Twenty-First Century Jihad

Elisabeth Kendall is Senior Research Fellow in Arabic and Islamic Studies, Oxford University. She is the author of Literature, Journalism and the Avant-Garde: Intersection in Egypt (2006).Ewan Stein is Lecturer in International Relations at the School of Social and Political Science at the University of Edinburgh. He is the author of Representing Israel in Modern Egypt: Ideas, Intellectuals and Foreign Policy from Nasser to Mubarak (I.B.Tauris, 2012).

The term 'jihad' has come to be used as a byword for fanaticism and Islam's allegedly implacable hostility towards the West. But, like other religious and political concepts, jihad has multiple resonances and associations, its meaning shifting over time and from place to place. Jihad has referred to movements of internal reform, spiritual struggle, social progress, self-defence and even poetic expression as much as to 'holy war'. Jihad, moreover, reflects principles and concerns by no means unique to Islam; understanding the evolution of this concept is crucial for engaging religion beyond Islam. Even among Muslim political, social and intellectual leaders, the meaning and significance of jihad remain subject to debate and controversy.Twenty-First Century Jihad contains vital analysis for those researching the role of religion in the modern world. It examinesthe ways in which the concept of jihad has changed, from its roots in the Qur'an to its usage in current debate. It exploresfamiliar modern political angles, and touches on far less commonly analysed instances of jihad. It incorporates issuesof law, society, literature and military action. It also provides a selection of 'views from within', allowing individuals associatedwith Islamic movements to present their own understanding of jihad. The approaches to understanding and conceptualisingjihad include jihad in the Qur'an and Hadith, non-violent perspectives on jihad, and contemporary understandingsof jihad as social practice. This makes Twenty-First Century Jihad a crucial text in understanding both the history and the contemporary applications of jihad.

The term jihad has come to be used as a byword for fanaticism and Islams allegedly implacable hostility towards the West. But, like other religious and political concepts, jihad has multiple resonances and associations, its meaning shifting over time and from place to place. Jihad has referred to movements of internal reform, spiritual struggle and self-defence as much as to holy war. And among Muslim intellectuals, the meaning and significance of jihad remain subject to debate and controversy. With this in mind, Twenty-First Century Jihad examines the ways in which the concept of jihad has changed, from its roots in the Quran to its usage in current debate. This book explores familiar modern political angles, and touches on far less coonly analysed instances of jihad, incorporating issues of law, society, literature and military action. As this key concept is ever-more important for international politics and security studies, Twenty-First Century Jihad contains vital analysis for those researching the role of religion in the modern world.

Introduction. Elisabeth Kendall and Ewan SteinPART I: Jihad in the Qur'an and HadithChapter 1: Divine Authority and Territorial Entitlement in the Hebrew Bible and the Qur'an. Reuven FirestoneChapter 2: Early Competing Views on Jihad and Martyrdom: Reading the Musannafs of 'Abd al-Razzaq al-San'ani and Ibn Abi Shayba. Asma AfsaruddinChapter 3: Dying on God's Path: Definitions and Narrations of Martyrdom in Sunni Hadith Literature. Roberta DenaroPART II: Non-Violent Perspectives on JihadChapter 4: The Non-Military Aspects of Kitab al-Jihad: Islamic Jurisprudence and Peaceful Abidance in the Abode of War. Mustafa Raza KhanChapter 5: Contesting Jihad: Responses to the Almoravid Intervention in Andalusia. Russell HopleyChpater 6: The 'Greater' Jihad in Classical Islam: The Sufi Concept of Combating the Soul. Gavin PickenChapter 7: Jihadist of the Pen in Victorian England: Voicing a Muslim Response to Western Misconceptions about Jihad. Eric GermainPART III: Contemporary Perspectives on JihadChapter 8: Rethinking Principles: Yusuf al-Qaradawi and Ayat al-Sayf. Sherman JacksonChapter 9: Jihadi Revisions in Egypt: The End of Radicalism? Ewan SteinChapter 10: 'Jihad' as a Form of Struggle in the Resistance Against Apartheid in South Africa. Na'eem JeenahPART IV: Jihad as Social PracticeChapter 11: Sectarian Violence as Jihad. Sami Zubaida Chapter 12: A Plurality of Resistances: Women, Islam and War in Lebanon and the Palestinian Territories. Maria HoltChapter 13: Martyrdom and Territorial Claims: The Place of the Corpse in Suicide Jihad. Brannon WheelerPART V: Jihad in Cultural and Literary ProductionChapter 14: Poetry as a Propagandist Weapon of Jihad. Elisabeth KendallChapter 15: A Poetics of Sacrifice: A Study of the Function of Poetry in Early Modern Palestine. Rana IssaChapter 16: Hollywood and Jihad: The Depiction of Radical Islamist Terrorism in American Movies and TV Series. Thomas Riegler