Global Jihad in Muslim and non-Muslim Contexts

Jonathan Matusitz

• Publisher: Palgrave Macmillan
• Year: 2020
• Print ISBN:
  9783030470432
• eBook ISBN:
  9783030470449
• Topic: Politics & International Relations
• Subtopic: Middle Eastern Politics
• Index: Politics & International Relations

This book examines ten reasons for global jihad today. Specifically, the reasons are (1) radicalization, (2) group dynamics and socialization, (3) social alienation, (4) religious motivations, (5) legal motivations, (6) political motivations, (7) a Clash of Civilizations, (8) economic conditions, (9) transformative learning, and (10) outbidding and internal rifts. To investigate these points, all chapters include the historical background, specific case studies (both past and current), statistics, and theoretical approaches to the subject of global jihad. The main purpose of jihad is to achieve global domination—through any means, including violence—and establish the Caliphate. The Caliphate is a Muslim system of world government that seeks to establish a new world order by overthrowing the current order, effectively creating an all-encompassing Islamic state.

© The Author(s) 2020

J. MatusitzGlobal Jihad in Muslim and non-Muslim Contextshttps://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-47044-9_1

Begin Abstract

1. Introduction

Jonathan Matusitz¹

(1)

University of Central Florida, Orlando, FL, USA

Jonathan Matusitz

End Abstract

This book examines global jihad by describing ten reasons that have fueled one of the most threatening crises that humankind has ever faced. We cannot begin to deal with the problem until we acquire a better understanding of its roots. Journalists, essayists, and academics alike have facilely presented global jihad as rooted in the Muslim religion and its holy scriptures, as originating in a Clash of Civilizations, as embedded in the long-established memory of the Crusades and postcolonial politics, or as driven by the Wahhabi hatred of the Infidels. It is actually all these combined reasons—in addition to many other reasons—that contribute to the problem. Consequently, this book fills this gap by describing, in detail, ten reasons for global jihad today. Specifically, these reasons are (1) radicalization, (2) group dynamics and socialization, (3) social alienation, (4) religious motivations, (5) legal motivations, (6) political motivations, (7) a Clash of Civilizations, (8) economic conditions, (9) transformative learning, and (10) outbidding and internal rifts.

There is no more contentious and disquieting topic with respect to Islam than that of jihad. For a multitude of reasons, studies of jihad have been a sensitive matter.¹ Muslim history is replete with occurrences of violence, terrorism, and negation of human rights that were conducted presumably to advance Islam, sharia (Islamic law), and the jihadist doctrine. Significant portions of the Muslim world continue to witness lawlessness, extreme violence, and jihadist activities.² Until the September 11, 2001 attacks, the discipline of jihadism studies held a negligible position within mainstream academic circles. Only a few renowned scholars³ devoted their time to develop social scientific or meaningful explanations to jihadist wars across time and space. Such intellectual endeavors were mostly concerned with past events, whereby scholars were trying hard to interpret evolving trends and predict the types of jihadist waves that would appear in the future.

Global Appeal to Jihad

According to a study of extremism conducted in 2019 by the U.S. Institute of Peace (USIP),⁴ terrorist attacks have increased by 500% since September 11, 2001. Although terrorism has been in the media limelight for several decades, since 9/11 world order has been shaken by the colossal, unpredictable movement of global jihad. Sometimes referred to as “jihadism,” “Islamist terrorism,” or “contemporary jihadist violence,” global jihad denotes a widespread militant movement rooted in Islam and existentially threatening the present-day world order, both in the Western and non-Western worlds.⁵ Global jihad is particularly troubling because of its scattered popular support within civil societies. It is a multifaceted conflict symbolized by a blurring of the lines between war and politics, between fighters and civilians, and between modern terror strategies and methods of conflict customary in pre-modern times.

As a militant movement, global jihad has had unprecedented global reach and appeal.⁶ From bombings, mass shootings, and vehicle-ramming attacks in Western European cities like Barcelona, Berlin, Brussels, London, and Paris, to attacks in the Indian subcontinent, the Middle East, Africa, and North America, global jihad has not only spread with great speed; it has also attracted widespread infamy, especially because the movement has been co-opted by worldwide non-state factions fighting in numerous conflicts. In Afghanistan, Chechnya, Iraq, Kenya, Mali, Nigeria, Pakistan, Somalia, Syria, and Yemen, among other nations, so-called mujahedin (or Soldiers of Allah) hail from all corners of the earth under the umbrella of jihad. “Mujahedin” refers to Islamist guerrilla fighters. Today, they are portrayed as the perfect example of the modern enemy—as mentioned by the United States and Coalition Forces—in this global war on terror.⁷

Quest for the Caliphate

It is crucial not to engage in reductionism and not to essentialize all jihadist groups into organizations or factions that all have the same tactics and meanings. Chapter 12, for example, explains how ISIS and Al-Qaeda differed, in the same way that jihadist groups grew dissimilar during the Syrian Civil War . And though the Muslim Brotherhood was created in 1928 to revive the dream of the Caliphate through jihadism, the Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood officially abandoned jihadist violence in the 1970s⁸ and participated in politics (until Egyptian President Abdel Fatah al-Sisi and a large segment of the Egyptian population banned them as a dangerous organization).⁹ The Palestinian Islamic Jihad actually broke off from the Muslim Brotherhood because it was not violent enough.

Nevertheless, the main purpose of jihad is the achievement of world domination—through any means, including violent means—by the Muslim community and in the name of Islam. Inherent in jihad is the act of hijrah, or emigration, because Muslims must leave their country to take part in the global conflict for the Caliphate.¹⁰ The Caliphate is a Muslim system of world government that seeks to establish a new world order by overthrowing the current order. It is an all-encompassing Islamic state headed by a grand religious and political leader called the Caliph, the leader of the ummah (the worldwide Muslim community). The Caliph will be considered the successor of the Prophet Muhammad. Jihadists want the Caliphate to become an emerging culture that will magnetize a large array of fanatics and supporters across the globe.¹¹

Contemporary jihadists blame both non-Muslim and Muslim governments for Islam’s current state of affairs, which has said to contribute to the deviation of many Muslims from true Islam. This departure from the true principles of Islam is what Sayyid Qutb—a scholar and a supreme leader of the Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood—termed jahiliyyah (i.e., the Age of Ignorance).¹² In line with this vision is a global jihad scheme that must be carried out to the fullest until the entire humankind either converts or submits to Islam. For fundamentalists like Sayyid Qutb (in the past) and Abu Bakr Al-Baghdadi (the late leader of the Islamic State of Iraq and Sham, or ISIS, who was killed on October 27, 2019)—among myriad others—peace will not exist until Allah’s order and law have been categorically implemented across the world. From this vantage point, the cosmic conflict between Good and Evil lingers on.¹³

Muslim governments are perceived as complicit to jahiliyyah and, thus, traitors to the faith. Whereas non-Muslims are the Infidels, Muslim “traitors” are the Apostates. The ultimate target—though not often the direct target (as most victims of jihad are innocent civilians)—of a multitude of modern-day jihadists is generally the ruling government, which they believe should be toppled in support of an “Islamic State” (Quran 24:55), one in which sharia will be the law of the land. Consistent with this interpretation, it is only by instituting the Caliphate that Muslims can truly live out their faith and be awarded their rightful position of power. Consequently, jihad is meant to be as much offensive as defensive. For the Muslim fundamentalists, no truces or treaties can happen; peace will only exist when the entire world submits to Islam.¹⁴ The jihadist mission is the ummah’s best opportunity to redeem itself.

Objectives of This Book

The most important aspect of this work is the ten reasons for jihadism and how they have increasingly contributed, in complex and diverse ways, to the unprecedented global jihad threat today. Hence, the author deems it important to look at the jihadist patterns and evolutions occurring at the micro, meso, and macro levels. This implies exploring the local, regional, and global trends and incidents of jihad. To achieve this objective, all chapters include historical backgrounds, specific case studies (both past and current), statistics, and theoretical approaches to the subject of global jihad. The scope and rationale of this book do not include (1) personal opinions, (2) conducted interviews with jihad ...

Table of contents

• Cover
• Front Matter
• 1. Introduction
• 2. Jihad: A Description
• 3. Radicalization
• 4. Group Dynamics and Socialization
• 5. Social Alienation
• 6. Religious Motivations
• 7. Legal Motivations
• 8. Political Motivations
• 9. A Clash of Civilizations
• 10. Economic Conditions
• 11. Transformative Learning
• 12. Outbidding and Internal Rifts
• 13. Conclusion
• Back Matter