WAR, RELIGION AND AESTHETICS: ANALYSIS OF TEHREEK-I-TALIBAN PAKISTAN’S TARANAS
Keywords:
Taliban, Recruitment, Chants, Taranas, Melodious, Propaganda, CommunicationAbstract
Various socio-economic factors affect the recruitment and indoctrination into radical groups in this region, including poverty, political instability, tribalism, and religious extremism. Radical groups in this area advocate for a violent and extremist form of Islam and would justify using violence against Islam's enemies, regardless of whether they are Muslims or not. Many young men in this area have limited economic opportunities available to them; thus, some claim joining a radical group provides an opportunity to escape poverty and obtain power or status. This study contributes to an understanding of the use of ideological frames and recruitment of militants, specifically through an analysis and description of a relatively unknown instrument for propaganda used by the Taliban - the chants (taranas) that they use. These melodious chants utilize symbolic, iconic, and historical nouns, as well as create emotion in listeners (e.g., sorrow, pride, despair, hope, and grievances). These chants serve to mobilize and persuade the general population to accept the Taliban's ideology and worldview. In addition, the chants provide an overview of the strategies, channels of communication, and recruitment tools used by militant organizations in both Pakistan and Afghanistan to raise and recruit new supporters. This investigation's greatest contribution is the analysis of Taliban chants and other propaganda artifacts.
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