Discussing the Islamic State on Twitter (Middle East Today)

Acknowledgements
Contents
List of Figures
Chapter 1 Introduction
	Abstract
	1.1  A Territorial Organisation with a Global Outreach
	1.2  A Perspective Change on the Communication Strategy of the Islamic State
	1.3  Sources for Support and Opposition
	1.4  The Importance of Events Unfolding: From Peak to Defeat
	1.5  Book Overview
		1.5.1  Note on Transliteration from Modern Standard Arabic
	Bibliography
Chapter 2 The Research Methodology
	Abstract
	2.1  Social Media, Twitter, and IS
	2.2  The Database
	2.3  The Algorithm
	2.4  The Training-Set Preparation
	Appendix 2.1: List of Keywords Employed in the Twitter-Query
	Bibliography
Chapter 3 Detecting the Sentiment Toward IS and Its Evolution
	Abstract
	3.1  Focusing on the Audience of Terrorist Propaganda
	3.2  Coding the Sentiment
	3.3  Cross-Validation
	3.4  The Support for IS in the Arabic-Speaking Twitter-Sphere
	3.5  The Sentiment Through IS’s History Phases
	3.6  The Impact of Online Censorship and Other Factors on the Sentiment Toward IS
	3.7  Conclusion
	Bibliography
Chapter 4 A Thematic Study of the Topics in the Pro-IS and Anti-IS Tweets
	Abstract
	4.1  The Goals of IS Propaganda and Twitter
		4.1.1  Marketing the Caliphate
		4.1.2  Broadcasting Victories
		4.1.3  Attracting an Audience
	4.2  Method and Results: Why Supporting IS
	4.3  Opposing IS: The Discourse in the Anti-IS Community
	4.4  Conclusion
	Bibliography
Chapter 5 The Enemy of My Enemy? Hostility and Sectarian Discourse Between Pro-IS and Anti-IS Arabic-Speaking Twitter Users
	Abstract
	5.1  Dangerous Discourses: The Ideological Premises of Violence and the Role of the Building Blocks
	5.2  The First Building Block: “The Fight Between the Sunnis and Their Enemies Is of a Religious Nature”
	5.3  The Second Building Block: “Anti-Shia Sectarian Discourse”
	5.4  Conclusion
	Appendix 5.1 List of Anti-Shia Sectarian Keywords
	Bibliography
Chapter 6 Conclusion
	Abstract
	Bibliography
Index