The Umma Within The Umma. How Al-Qaeda In The Arabian Peninsula’s Inspire Magazine Defines Moral Boundaries

Abstract

In analyzing the content of al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula’s Inspire magazine, I argue that the concept of Imagined Moral Umma should be utilized. I define the Imagined Moral Umma as an imagined community whose boundaries are determined by the moral standards of its members. By means of utilizing this framework, this thesis shows how AQAP creates a finite umma within a (virtually) infinite umma. Furthermore, this thesis shows firstly that the boundaries of this Imagined Moral Umma are flexible: inclusion and exclusion from this community depend upon historical contingencies. Secondly, the concept of takfīr (excommunication from the Muslim community) becomes irrelevant in Inspire magazine’s justification of violence against Muslims. Thirdly, this thesis highlights the ideological shift within Inspire magazine from a chiefly anti-Western propaganda to an anti-imperialist rhetoric.