Militant Islam Vs Islamic Militancy

"Discourses on 'radical Islam,' on 'Islamic extremism,' or on 'religious violence' in Islamic contexts are en vogue-- in and beyond academia. But in view of the highly contested topic of political Islam, the challenge starts already with the preferred terminology. What actually are we talking about when we talk about 'salafism,' 'jihadism,' 'Islamic terrorism,' etc.? This edited volume provides a collection of contributions that due to their respective academic cultures and disciplinary locations display a multifaceted variety of approaches to the research field and its subject."--Back cover.

Militant Islam provides a sociological framework for understanding the rise and character of recent Islamic militancy. It takes a systematic approach to the phenomenon and includes analysis of cases from around the world, comparisons with militancy in other religions, and their causes and consequences. The sociological concepts and theories examined in the book include those associated with social closure, social movements, nationalism, risk, fear and ‘de-civilising’. These are applied within three main themes; characteristics of militant Islam, multi-layered causes and the consequences of militancy, in particular Western reactions within the ‘war on terror’. Interrelationships between religious and secular behaviour, ‘terrorism’ and ‘counter-terrorism’, popular support and opposition are explored. Through the examination of examples from across Muslim societies and communities, the analysis challenges the popular tendency to concentrate upon ‘al-Qa’ida’ and the Middle East. This book will be of interest to students of Sociology, Political Science and International Relations, in particular those taking courses on Islam, religion, terrorism, political violence and related regional studies.

Faisal Devji argues that new forms of militancy, such as the actions of al-Qaeda, are informed by the same desire for agency and equality that animates other humanitarian interventions, such as environmentalism and pacifism. To the militant, victimized Muslims are more than just symbols of ethnic and religious persecution-they represent humanity's centuries-long struggle for legitimacy and agency. Acts of terror, therefore, are fueled by the militant's desire to become a historical actor on the global stage. Though they have yet to build concrete political institutions, militant movements have formed a kind of global society, and as Devji makes clear, this society pursues the same humanitarian objectives that drive more benevolent groups.

Militant Islam provides a sociological framework for understanding the rise and character of recent Islamic militancy. It takes a systematic approach to the phenomenon and includes analysis of cases from around the world, comparisons with militancy in other religions, and their causes and consequences. The sociological concepts and theories examined in the book include those associated with social closure, social movements, nationalism, risk, fear and ¿de-civilising¿. These are applied within three main themes; characteristics of militant Islam, multi-layered causes and the consequences of militancy, in particular Western reactions within the ¿war on terror¿. Interrelationships between religious and secular behaviour, ¿terrorism¿ and ¿counter-terrorism¿, popular support and opposition are explored. Through the examination of examples from across Muslim societies and communities, the analysis challenges the popular tendency to concentrate upon ¿al-Qa¿ida¿ and the Middle East. This book will be of interest to students of Sociology, Political Science and International Relations, in particular those taking courses on Islam, religion, terrorism, political violence and related regional studies.

Zachary Abuza has traveled to most of the hot spots of Islamic militancy in Southeast Asia. Drawing on this intensive on-the-ground investigation, he explains the growing--and increasingly violent--Islamic political consciousness in Southeast Asia.

At the end of the Cold War the proliferation of Weapons of Mass Destruction replaced the Soviet Union as the new enemy of world peace. The pariah WMD states became enemy No. 1. The significance of militant Islams growing disgust with Western foreign policy and apparent indifference to the suffering of Muslims worldwide was missed until it was too late.In Rise of Militant Islam Anthony Tucker-Jones examines from an insiders perspective how Western intelligence misinterpreted every landmark event on the road to 9/11 and ultimately failed to curb global jihad. The 9/11 attack provoked a War on Terror which has yet to fully curb the threat of global jihad or bring ringleader Osama bin Laden to justice.Anthony Tucker-Jones, who served in the Defense Intelligence Staff, the British Ministry of Defenses top intelligence assessment organization, gained an unparalleled insiders view of the growing war on terror and how the Wests intelligence agencies were wrong-footed at almost every turn. He traces the rise of international terrorism and its networks throughout the Muslim world, in Afghanistan, the Balkans, Algeria, Chechnya, Somalia and across the Middle East, and he uncovers the connections between them. He shows how the key to the growth of Al Qaeda as a global terrorist organization was not only the emergence of Osama bin Laden, but also the growing understanding of asymmetrical warfare which the CIA had taught anti-Soviet jihadists in Afghanistan in the 1980s.

SHORTLISTED FOR THE ORWELL PRIZE 2016 In The New Threat renowned expert and prize-winning reporter Jason Burke provides the clearest and most comprehensive guide to Islamic militancy today. From Syria to Somalia, from Libya to Indonesia, from Yemen to the capitals of Europe, Islamic militancy appears stronger, more widespread and more threatening than ever. ISIS and other groups, such as Boko Haram, together command significant military power, rule millions and control extensive territories. Elsewhere Al-Qaeda remains potent and is rapidly evolving. Factions and subsidiaries proliferate worldwide, and a new generation of Western Jihadists are emerging, joining conflicts abroad and attacking at home. Who are these groups and what do they actually want? What connects them and how do they differ? How are we to understand their tactics of online activism and grotesque violence? Drawing on almost two decades of frontline reporting as well as a vast range of sources, from intelligence officials to the militants themselves, renowned expert Jason Burke cuts through the mass of opinion and misinformation to explain dispassionately and with total clarity the nature of the threat we now face. He shows that Islamic militancy has changed dramatically in recent years. Far from being a ‘medieval’ throwback, it is modern, dynamic and resilient. Despite everything, it is entirely comprehensible. The New Threat is essential reading if we are to understand our fears rather than succumb to them, to act rationally and effectively, and to address successfully one of the most urgent problems of our time.