* Introduction * Part I: Expansion *1. A Cultural Revolution *2. Islam in the Late 1960s *3. Building Petro-Islam on the Ruins of Arab Nationalism *4. Islamism in Egypt, Malaysia, and Pakistan *5. Khomeini's Revolution and Its Legacy *6. Jihad in Afghanistan and Intifada in Palestine *7. Islamization in Algeria and the Sudan *8. The Fatwa and the Veil in Europe * Part II: Decline *9. From the Gulf War to the Taliban Jihad *10. The Failure to Graft Jihad on Bosnia's Civil War *11. The Logic of Massacre in the Second Algerian War *12. The Threat of Terrorism in Egypt *13. Osama bin Laden and the War against the West *14. Hamas, Israel, Arafat, and Jordan *15. The Forced Secularization of Turkish Islamists * Conclusion * Notes * Glossary * Maps * Abbreviations * Index
This is a landmark book, a work of breadth and scope and scholarship, and genuine imaginative powers. It should be the standard source on political Islam. -- Fouad Ajami, author of Dream Palace of the Arabs: A Generation's Odyssey
Gilles Kepel is Professor and Chair of Middle East Studies at the Institute of Political Studies in Paris.
Gilles Kepel’s landmark book…provides an in-depth history and
compelling overview of the emergence of Islamist political
movements in the late 20th century.
*Wall Street Journal*
An early and most perceptive student of [Islamism] was Gilles
Kepel, a French political scientist who has traveled widely through
the Muslim world and has written about fundamentalism in both the
East and the West. He is also the best-known commentator on Islamic
affairs on French television, and he has advised international
leaders at the Davos conferences. In short, Kepel is not only a
leading scholar but also a man of the world… [Jihad] is probably
the best introduction to Islamism currently available.
*The Atlantic*
Islam’s radical politicalization had peaked long before September
11th…[Kepel] argues provocatively in a landmark book. So
devastating and unexpected was the September 11th attack on America
that many people concluded that Islamic extremism had become a
threat of monstrous and mushrooming proportions. That idea is
deftly countered in this brilliant and provocative book by a
leading French specialist on modern Islam. Gilles Kepel argues that
the attack can only be understood in the light of the rise and fall
of political Islam, or Islamism as he calls it, over the past
quarter-century.
*The Economist*
The French scholar Gilles Kepel, who documents the failure of
political Islam in [this] excellent book…makes a comparison to
communism. It was in the 1960s, after communism had lost any
possible appeal to ordinary people—after the revelations about
Stalin’s brutality, after the invasion of Hungary, as its economic
model was decaying—that communist radicals turned to terror. They
became members of the Red Brigades, the Stern Gang, the Naxalites,
the Shining Path. Having given up on winning the hearts of people,
they hoped that violence would intimidate people into fearing them.
That is where radical political Islam is today.
*Newsweek*
In Jihad Gilles Kepel offers a masterly display of scholarship that
describes how a radical idea spread through large segments of the
Islamic world in the 1970s and 1980s… Mr. Kepel leads us on a
breathtaking excursion. He trails the Islamist movements that have
traversed Europe in recent years, founding radical communities in
France, Britain, Germany and Belgium.
*Wall Street Journal*
[Kepel] is one of the world’s leading experts on the Islamic
resurgence: [He] began doing fieldwork among fundamentalists in the
Middle East in the 1970s, and he has remained attuned to their
world ever since. Only a handful of scholars can command as much
authority, and none of these is as bold as Kepel… Kepel’s
willingness to investigate the entire Muslim world in a single
volume helps us greatly in our attempt to understand al Qaeda,
whose tentacles extend into almost every Islamic country. The
combination of scope and expertise puts this book in a league of
its own. Kepel grounds his argument in a sophisticated analysis of
inter-Muslim relations. Given all the stale talk of a clash of
civilizations, there is a freshness to Kepel’s focus on the
international Muslim debate. We have never been sufficiently aware
that the primary architects of the Islamic revolt against the West
have regarded their struggle as a tool for gaining power over
fellow Muslims.
*Washington Post*
Jihad…will be a welcome respite for anyone who fears the fury
associated with militant Islam. Despite the terrorist attacks of
September 11 and the Palestinian suicide bombings in Israel, Gilles
Kepel argues that the trend is, in fact, now on its last legs. The
violence is merely a reflection of the movement’s failure, not its
success… [Kepel] comes to this conclusion in a thoughtful and
expansive chronicle of the contemporary Islamist movement from
Cairo to Kabul, from Kuala Lumpur all the way to ‘Londonistan’…
[This book] is a compelling read that makes an appealing case.
*New York Times Book Review*
Gilles Kepel’s Jihad…makes an ideal companion to morning newspapers
filled with frustratingly context-free briefs from the war on
terrorism… This is a decidedly grounded book; it’s political in the
most elemental sense of the word. Although Kepel clearly believes
in the Western ideal of civil society, he puts himself in the place
of ordinary Muslims in the nations he writes about, rather than
viewing their problems from a Western perspective.
*Salon*
A veritable deluge of books has appeared in bookstores since Sept.
11, 2001, purporting to lay bare the background of militant Islam.
Perhaps the most definitive is Gilles Kepel’s Jihad: The Trail of
Political Islam. Kepel is well-placed to tell its story given his
extensive travels in the very places where militant Islam was born
and nurtured. He has used that experience to craft a compelling
account of the movements that make it up… Kepel’s survey of that
world is a remarkably useful tool in placing in context the various
groups that appear in our newspapers but remain little more than
shadowy cells with vague agendas.
*Fort Lauderdale Sun-Sentinel*
The author of several influential books on Islam, [Gilles Kepel
has] spent the last five years writing Jihad: The Trail of
Political Islam. September 11 gave him a new framework, but he sees
that event in a way that will surprise (and please) many who have
lately been trying to comprehend the meaning of Islamic politics…
An usual commentator on recent events, Professor Kepel is a
messenger carrying good news.
*Toronto National and Financial Post*
We hear more about Muslim extremists than ever before, but Kepel
argues that the terrorism seen today throughout the world results
from the failure of Islamic fundamentalism and not its success…
Fascinating despite its copious detail, Kepel’s history has a wider
focus than Ahmed Rashid’s Jihad and more analytical depth than
Robin Wright’s Sacred Rage. The first in-depth history of political
Islam appropriate for newcomers to Islamic history.
*Booklist*
Kepel’s timely volume is the first in-depth attempt to follow the
history and geography of this political–religious phenomenon… Kepel
concludes that the movement will have great difficulty reversing
its decline in the 21st century. Written lucidly, this excellent
study fills a gap in the literature.
*Choice*
[T]here are few comprehensive and analytically sound books in the
Euro-American world that explain the recent ascendance of militant
Islam to the Western audience. This book by Kepel, a professor at
the Institute for Political Studies in Paris and a leading European
specialist on contemporary Islamic movements, is a welcome addition
to the growing literature on this topic. Meticulously researched
and written in a jargon-free narrative style, the book covers the
trials and tribulations of political Islam throughout the world… A
standout in the field of current books, this is a sophisticated and
timely work that places the events of September 11 in historical
and sociopolitical context and sheds greater light on the influence
of Osama bin Laden and his movement. Highly recommended.
*Library Journal*
Kepel clearly traces the rise of the contemporary Islamist movement
from its origins in the mid-20th century through its later
appearance in countries such as Malaysia, Algeria and Turkey, as
well as in Western Europe… Amid the plethora of books on Islam
released since September 11, this work stands out, both for its
erudition and its provocative thesis.
*Publishers Weekly*
This is a landmark book, a work of breadth and scope and
scholarship, and genuine imaginative powers. It should be the
standard source on political Islam.
*Fouad Ajami, author of Dream Palace of the Arabs: A
Generation’s Odyssey*
Gilles Kepel's landmark book...provides an in-depth history and
compelling overview of the emergence of Islamist political
movements in the late 20th century. -- Anna Russell * Wall Street
Journal *
An early and most perceptive student of [Islamism] was Gilles
Kepel, a French political scientist who has traveled widely through
the Muslim world and has written about fundamentalism in both the
East and the West. He is also the best-known commentator on Islamic
affairs on French television, and he has advised international
leaders at the Davos conferences. In short, Kepel is not only a
leading scholar but also a man of the world... [Jihad] is
probably the best introduction to Islamism currently available. --
Walter Laqueur * The Atlantic *
Islam's radical politicalization had peaked long before September
11th...[Kepel] argues provocatively in a landmark book. So
devastating and unexpected was the September 11th attack on America
that many people concluded that Islamic extremism had become a
threat of monstrous and mushrooming proportions. That idea is
deftly countered in this brilliant and provocative book by a
leading French specialist on modern Islam. Gilles Kepel argues that
the attack can only be understood in the light of the rise and fall
of political Islam, or Islamism as he calls it, over the past
quarter-century. * The Economist *
The French scholar Gilles Kepel, who documents the failure of
political Islam in [this] excellent book...makes a comparison to
communism. It was in the 1960s, after communism had lost any
possible appeal to ordinary people-after the revelations about
Stalin's brutality, after the invasion of Hungary, as its economic
model was decaying-that communist radicals turned to terror. They
became members of the Red Brigades, the Stern Gang, the Naxalites,
the Shining Path. Having given up on winning the hearts of people,
they hoped that violence would intimidate people into fearing them.
That is where radical political Islam is today. -- Fareed Zakaria *
Newsweek *
In Jihad Gilles Kepel offers a masterly display of
scholarship that describes how a radical idea spread through large
segments of the Islamic world in the 1970s and 1980s... Mr. Kepel
leads us on a breathtaking excursion. He trails the Islamist
movements that have traversed Europe in recent years, founding
radical communities in France, Britain, Germany and Belgium. --
Adrian Karatnycky * Wall Street Journal *
[Kepel] is one of the world's leading experts on the Islamic
resurgence: [He] began doing fieldwork among fundamentalists in the
Middle East in the 1970s, and he has remained attuned to their
world ever since. Only a handful of scholars can command as much
authority, and none of these is as bold as Kepel... Kepel's
willingness to investigate the entire Muslim world in a single
volume helps us greatly in our attempt to understand al Qaeda,
whose tentacles extend into almost every Islamic country. The
combination of scope and expertise puts this book in a league of
its own. Kepel grounds his argument in a sophisticated analysis of
inter-Muslim relations. Given all the stale talk of a clash of
civilizations, there is a freshness to Kepel's focus on the
international Muslim debate. We have never been sufficiently aware
that the primary architects of the Islamic revolt against the West
have regarded their struggle as a tool for gaining power over
fellow Muslims. -- Michael Scott Doran * Washington Post *
Jihad...will be a welcome respite for anyone who fears the
fury associated with militant Islam. Despite the terrorist attacks
of September 11 and the Palestinian suicide bombings in Israel,
Gilles Kepel argues that the trend is, in fact, now on its last
legs. The violence is merely a reflection of the movement's
failure, not its success... [Kepel] comes to this conclusion in a
thoughtful and expansive chronicle of the contemporary Islamist
movement from Cairo to Kabul, from Kuala Lumpur all the way to
'Londonistan'... [This book] is a compelling read that makes an
appealing case. -- Robin Wright * New York Times Book Review *
Gilles Kepel's Jihad...makes an ideal companion to morning
newspapers filled with frustratingly context-free briefs from the
war on terrorism... This is a decidedly grounded book; it's
political in the most elemental sense of the word. Although Kepel
clearly believes in the Western ideal of civil society, he puts
himself in the place of ordinary Muslims in the nations he writes
about, rather than viewing their problems from a Western
perspective. -- Laura Miller * Salon *
A veritable deluge of books has appeared in bookstores since Sept.
11, 2001, purporting to lay bare the background of militant Islam.
Perhaps the most definitive is Gilles Kepel's Jihad: The Trail
of Political Islam. Kepel is well-placed to tell its story
given his extensive travels in the very places where militant Islam
was born and nurtured. He has used that experience to craft a
compelling account of the movements that make it up... Kepel's
survey of that world is a remarkably useful tool in placing in
context the various groups that appear in our newspapers but remain
little more than shadowy cells with vague agendas. -- Steven
Martinovich * Fort Lauderdale Sun-Sentinel *
The author of several influential books on Islam, [Gilles Kepel
has] spent the last five years writing Jihad: The Trail of
Political Islam. September 11 gave him a new framework, but he
sees that event in a way that will surprise (and please) many who
have lately been trying to comprehend the meaning of Islamic
politics... An usual commentator on recent events, Professor Kepel
is a messenger carrying good news. -- Robert Fulford * Toronto
National and Financial Post *
We hear more about Muslim extremists than ever before, but Kepel
argues that the terrorism seen today throughout the world results
from the failure of Islamic fundamentalism and not its success...
Fascinating despite its copious detail, Kepel's history has a wider
focus than Ahmed Rashid's Jihad and more analytical depth
than Robin Wright's Sacred Rage. The first in-depth history
of political Islam appropriate for newcomers to Islamic history. --
John Green * Booklist *
Kepel's timely volume is the first in-depth attempt to follow the
history and geography of this political-religious phenomenon...
Kepel concludes that the movement will have great difficulty
reversing its decline in the 21st century. Written lucidly, this
excellent study fills a gap in the literature. -- S. Ayubi * Choice
*
[T]here are few comprehensive and analytically sound books in the
Euro-American world that explain the recent ascendance of militant
Islam to the Western audience. This book by Kepel, a professor at
the Institute for Political Studies in Paris and a leading European
specialist on contemporary Islamic movements, is a welcome addition
to the growing literature on this topic. Meticulously researched
and written in a jargon-free narrative style, the book covers the
trials and tribulations of political Islam throughout the world...
A standout in the field of current books, this is a sophisticated
and timely work that places the events of September 11 in
historical and sociopolitical context and sheds greater light on
the influence of Osama bin Laden and his movement. Highly
recommended. -- Nader Entessar * Library Journal *
Kepel clearly traces the rise of the contemporary Islamist movement
from its origins in the mid-20th century through its later
appearance in countries such as Malaysia, Algeria and Turkey, as
well as in Western Europe... Amid the plethora of books on Islam
released since September 11, this work stands out, both for its
erudition and its provocative thesis. * Publishers Weekly *
This is a landmark book, a work of breadth and scope and
scholarship, and genuine imaginative powers. It should be the
standard source on political Islam. -- Fouad Ajami, author of
Dream Palace of the Arabs: A Generation's Odyssey
The rise since the 1970s of political Islam and its revolutionary message has received ample coverage in popular and scholarly writings in the West. Aside from journalistic reporting, much of it by nonspecialists, there are few comprehensive and analytically sound books in the Euro-American world that explain the recent ascendance of militant Islam to the Western audience. This book by Kepel, a professor at the Institute for Political Studies in Paris and a leading European specialist on contemporary Islamic movements, is a welcome addition to the growing literature on this topic. Meticulously researched and written in a jargon-free narrative style, the book covers the trials and tribulations of political Islam throughout the world. The author explains how and why the promises of political Islam have not materialized and describes why contemporary Islamic movements have failed. A standout in the field of current books, this is a sophisticated and timely work that places the events of September 11 in historical and sociopolitical context and sheds greater light on the influence of Osama bin Laden and his movement. Highly recommended for large public and academic libraries. Nader Entessar, Spring Hill Coll., Mobile, AL Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information.
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