Overview

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.

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9781787382244

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'A brilliant long essay on the ethical underpinnings of modern jihad.' 'An oasis in the wearisome desert of al-Qaeda studies. It is, in the best possible sense, subversive.' 'Thought-provoking, and elegantly written.' 'One of the most intelligent analyses of the world-view of the militant Islamist.' 'An erudite analysis of the rise of jihadism as almost a new 'sect' within Islam-one that combines mystical and traditional elements of Islam with a sophisticated globalization effort based on an ethical, rather than political, worldview.'

Author Information

Faisal Devji is Assistant Professor of History at New School University, New York. His first book, Landscapes of the Jihad: Militancy, Morality, Modernity, was published to wide acclaim in 2005, garnering reviews in, inter alia, The Economist, The New York Review of Books, The New Statesman and the Times Literary Supplement.

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