Introduction -- Terrorism and Language -- Collecting and Analysing Extremist Texts -- The In-group -- The Out-group -- The Path of Jihad -- Linguistic Strategies -- Conclusion.

A groundbreaking investigation into why so many Islamic radicals are engineers The violent actions of a few extremists can alter the course of history, yet there persists a yawning gap between the potential impact of these individuals and what we understand about them. In Engineers of Jihad, Diego Gambetta and Steffen Hertog uncover two unexpected facts, which they imaginatively leverage to narrow that gap: they find that a disproportionate share of Islamist radicals come from an engineering background, and that Islamist and right-wing extremism have more in common than either does with left-wing extremism, in which engineers are absent while social scientists and humanities students are prominent. Searching for an explanation, they tackle four general questions about extremism: Under which socioeconomic conditions do people join extremist groups? Does the profile of extremists reflect how they self-select into extremism or how groups recruit them? Does ideology matter in sorting who joins which group? Lastly, is there a mindset susceptible to certain types of extremism? Using rigorous methods and several new datasets, they explain the link between educational discipline and type of radicalism by looking at two key factors: the social mobility (or lack thereof) for engineers in the Muslim world, and a particular mindset seeking order and hierarchy that is found more frequently among engineers. Engineers' presence in some extremist groups and not others, the authors argue, is a proxy for individual traits that may account for the much larger question of selective recruitment to radical activism. Opening up markedly new perspectives on the motivations of political violence, Engineers of Jihad yields unexpected answers about the nature and emergence of extremism.

This book examines contemporary jihad as a cult of violence and power. All jihadi groups, whether Shiite or Sunni, Arab or not, are characterized by a similar bloodlust. Murawiec characterizes this belief structure as identical to that of Europe's medieval millenarians and apocalyptics, arguing that both jihadis and their European cousins shared in a Gnostic ideology: a God-given mission endowed the Elect with supernatural powers and placed them above the common law of mankind. Although the ideology of jihad is essentially Islamic, Murawiec traces the political technologies used by modern jihad to the Bolsheviks. Their doctrines of terror as a system of rule were appropriated by radical Islam through multiple lines of communication. This book brings history, anthropology, and theology to bear to understand the mind of jihad that has declared war on the West and the world.

Violence has been a central feature of America’s history, culture, and place in the world. It has taken many forms: from state-sponsored uses of force such as war or law enforcement, to revolution, secession, terrorism and other actions with important political and cultural implications. Religion also holds a crucial place in the American experience of violence, particularly for those who have found order and meaning in their worlds through religious texts, symbols, rituals, and ideas. Yet too often the religious dimensions of violence, especially in the American context, are ignored or overstated—in either case, poorly understood. From Jeremiad to Jihad: Religion, Violence, and America corrects these misunderstandings. Charting and interpreting the tendrils of religion and violence, this book reveals how formative moments of their intersection in American history have influenced the ideas, institutions, and identities associated with the United States. Religion and violence provide crucial yet underutilized lenses for seeing America anew—including its outlook on, and relation to, the world.

Since September 11, 2001, the United States and our Western allies have become greatly concerned by the threat posed by "homegrown terrorists" and the individuals responsible for their radicalization. These extremists no longer need to travel abroad to join a terrorist group and receive indoctrination; rather, they can be inspired, recruited, and radicalized by radical English-speaking Islamic ideologues either in their home country or through the Internet. The three radical Islamic ideologues who will be evaluated in this study are Anwar al-Aulaqi, Abdullah al-Faisal, and Anjem Choudary; all of whom have played a significant role in influencing radical Islam during the past decade. Through an analysis of existing scholarship on terrorism, U.S. and British court documents, radical Islamic publications, official government press releases, and news reports regarding the three ideologues this thesis demonstrates three key elements which explains these ideologues' appeal and influence. These elements include the use of the Internet to disseminate their messages, the use of the English language, to include the ability to tailor their message to a specific audience, and their credibility and extremist bona fides. In order to counter these radical ideologues' influence and prevent acts of homegrown terrorism, U.S. authorities must continue to target and disrupt these ideologues' extremist activities.

Satire and comedy are powerful tools in politics, both to convince and to ridicule. As this original and bleakly humorous book attests, global jihadism is no exception.