The late twentieth century has witnessed the emergence of an unexpected and extraordinary phenomenon: Islamist political movements. Beginning in the early 1970s; militants revolted against the regimes in power throughout the Muslim world and exacerbated political conflicts everywhere. Their jihad; or "Holy Struggle;" aimed to establish a global Islamic state based solely on a strict interpretation of the Koran. Religious ideology proved a cohesive force; gathering followers ranging from students and the young urban poor to middle-class professionals. After an initial triumph with the Islamic revolution in Iran; the movement waged jihad against the USSR in Afghanistan; proclaiming for the first time a doctrine of extreme violence. By the end of the 1990s; the failure to seize political power elsewhere led to a split: movement moderates developed new concepts of "Muslim democracy" while extremists resorted to large-scale terrorist attacks around the world. Jihad is the first extensive; in-depth attempt to follow the history and geography of this disturbing political-religious phenomenon. Fluent in Arabic; Kepel has traveled throughout the Muslim world gathering documents; interviews; and archival materials inaccessible to most scholars; in order to give us a comprehensive understanding of the scope of Islamist movements; their past; and their present. As we confront the threat of terrorism to our lives and liberties; Gilles Kepel helps us make sense of the ominous reality of jihad today.
#353643 in Books 1992-01-15 1992-01-15Original language:EnglishPDF # 1 8.44 x .60 x 5.50l; .54 #File Name: 0671751557256 pages
Review
11 of 11 people found the following review helpful. Great resource.By SBCI rather enjoyed this resource about the Civil war and the era preceding and following. I found the use of articles; journal entries; letters; speeches and historic documents from multiple centuries rather valuable. To see how the perception of the Civil War has changed over the past 150 years is fascinating and watching the trend of history revisionism; conservatism; and liberalism that directly affects how we address history and teach history. I believe this book should be a staple in a Univeristy classroom that educates about this era. I say let the students see multiple sources and let them make their own conclusions on who is "guilty; innocent; and caught in the middle". Too often we are given one perspective on a very diverse and complicated event and we are supposed to accept a simple reason for it. There is much more to the politics and secession issues within the Confederacy and the Union. This book allows a student to see how both the North and South have their faults in this conflict.2 of 2 people found the following review helpful. A lot of these writings are in other volumes or sources but it is nice to have them all in one placeBy RKMLooks at the various causes from different perspectives. Not a wholly Northern or Southern take; but a balanced one allowing the reader to make up their own mind. A lot of these writings are in other volumes or sources but it is nice to have them all in one place. I like the way Stampp structured the book. He puts each cause (or perceived causes) together; economic; cultural; social; etc which gives a great understanding (if you are open-minded) about the actual depth of the causes of the Civil War.7 of 7 people found the following review helpful. was a perfect book of primary sourcesBy Amanda StewartAs a historian; finding quality primary sources can often be difficult. This book was perfect for my needs! Easy to read and very thorough.
