Sectarian Roots of Jihad: Religious Conflicts in the Middle East

Sectarian Roots of Jihad: Religious Conflicts in the Middle East examines the sectarian dimension of jihad and delves into the under-researched sectarian-inspired discursive employment of the notion by radical Islamist groups. It explores the transformation of the basic Islamic principle of “striving in the Path of God” into a radical foundation upon which some of the most fanatic and atrocious organizations are based in terms of thought, ideology, discourse and course of action. This book investigates sectarian-based interpretations and connotations of jihad as a concept and practice by means of exploring similarities and differences between Sunni and Shia approaches to the notion and its fundamental principles. It analyzes the way sectarian-guided Islamist organizations employ jihad in their propaganda activities and exploit it as a brand to religiously legitimize their cause and emotionally manipulate the recipients of their ideological discourse. It also delves into the development of sectarianism, Islamism, Salafism and Jihadism in order to scrutinize and analyze the rise of sectarian-guided extremism in the Middle East.

Adib Abdulmajid is a researcher at the University of Leuven.