| Summary/Abstract |
The militant group known as the Islamic State has published periodicals in multiple languages since its declaration of a ‘caliphate’ in 2014. A series of articles in Arabic and English praises Mahmud of Ghazni (971–1030), raising questions into why a group based in the Middle East would take interest in a historical figure from South Asia. This research note situates themes from the Islamic State’s articles on Mahmud of Ghazni against the group’s other writings. Three main themes emerge: his attacks against Hindus were a jihad against non-Muslims; he pledged allegiance to the Abbasid Caliphate; and he annihilated Shia Muslims because of their ‘deviance’ from Sunni orthodoxy. Contrasting such themes against the historiographical record – including scholarship from South Asian Studies – highlights inconsistencies around which counter-messaging strategies could be constructed to advance the goals of counter-terrorism.
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