Violence in the Name of God: The Militant Jihadist Response to Modernity

Description

This book traces the trajectory of militant jihadism to show how violence is more intentionally embraced as the centre of worship, social order and ideology. Undertaking an in-depth analysis of militant jihadist groups and utilising the work of René Girard, Joel Hodge argues that the extreme violence of militant jihadists is a response to modernity in two ways that have not been sufficiently explored by the existing literature. Firstly, it is a manifestation of the unrestrained and escalating state of desire and rivalry in modernity, which militant jihadists seek to counter with extreme violence. Secondly, it is a response to the unveiling and discrediting of sacred violence, which militant jihadists seek to reverse by more purposefully valorising sacred violence in what they believe to be jihad. Relevant to anyone interested in Islam, philosophy of religion, theology, and terrorism,Violence in the Name of Godimagines new ways of thinking about militancy in the name of Islam in the twenty-first century. Cover Half Title Series Title Copyright Contents Note on Permissions Acknowledgments Introduction: Why Another Book on Jihadism? Part I The Context for Militant Jihadism 1 René Girard’s Mimetic Theory 2 Violence in Modernity Part II The Sacred Violence of Militant Jihadism 3 The Islamic Modernity 4 The Militant Jihadist Response to Modernity 5 The Globalization of Violent Jihad 6 Jihadism and Violence 7 Violence and Identity 8 Sacred Jihadist Totalitarianism Part III The Idolatry and Future of Militant Jihadism 9 Why is God Part of Human Violence? 10 The Sacred and the Holy Appendix: René Girard at a Glance Glossary of Key Girardian Terms Notes Introduction 1 René Girard’s Mimetic Theory 2 Violence in Modernity 3 The Islamic Modernity 4 The Militant Jihadist Response to Modernity 5 The Globalization of Violent Jihad 6 Jihadism and Violence 7 Violence and Identity 8 Sacred Jihadist Totalitarianism 9 Why is God Part of Human Violence? The Idolatrous Nature of Militant Jihadism 10 The Sacred and the Holy: Alternatives to Escalating Violence Bibliography Index