Jihad Beyond Islam

by The Author of this book is Gabriele Marranci

Jihad' is a highly charged word. Often mistranslated as 'Holy War', it has become synonymous with terrorism. Current political events have entirely failed to take account of the subtlety and complexity of jihad. Like many concepts with a long history, different cultural ideas have influenced the religious aspects of jihad. As a result its original meaning has been adapted, modified and destabilized - never more than at the present time. How does jihad manifest itself in Muslims' everyday lives? What impact has 9/11 and its backlash had on jihad? By observing the current crisis of identity among ordinary Muslims, this timely book explores why, and in what circumstances Muslims speak of jihad. In the end, jihad is what Muslims say it is. Marranci offers us a nuanced and sophisticated anthropological understanding of Muslims' lives far beyond the predictable cliches.A PDF version of this book is available for free in open access via the OAPEN Library platform, www.oapen.org

Genres: Islam

192 pages, Paperback

First published August 7, 2006

Reviews

[Brent · Rating 4 out of 5]

Gabriele Marranci is an Italian anthropologist. Jihad Beyond Islam is mostly an ethnography - interviews with Muslims about what the Islamic concept of Jihad means to them.

Marranci's thesis is that a Muslim's view of Jihad is determined not so much by actual Islamic teachings, but rather by identity and personal history. Being a Muslim is an important part of core identity, and a threat to that identity (for example: from a guest Imam who challenges that identity by eliciting guilt over Muslim suffering) can result in bringing the person to what he refers to as the "circle of panic" where some act of identity must be done. This could mean wearing a Hijab, going to prayers more often, or in some cases - violence.

Chapter 3 is an extended review of the theory and scholarly literature on identity.

The best parts were the interviews and stories - hearing what real people had to say about it.

[Ashley · Rating 2 out of 5]

I thought that this book was a little simplistic in its approach and the tone really got to me. There are far superior books that examine how the culture of jihad is present in various diaspora communities. Ultimately I felt that the author's work did not explore the reasons for a jihad culture and ended up documenting examples without explanation or analysis.