This article examines the expansion of soft warfare and its detrimental effects on the beliefs and cultural values of Muslim societies, particularly Shi‘i communities, with a focus on its implications for the Mahdi’s advent and the pursuit of Islamic ideals. Comparing hard and soft warfare, the study analyzes the characteristics, instruments, and adverse consequences of soft warfare and examines how it impedes efforts to prepare the ground for Imam al-Mahdi’s advent.
In soft warfare, Islam’s adversaries use modern media to steer public opinion toward their preferred cultural and political objectives. The study also considers factors contributing to the expansion of adversarial media hegemony over Muslim populations, including Shi‘i communities’ vulnerability to adversaries’ media empires, low levels of media literacy, the erosion of social ethics in the media, and growing public distrust of domestic media in Muslim societies.