Fazlullah: The Use Of Propaganda In The Modern World

According to Webster’s College Dictionary, propaganda is “information or ideas methodically spread to promote or injure a cause, movement, nation etc, and the deliberate spread of such information or ideas” (Vidal). "The word “propaganda” comes from the Vatican. The phrase “congregatio de propaganda fide” (The congregation for the propagation of the faith) was used to support the catholic faith in response to the Protestant Reformation"(Vidal). Propaganda was a tool used to persuade the people to remain in their church. They would write, sing, and draw about the other churches having the devil in them. In this time the Catholics used the most common propaganda, "manicheanism which is portraying one side as good and demonizing the other as
'evil'"(Vidal). The use of propaganda is essential in wars, rebellions, and even in schools and hometowns. Propaganda used in war is effective when used precisely correct. The main theme is to severely discredit the other side in any way. Propaganda is more apparent than ever due to the number of media sources embedded in the war (Vidal). World War II was tremendously important when it came to the spread of propaganda, and it spread like wildfire. The famous “I want you for the U.S. Army” or the “We can do it” became popular very quickly when the war was at its peak. When one side of the war uses propaganda you can guarantee the other side is doing the same thing. The point of this in war can be to influence people to join your side or to make the citizens hate the other side. In the current war with Isis and the Taliban propaganda is used heavily.
A key militant leader named Fazlullah, born in 1974, emerged in the early 2000’s (“Who Is Fazlullah”)." Fazlullah spent his teenage years selling wooden shuttering and doing odd jobs selling items off pushcarts"(Hashim). Then, he established his own parallel Islamist government, “with the support of more than 4000 fighters” (“Who Is Fazlullah”). Fazlullah nicknamed, Radio Mullah, after he used FM broadcasts to push his jihadist sermons. He preferred topics of “major sources of sin” such as music, TV and computers, as well as polio vaccination drive, which he claimed was a conspiracy to control the Muslim population (Who Is Fazlullah). He was a major contributor to the propaganda by winning the hearts of many people who listened to the radio. "Off air, 'They praised Fazlullah and talked about his long hair, the way he rode a horse and behaved like the Prophet'"( “Who Is
Fazlullah”). "Wartime propaganda is so important that it can often be used as a weapon because of the power that comes with public support" (Vidal). Propaganda served as an important tool to win the support of the majority of the German public to push the Nazis' radical, which required the acquiescence, support, or participation of broad sectors of the population (“Deceiving the Public”). Many different propaganda apparatuses were devised to manipulate and deceive the German population and the outside world (Deceiving the Public). The idea of propaganda being put to use to deceive and manipulate can be a frightening thought. If this is true, then why do people fall for dictators? “Most people prefer emotionally stimulating propaganda over and above intellectual argument as the basis for making their decisions"(Widner). People want to fell more emotionally involved rather than physically, and that is exactly what propaganda offers. A normal citizen wants to feel like they are a part of something bigger than themselves. Dictators know how to exploit this weakness and control the people to believe something that may be false or exaggerated. 'In their propaganda today’s dictators rely for the most part on repetition, suppression and rationalization' (Widner). In the repetition process they repeat what they want to be accepted. They suppress the facts that are to be ignored, and rationalizing the interests of the target. Wars aren't the only place that propaganda is utilized.
In everyday life smaller scale persuasion is used in commercials, movies and even persuading parents. Commercials use pathos to make the audience feel that the product will change the world for the better. This is a different technique of propaganda than the war; there is no opposing side which allows a more passive approach to manipulation. Movies can indirectly influence a thought or action, which again is a differing concept that can make an emotion appear that wouldn't have been there otherwise. There is a unique way that movies portray their message, take real world events, exaggerate and intensify it, and the message is subtly delivered. Convincing parents is a whole new ball park; pathos may be used in an effort to persuade using emotional weakness, similar to propaganda, and how it plays on people’s
feelings.