Islamic Politics Research

Islamic Politics Research

The Islamic Revolution in the Cognitive Battlefield: Assessing the Relationship between the “Jihād e Tabyīn” Doctrine and the Emerging Challenge of Deepfakes

Document Type : Original Article

Authors
1 Ph.D. in History of the Islamic Revolution, Assistant Professor, Department of Islamic Studies, Central Tehran Branch, Islamic Azad University, Tehran, Iran. Email:Ali.zareei@iau.ac.ir
2 Postdoctoral Researcher, Department of History, Arak University, Arak, Iran.
10.22034/ipr.2026.557823.2331
Abstract
In the contemporary era, the pattern of confrontation with the Islamic Revolution has shifted from hard warfare to cognitive warfare—a battle aimed at dominating minds and managing societal perceptions. In this context, “deepfake” technology, as a novel cognitive weapon with the capability to produce fabricated yet realistic content, has become a primary tool for the enemy to spread falsehoods and disinformation, targeting official authorities and the credibility of narratives. This situation poses a serious challenge to the “Jihād e Tabyīn” doctrine as the Islamic Republic’s cognitive defense strategy. Therefore, the main question of this research is how deepfake technology challenges the effectiveness of the “Jihād e Tabyīn” doctrine in the cognitive battlefield, and what strategies exist to enhance this doctrine against this emerging threat. This article, using a descriptive-analytical method and a qualitative approach, examines the interaction between this doctrine and the deepfake threat. Findings indicate that deepfakes disrupt the effectiveness of the “Jihād e Tabyīn” through five mechanisms: “authority erosion,” “information flooding,” “activation of societal fault lines,” “memory distortion,” and “systematic delegitimization.” The results suggest that countering this threat necessitates a transition from reactive defense to integrated defense. Accordingly, solutions are proposed across three complementary levels: technical-legal, educational-media, and strategic-institutional.
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Volume 13, Issue 28
December 2026
Pages 2-3

  • Receive Date 05 November 2025
  • Revise Date 01 February 2026
  • Accept Date 10 February 2026