This Springerbrief in Religious Studies uses a Malaysian apostasy case study as a platform to investigate and discuss the broader radicalisation of apostates on social networking sites. It provides new insights into the emerging phenomenon of how social media tools are harnessed to promote faith and beliefs systems, specifically looking at the Malay view of apostasy from Islam. Employing sociocultural theory and theoretical concepts to analyse the discursive behaviour of a Malaysian apostate on a social networking site, the study unpacks how digital storytelling and rhetorical strategies can influence readers, culturally and socially, and contribute to identity construction in relation to politicised viewpoints. The analysis of the discourse surrounding apostasy in Malaysia enables parallels to be drawn to such discourses in other parts of the world, raising discussions on the connections between inflammatory online rhetoric and social problems, such as recruitment to terrorism, involvement in gangs, or the use of addictive substances. This text will be of particular interest to scholars and students considering the intersection of critical discourse analysis and religious studies. It will also be of interest to sociolinguists and psychologists interested in online media.

Conveys the voice of an apostate of Islam to illustrate the power of strategic rhetoric in the sphere of new media Combines rhetorical and sociocultural theories in a novel way to analyze the intersection of religious and political communication Uses a Malaysian example of apostasy to enable parallels between the use of inflammatory online rhetoric and concomitant social problems

Autorentext
Radzuwan Ab Rashid is the Deputy Dean of Research and Development at the Faculty of Languages and Communication, Universiti Sultan Zainal Abidin, Malaysia. He obtained his Ph.D. in Education from the University of Nottingham in the United Kingdom. This book is an output of the Fundamental Research Grant awarded to him by the Malaysian Ministry of Higher Education to research the radicalisation of apostates on social networking sites. Radzuwan is also the author of Supportive Conversations on Facebook Timelines: Discourse Topic Management (Routledge).
Azweed completed his bachelor's degree in Civil Engineering at the University of Sheffield in the United Kingdom. He served as an engineer for five years in the oil and gas industry. Azweed then furthered his studies with a master's degree in English Language Studies to develop his expertise in a new discipline. His master's thesis was nominated for the best thesis award at the university. The apostate analysed in this book has a similar academic and professional background to Azweed which motivated him to assist in conducting this study.

Inhalt
Chapter 1. Apostasy and Blogs.- Chapter 2. Theories and Concepts Related to Blogging.- Chapter 3. Identity Construction in Blog.- Chapter 4. Storytelling in Blog.- Chapter 5. Rhetorical Strategies in Blog.- Chapter 6. Recapitulation of Discursive Behaviour in Blog.