Al-Qaeda and Sacrifice : Martyrdom, War and Politics

English

ISBN: 0745332633

EAN: 9780745332635

Category: Religion / Religion, Politics & State/Political Science / Terrorism/

Publisher: Pluto Press

Release Date: 09/30/2012

Synopsis: Al-Qaeda and Sacrificeis a pioneering critical intervention into the study of terrorism. Challenging the commonly held idea that suicide-bombings are motivated by a nihilistic hatred of life, Melissa Finn argues that it is more honest and helpful to examine such violent agency through the concept of sacrifice. The book provides a unique look at the way sacrifice is used in the Arabic language and in the writings of Islamists and jihadis. Finn offers penetrating insights into jihadi thought on its own terms, arguing that it constitutes a political theory which can be usefully compared and related to western political theorists, from Machiavelli and von Clausewitz to Hannah Arendt, Julia Kristeva and Judith Butler. She critically examines the strategy of sacrifice in martyrdom operations and ultimately concludes that the heedless certainty of such violence undermines attempts to redress political grievances. Al-Qaeda and Sacrificeis a unique contribution which goes beyond simplistic or apologetic explanations of terrorism and allows the authentic jihadi voice to speak for itself.

Al-Qaeda and Sacrifice : Martyrdom, War and Politics

Illustrated: No

Format: Hardcover

Height: 0.94 inches

Width: 5.61 inches

Length: 8.86 inches

Weight: 17.64 oz

Pages: 272