Al-Qaeda
The Background of the Pursuit for Global Jihad
Studies on Inter-Religious Relations, No. 11
By Hamdi A. Hassan
July 2004
Almqvist & Wiksell
ISBN: 9189652096
72 pages, Illustrated, 5 ¾" x 8 ¼"
$49.50 Paper Original
This study attempts to offer the context that helps us comprehend the "post-modern" expression of pre-modern anger, dissent and violence. Focusing on the background and the conditions whereby al-Qaeda arose from a myriad of radical Islamist groups, this study discusses the problem from two different yet related dimensions. First, there is an analysis of the historical, social and political conditions that breed dissent, anger violence and terror by radical Islamists, especially in the Arab world.
Moreover, the essay deals with how al-Qaeda transformed the Islamists' insurgency from inter-state sub-guerilla activities into a global network of terror. Second, there is an attempt to provide an alternative understanding of the phenomenon we call global Jihad. In Western media, Islam and Muslim societies become uninhabited land and the complexity and richness of Islamic societies appear as blank spaces. The media coverage has always been faithful to the attitude of obsession with the Arabs and Muslims, creating the impression that it is bin Laden and the Taliban who inhabit the entire Muslim world.
About the Author: Hamdi A. Hassan is a political scientist and works as a senior administrative officer at the Swedish Ministry of Justice.
Politics
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