Counter Jihad

Counter Jihad provides a sweeping account of America's military campaigns in the Islamic world and fills a gaping void in our understanding of the War on Terror.

The untold story of how an unlikely anti-Islamic alliance of gay activists, feminists, fascists, evangelical Christians, populist politicians, and surfing rabbis from California fuelled the rise of the hard right across Europe and gave us President Donald J Trump.

Jihad vs. McWorld is a groundbreaking work, an elegant and illuminating analysis of the central conflict of our times: consumerist capitalism versus religious and tribal fundamentalism. These diametrically opposed but strangely intertwined forces are tearing apart--and bringing together--the world as we know it, undermining democracy and the nation-state on which it depends. On the one hand, consumer capitalism on the global level is rapidly dissolving the social and economic barriers between nations, transforming the world's diverse populations into a blandly uniform market. On the other hand, ethnic, religious, and racial hatreds are fragmenting the political landscape into smaller and smaller tribal units. Jihad vs. McWorld is the term that distinguished writer and political scientist Benjamin R. Barber has coined to describe the powerful and paradoxical interdependence of these forces. In this important new book, he explores the alarming repercussions of this potent dialectic for democracy. A work of persuasive originality and penetrating insight, Jihad vs. McWorld holds up a sharp, clear lens to the dangerous chaos of the post-Cold War world. Critics and political leaders have already heralded Benjamin R. Barber's work for its bold vision and moral courage. Jihad vs. McWorld is an essential text for anyone who wants to understand our troubled present and the crisis threatening our future.

The Jihadist ideology has destroyed the world from East to West. They have tried to implement Shariah Law. People use and abuse religion in order to create fear and anxiety within the victim. Counter Terrorism experts, as well as governmental departments, are fighting on many frontlines. There already exists Islamist ideology that challenges the writ of the governmental authority and other issues that have damaged the democratic values of the state like the right-wing terrorism and ethno-nationalist fundamentalism, such as in Spain and Italy. We are stuck between two world orders, Islamic and democratic world order. Both these powers have now been fighting each other for nearly half a century, from colonialism to political Islamic era till the 21st century when the world became a global village. Terrorists are using new technologies in relations to lure vulnerable people and the western youths are their easy target to recruit. We must apply the right tools to eliminate such ideology that corrupted millions of minds.

A Handbook on Islam is intended to be a supplementary guide to Islam's Reign of Terror, which was published by the Voltaire Press in 2013. The latter title offers a chronicle of terrorist acts committed since 9/11, which, as of the date of this writing, have neared 26,000 separate and deadly attacks of varying magnitudes. These attacks are now commonplace and are occurring daily, chiefly in the Mideast and in Africa, committed by ISIS (or 'ISIL," or the "Islamic State"), which has established beachheads in Libya and in Nigeria and in other unstable countries in that region. "Outbreaks" of Islamic terrorism - or Islamic mob rule - are occurring in the Far East in Pakistan and Afghanistan, when Islamic fundamentalists not necessarily connected with ISIS or Al-Qaeda persecute or slaughter Christians or target individuals for execution. Attacks continue in Europe and in the U.S., ostensively in "retaliation" for drawing images of Mohammad, the alleged prophet of Islam. In early January 7th 2015 Saïd and Chérif Kouachi, forced their way into the Paris offices of Charlie Hebdo, the French weekly satirical newspaper, and killed eleven of the staff, and later killed a French police officer who was directing traffic. Following that, more attacks occurred in other regions of France. In the U.S., Pamela Geller's Draw Mohammad contest and event in Garland, Texas, on May 3rd 2015 was attacked by two Muslim "extremists" armed with automatic weapons; the gunmen made it only as far as the building's parking lot before being shot dead by a single policeman. And, more than a supplementary guide, the author thought it a necessary work to help counteract the mainstream media's refusal, inability, or unwillingness to grasp the perilous seriousness of the ends and means of Islamic terrorism and terrorist acts committed in the U.S. and abroad.

In this original and explosive book Nahed Artoul Zehr analyzes and assesses the theological underpinnings of al-Qaeda and related Islamic movements such as ISIS, demonstrating how this religious narrative has helped transform al-Qaeda from a relatively hierarchical and regional organization to a globalized, decentralized, and diffuse network of networks. Does al-Qaeda reflect a theologically authentic or perverted understanding of Islam? At the same time, Zehr critiques the US military and policy establishment as it attempts to offer counter-narratives to the al-Qaeda phenomenon, counter-narratives that emphasize "good Muslims" v. "bad Muslims" in an attempt to embrace a moderate form of Islam. But according to Zehr this approach is misguided: it is beyond the US government's purview, and beyond its expertise, to make such theological claims about Islam; in fact, the current communications strategy is counterproductive. Better, she argues, to focus on the impact of terrorism and why this is inconsistent with Islam scripture and teaching--which just war theory can help us to do. Zehr concludes by offering policy suggestions and recommendations. One of the novel contributions of the project is an analysis of the work of Mustafa abu Mus' ab al-Suri, author of the leading theoretical and tactical al-Qaeda text, The Global Islamic Resistance Call.

Jihad is one of the most loaded and misunderstood terms in the news today. Contrary to popular understanding, the term does not mean "holy war." Nor does it simply refer to the inner spiritual struggle. This book, judiciously balanced, accessibly written, and highly relevant to today's events, unravels the tangled historical, intellectual, and political meanings of jihad. Looking closely at a range of sources from sacred Islamic texts to modern interpretations, [This book] opens a critically important perspective on the role of Islam in the contemporary world. [The author] also describes some of the conflicts that occur in radical groups and shows how the more mainstream supporters of these groups have come to understand and justify violence.-Back cover.

A specter haunts America, the specter of Global Jihad, Islamic Holy War. This specter was never more horrific than on September 11, 2001, when nineteen fanatics hijacked four jetliners and used them as guided missiles to destroy the twin World Trade Towers, damage the Pentagon, murder nearly 3,000 people, and cause as much as several hundred billion dollars’ worth of direct and indirect damage to New York City and the national economy. But Jihadists have periodically attacked Americans ever since November 1979, when mobs shouting death to America overran the American embassy in Tehran and held 52 officials hostage for 444 days. President George W. Bush responded to the September 11 atrocities by declaring a global war on terror. Now in its second decade, that war has cost the United States thousands of lives and trillions of dollars. Americans are haunted by horrific televised images from across a swath of the Muslim world of bomb-blasted cities, hundreds of slaughtered bodies, thousands of refugees huddled in squalid camps, and American journalists in orange jump suits kneeling in the desert before the black robed and masked men who will behead them. Americans increasingly question whether the global war on terror has been worth those costs for their own nation and the lands where it is fought. This book analyzes America’s crusade against Jihadism. The key related questions it addresses are these: Looking back, what were the successes and failures of Washington’s counter-Jihadist strategy before and after September 11? Looking ahead, should Americans stay the course or cut their losses in Iraq, Afghanistan, and elsewhere? Was the catastrophic September 11 attack a one-time event or could its equivalent or worse in death and destruction happen again? Renowned Harvard professor Samuel Huntington asserted that: “The underlying problem for the West is not Islamic fundamentalism, it is Islam, a different civilization, whose people are convinced of the superiority of their culture and are obsessed with the inferiority of their power.” Is that true? Just what of Muhammad’s words and deeds, if any, justifies the barbarism of al Qaeda, Islamic State, and other Jihadists? Finally, just how corporeal is that specter of global Jihad to the United States? A startling surprise awaits the reader in the final chapter as acclaimed expert William Nester weighs the specter of global Jihad against an array of other national security threats.

Using concepts that are not already a part of the militant discourse as a way to undermine extremism, Countering Heedless Jihad explores a stratagem aimed at defusing jihadist ideology. It explains how to counteract idealist theology using concepts from it, borrowing ideas from some revered Islamic theologians and positioning them in a way that sabotages jihadist ideology. By integrating the theology with viable methods for dissemination, it presents a viable means for confusing existing members of radical groups and for neutralizing their recruiting effort. The book includes contributions by Major General Michael Lehnert, USMC; U.S. Ambassador David J. Dunford; and Dr. Khuram Iqbal.