Unholy War

Unholy War PDF

Author: John L. Esposito

Publisher: Oxford University Press

Published: 2003-11-13

Total Pages: 209

ISBN-13: 0199840229

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The September 11 attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon left us stunned, angry, and uncomprehending. As it became clear that these horrifying acts had been committed in the name of religion, the media, the government, and ordinary citizens alike sought answers to questions about Islam and its adherents. In this level-headed and authoritative book, John L. Esposito, one of the world's most respected scholars of political Islam, provides answers. He clearly and carefully explains the teachings of Islam--the Quran, the example of the Prophet, Islamic law--about jihad or holy war, the use of violence, and terrorism. He chronicles the rise of extremist groups and examines their frightening worldview and tactics. Anti-Americanism (and anti-Europeanism), he shows, is a broad-based phenomenon that cuts across Arab and Muslim societies. It is not just driven by religious zealotry, but by frustration and anger at U.S. policy. It is vital to understand, however, that the vast majority of Muslims are appalled by the acts of violence committed in the name of their faith. It is essential that we distinguish between the religion of Islam and the actions of extremists like Osama bin Laden, who hijack Islamic discourse and belief to justify their acts of terrorism. This brief, clear-sighted book reflects twenty years of study, reflection, and experience on the part of a scholar who is equally respected in the West and in the Muslim world. It will prove to be the best single guide to the urgent questions that have recently forced themselves on the attention of the entire world.

America's Secret Jihad

America's Secret Jihad PDF

Author: Stuart Wexler

Publisher: Catapult

Published: 2015-07-19

Total Pages: 328

ISBN-13: 1619026899

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The conventional narrative concerning religious terrorism inside the United States says that the first salvo occurred in 1993, with the first attack on the World Trade Center in New York City. This narrative has motivated more than a decade of wars, and re–prioritized America's domestic security and law enforcement agenda. But the conventional narrative is wrong. A different group of jihadists exists within US borders. This group has a long but hidden history, is outside the purview of public officials and has an agenda as apocalyptic as anything Al Qaeda has to offer. Radical sects of Christianity have inspired some of the most grotesque acts of violence in American history: the 1963 Birmingham Church bombing that killed four young girls; the "Mississippi Burning" murders of three civil rights workers in 1964; the assassination of Martin Luther King, Jr. in 1968, the Atlanta Child Murders in the late 1970s; and the Oklahoma City Bombing in 1995.America's Secret Jihad uses these crimes to tell a story that has not been told before. Expanding upon the author's ground–breaking work on the Martin Luther King, Jr. murder, and through the use of extensive documentation, never–before–released interviews, and a re–interpretation of major events, America's Secret Jihad paints a picture of Christian extremism and domestic terrorism as it has never before been portrayed.

The Age of Sacred Terror

The Age of Sacred Terror PDF

Author: Daniel Benjamin

Publisher: Random House Digital, Inc.

Published: 2002

Total Pages: 518

ISBN-13:

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More than a year before September 11, 2001, they began writing The Age of Sacred Terror to sound the alarm for a nation that had not recognized the gravest threat of our time.".

Violence in the Name of God

Violence in the Name of God PDF

Author: Joel Hodge

Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing

Published: 2020-01-23

Total Pages: 362

ISBN-13: 135010499X

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This book traces the trajectory of militant jihadism to show how violence is more intentionally embraced as the centre of worship, social order and ideology. Undertaking an in-depth analysis of militant jihadist groups and utilising the work of René Girard, Joel Hodge argues that the extreme violence of militant jihadists is a response to modernity in two ways that have not been sufficiently explored by the existing literature. Firstly, it is a manifestation of the unrestrained and escalating state of desire and rivalry in modernity, which militant jihadists seek to counter with extreme violence. Secondly, it is a response to the unveiling and discrediting of sacred violence, which militant jihadists seek to reverse by more purposefully valorising sacred violence in what they believe to be jihad. Relevant to anyone interested in Islam, philosophy of religion, theology, and terrorism, Violence in the Name of God imagines new ways of thinking about militancy in the name of Islam in the twenty-first century.

Sacred Rage

Sacred Rage PDF

Author: Robin Wright

Publisher: Simon and Schuster

Published: 2001-12-04

Total Pages: 339

ISBN-13: 0743233425

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For a generation, Muslim extremists have targeted Americans in an escalation of terror that culminated in the September 11 attacks. Our shared confusion -- Who are the attackers? Why are we targets? -- is cleared away in a book as dramatic as it is authoritative. Updated with new chapters on Afghanistan and the the broader Islamic movement, Sacred Rage combines Robin Wright's extraordinary reportage on the Islamic world with an historian's grasp of context to explain the roots, the motives, and the goals of the Islamic resurgence. Wright talked to terrorists, militant religious leaders, and fighters from Beirut to Islamabad and Kabul. Their voices of rage reverberate here -- right up to the attacks in New York and Washington. Across continents extends a challenge we fail to understand at our peril. Sacred Rage now casts light on the war being fought in the shadows.

Knowing the Enemy

Knowing the Enemy PDF

Author: Mary R. Habeck

Publisher: Yale University Press

Published: 2007-01-01

Total Pages: 262

ISBN-13: 9780300122572

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A penetrating look into the inner logic of al-Qa'ida and like-minded extremist groups by which they justify September 11 and other terrorist attacks includes specific ideologies of jihadism, a new movement that allows members to call for the destruction of democracy and to murder innocent men, women, and children.

Terrorism, Political Violence, and Extremism

Terrorism, Political Violence, and Extremism PDF

Author: Chris E. Stout Ph.D.

Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing USA

Published: 2017-05-24

Total Pages: 377

ISBN-13: 144085193X

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A must-read for psychologists-clinical and academic alike-as well as for political scientists, policy analysts, and others working in the realm of terrorism, political violence, and extremism, this book carefully explores the theories, observations, and approaches of authorities in the field and addresses how and why terrorism has perpetuated for so long. Terrorism is now a regular topic in the news rather than a rare or an unusual occurrence. The possibility of violent terrorist acts constitutes a legitimate safety concern, regardless of one's country of residence: no longer can anyone assume that their location is beyond the reach or outside the targeted areas of any number of terrorist groups. Terrorism, Political Violence, and Extremism: New Psychology to Understand, Face, and Defuse the Threat examines why the number of terrorist attacks has greatly increased since the attacks on September 11, 2001, including well-known events such as the Madrid train bombings (2004), the London Underground bombings (2005), the San Bernardino and Paris attacks (2015), and countless others, particularly in the Middle East and Africa. Beyond providing a careful and up-to-date assessment of the state of terrorism worldwide, which includes coverage of the religious and political origins of terrorist activities, the book pinpoints less-recognized and rarely studied aspects of terrorism, such as terrorism hysteria, sexuality, shame, and rape. The diverse perspectives within this unified volume are relevant to a breadth of subject areas, such as international psychology, military psychology, political science, political theory, religious studies, military theory, peace studies, military sciences, law enforcement, public health, sociology, anthropology, social work, law, and feminist theory.