Unholy War: Terror in the Name of Islam examines several crucial questions raised about Islam and the Muslim world after the tragedy of 11 September 2001. It has become more important than ever to remove misperceptions about Islam and to attempt to identify the underlying reasons for terrorism. Questions now frequently asked are: Why is Islam more militant than other religions? Does the Quran condone violence and terrorism of the kind the world has witnessed? Is there a clash of civilizations between the West and the Muslim world? What does the Quran have to say about jihad or holy war?

John L. Esposito is among the few Western authors with the credibility to write on these issues. He is Professor of Religion and International Affairs, Georgetown University, and Director of the Center for Muslim-Christian Understanding: History and International Affairs at the Edmund A. Walsh School of Foreign Service. Some of his other books are Islam: the Straight Path, Voices of Resurgent Islam and The Islamic Threat: Myth or Reality? In the book under review, he has discussed objectively the major issues currently confronting the West and the Muslim world, and given logical arguments in support of his point of view.

Esposito believes that the twenty-first century will be dominated by a global encounter between the two major and rapidly-growing religions: Islam and Christianity. Simultaneously, the forces of globalization will strain relations between the West and the rest of the world. It is not a time for provoking a clash of civilizations; it is rather a time for global engagement and coalition-building to actively promote peaceful co-existence and co-operation. With the Western pressure for winning the global war against terrorism at any cost, how Islam and Muslim world are understood will affect the way in which the causes of terrorism and anti-Americanism are addressed.

The making of the most prominent modern terrorist, Osama bin Laden, has been discussed in detail. In giving bin Laden’s background, the author discusses how he played on the Muslim sense of historic oppression, occupation and injustice at the hands of the West. The core of bin Laden’s jihad against America is formed by his outrage at the injustice in his homeland of Saudi Arabia–the infidel’s occupation of sacred territory and its support for a corrupt, un-Islamic government. Osama bin Laden, like leaders of other terrorist organizations; has often used the past to legitimize his agenda and tactics. In the late-twentieth and twenty-first centuries the word ‘jihad’ gained currency with resistance, liberation and terrorist movements alike using it to legitimize their cause and motivate their followers.

Jihad is often simply translated as and equated with aggressive holy war. For many in the West, it has become the symbol of Islam as a religion of violence and fanaticism. Religious extremists and terrorists reinforce this belief as they freely declare jihad to justify attacks against all who disagree with them. Terrorists can attempt to hijack Islam and the doctrine of jihad; that is no more legitimate than Christian and Jewish extremists committing acts of terrorism in their own unholy wars in the name of Christianity or Judaism.

The author criticizes the US for its dubious policies regarding jihad, while citing the examples of Afghanistan and the Iranian revolution. The US government has judged jihad–whether a holy or an unholy war–and its warriors–whether extremists or liberators–by their goals and conduct. The litmus test is simply whether they were engaged in fighting America’s Cold War adversary or an ally. With globalization, jihad movements attracted militants from many countries and the power of terrorist groups was enhanced, allowing them to harness modern technology to strike anywhere, at any time and in any place. Understanding the dynamics of Muslim politics today and the threats that exist requires a fuller understanding both of jihad itself and of why the US tops the hit list of Muslim terrorists.

The antagonistic feelings of Muslims towards West are a result of colonialism and Western imperialism. From the 1970s onwards, religious revivalism and Islamic movements have become a major force in Muslim politics. In Muslim societies, the trend towards Westernization has created a clash of cultures and divisions within the social entity, causing a crisis of identity and leading to a resurgence of religion and a desire to overthrow Western supremacy. The creation of modern Muslim states brought with it high expectations. Nation-building in the Muslim world, with its artificially drawn borders, superficially uniting people with diverse identities and allegiances that were centuries old, was a fragile process that bore within it seeds for later crises of identity, legitimacy, power and authority. The powerful symbolism and revolutionary meaning of jihad dominates modern Muslims politics to an extent unparalleled in history.

In the aftermath of 9/11, the concept of a clash of civilizations has emerged again. The negative image of Islam–portrayed as being incompatible with modernity and democracy, with violence and terrorism integral to Muslim belief and practice–has gained currency. The fact remains that the West’s knowledge of Islam, of the vast majority of Muslims, and of the connection between Islam and the Judaeo-Christian tradition is minimal or non-existent. An improved understanding of the Muslim faith requires that Islam should be judged by the totality of its teachings, not by the beliefs and actions of a radical few.

Terrorism has become a worldwide threat, affecting countries as dissimilar as Italy, Germany, Peru, Japan, Yemen, Turkey and Iraq. In recent years, radical groups have combined nationalism and ethnicity with religion and used violence and terrorism to achieve their goals: Hindu nationalists in India, Jewish fundamentalists in Israel and Christian extremists in US. However, the most widespread examples of religious terrorism have occurred in the Muslim world. Al Qaeda, for instance, represents a new form of terrorism, born of trans-nationalism and globalization.

Many critical US foreign policy issues, such as sanctions against Iraq (which have had the most serious impact on more than half a million innocent Iraqi children) and against Pakistan, while failing to ‘punish’ India and Israel for their nuclear programmes, create resentment among the affected peoples. A re-examination and, where necessary, reformation of US foreign policy is essential to effectively limit and contain global terrorism. If such foreign policy issues are not addressed, the discontent they create will continue to provide a breeding ground for hatred and radicalism and for the rise of extremist movements and recruits to the cause of the bin Ladens of the world.  

Unholy War: Terror in the Name of Islam addresses a vast audience and contributes to a better understanding of Islam and the concept of jihad for the uninformed. Esposito has made a successful effort to bridge the gap between the civilizations of Islam and the West, presenting an objective view of Islam and the issues that have arisen after 9/11.

Sadia Nasir

Assistant Research Officer, IPRI