🎶 Music, Ideology, and the Construction of Mobilization

My research book Music of Salafi Organizations (ISBN: 978-9938-9703-8-8), published by Aram Publishing and Translation, is a multidisciplinary academic study examining the role of music and sound within Salafi-jihadi organizations as both ideological and psychological instruments.

Based on in-depth research, the book offers a detailed analysis of associated chants from linguistic, musical, melodic, modal, rhythmic, and acoustic perspectives. It explores how textual and musical components are structured and combined to produce specific emotional and communicative effects, shaping perception, mobilization, and collective behavior.

A significant part of the study is dedicated to the musicological transcription and analysis of these materials, including the examination of modal structures, melodic formations, and rhythmic organization. This approach aims to systematically deconstruct their internal musical logic and compositional features.

The research also investigates the full production chain behind these recordings, including recording, mixing, and audio post-production processes. It further examines the technical equipment and tools used, discussing their functional role in shaping the final sonic output.

In addition, the study traces the sonic and musical references underlying these chants by analyzing Qur’anic recitation patterns used in these contexts and comparing them with established traditional schools, particularly the Azhari tradition and the recitation styles of the Imams of the Two Holy Mosques.

The book also addresses the tension between doctrinal positions that reject music and the practical use of sound technologies within propaganda frameworks, including the adaptation of Qur’anic recitation styles in mobilizing contexts.

Overall, this work seeks to deepen the understanding of music and sound as structured systems of influence that extend beyond aesthetic expression into ideological and psychological domains.