Sectarian Roots of Jihad: Religious Conflicts in the Middle East [Hardcover]

Sectarian Roots of Jihad: Religious Conflicts in the Middle Eastexamines the sectarian dimension ofjihadand delves into the under-researched sectarian-inspired discursive employment of the notion by radical Islamist groups. It explores the transformation of the basic Islamic principle of striving in the Path of God into a radical foundation upon which some of the most fanatic and atrocious organizations are based in terms of thought, ideology, discourse and course of action. This book investigates sectarian-based interpretations and connotations ofjihadas a concept and practice by means of exploring similarities and differences between Sunni and Shia approaches to the notion and its fundamental principles. It analyzes the way sectarian-guided Islamist organizations employjihadin their propaganda activities and exploit it as a brand to religiously legitimize their cause and emotionally manipulate the recipients of their ideological discourse. It also delves into the development ofsectarianism,Islamism,SalafismandJihadismin order to scrutinize and analyze the rise of sectarian-guided extremism in the Middle East.This volume examines the relationship between jihad, as a concept, and Jihadism, as a movement characterized by a radical worldview. It explores the various interpretations of jihad and its eventual employment by sectarian-guided Islamist extremists as a doctrinal basis to justify their actions.Adib Abdulmajidis a researcher at the University of Leuven.

Theres never been a more important time to investigate the interplay between sectarianism and Jihadism. As one of the leading authorities in this area, Adib Abdulmajids book,Sectarian Roots of Jihad, provides an intelligent analysis of the emergence and development of sectarianism in the Middle Eastern context, and the role such narratives have served in the discourse of contemporary Sunni and Shia militancy. It will be essential readilÓ)