Mental Verbs in the Discourse of "Kafir" on Social Media: A Critical Discourse Approach

Abstract

This study aims to analyze the use of mental verbs and their socio-linguistic representations in the discourse of "kafir" on Twitter using Norman Fairclough's Critical Discourse Analysis (CDA) framework integrated with Systemic Functional Linguistics (SFL). The study examines 400 speech data units categorized into four mental verb categories: cognition (37.5%), perception (30.0%), affection (20.0%), and desire (12.5%). The dominance of cognition and perception verbs demonstrates that digital religious discourse is primarily driven by theological reasoning, scriptural legitimacy, and subjective social experiences, rather than purely affective reactions (20.0%) or reconciliatory wishes (12.5%). The findings reveal a sharp ideological polarization between moderate protagonists (who advocate inclusive terms like "non-Muslim" for social harmony) and conservative antagonists (who defend textual orthodoxy and Divine authority). The conclusion emphasizes the crucial role of mental verbs as mechanisms for ideological construction, identity negotiation, and religious authority contestation in the digital public sphere. These patterns highlight broader tensions surrounding religious labeling and inclusion.