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What is a Master Narrative? The Pharaoh The Jahiliyyah The Battle of Badr The Hypocrites The Battle of Khaybar The Battle of Karbala The Mahdi The Infidel Invaders Shaytan´s Handiwork 1924 The Nakba 72 Virgins Conclusion: Strategic Communication

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"Rigorous, engaging, and immediately applicable - using the concept of a master narrative, the authors provide concrete answers to one of today s most pressing questions: What makes al-Qaeda s message so compelling? This book is a must read for anyone - students, practitioners and analysts - who wants to better understand al-Qaeda´s messaging strategies and identify effective ways to counter al-Qaeda´s resonance." - Jarret Brachman, PhD, author, Global Jihadism: Theory and Practice, and Managing Director, Cronus Global

"Extraordinary in breadth, rich in historical depth and far-reaching in its implications, an authoritative text on the ideological master-narratives of extremists has finally arrived. This outstanding book offers essential reading for all those involved in crafting strategic policy aimed at combating extremist narratives." - John Horgan, Director, International Center for the Study of Terrorism, Penn State University

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Jeffry R. Halverson is an Islamic studies scholar and historian of religions, specializing in the Middle East and North Africa. He currently serves as assistant research professor in the Hugh Downs School of Human Communication at Arizona State University, USA. He is also the author of Theology and Creed in Sunni Islam (Palgrave Macmillan, 2010) and Searching for a King (Potomac, 2012).

Steven R. Corman is the Director of the Center for Strategic Communication and a Professor of Communication at the Hugh Downs School of Human Communication at Arizona State University, USA. He is also the co-author of Weapons of Mass Persuasion (Peter Lang, 2008).

H.L. Goodall Jr. was a Professor of Communication and a pioneer of narrative ethnography at Arizona State University, USA.

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