The War of Ideas: Jihadism against Democracy

by Walid Phares

From Afghanistan and Iraq to Europe and the U.S., we are engaged in one of the most heated wars of all time. In this incisive book, terrorism expert Walid Phares shows that the most important battle of all is taking place in the hearts and minds of people across the world. This is the War of Ideas, where ideology is the most powerful weapon. Phares looks at the two opposing camps, one standing for democracy and human rights, the other rejecting the global community and calling for jihad against the West. He reveals the strategies of both sides, explaining how new technology and the jihadists' media savvy have raised the stakes in the conflict. And most urgently, he warns that we are in danger of losing the war, for while debate and theorizing rarely lead to action, ideas and deeds are inextricably linked for the forces of jihad.

Genres: Politics, Nonfiction, Islam, History, Religion, Islamism, Terrorism

288 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2007

Reviews

[Bryn D · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very good book about the ideological struggle in the middle east between democracy and Jihadism. The book focuses on the ideas that shaped the modern Middle East and the ideology of the terrorists who wish to kill us. Essential reading for anybody interested in the middle east and the barbarians stuck in the seventh century, where they came from, what they believe,and the ideas that conflict with the 21st century and the free world they are fighting.

[Polina · Rating 4 out of 5]

Provides really good explanation on why movements like 'gays for gaza' are a reality not a comedy show.

[Mandy J · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a book! Written in 2007, post 9/11. Reading this in 2024, post 7th October 2023, explains why so many students in colleges & universities across the Western world have become ‘jihadophiles’. I think it’s a must read for anyone interested in what is happening in the Middle East right now. How radical Islam & the jihadist threat to democracy is frighteningly real and on going. How cunning & manipulative is their propaganda. Don’t let the West focus on mass killings in African countries and Syria, but focus on Israel. They do it so deceptively easily & the non-enquiring minds fall for it. Astonishing!

[Roger DeBlanck · Rating 4 out of 5]

Walid Phares’s previous book, Future Jihad, investigated the historical development of the jihadi ideology. This extremism calls upon the battles of ancient Islam as a continuation for justifying war against the infidel nations of the West in order that Islamic governments shall someday rule the world. With War of Ideas, he goes further in his analysis of the belief systems that deeply divide the West from the East—in other words, the conflict between democracy and jihadism. After the Cold War, as countries throughout the world experienced great reform, the Middle East was going through a period of radical imbalance as Islamist regimes started taking power and oppressing dissidents who sought democratic freedoms and human rights. Phares details how the Jihadist thought process rejects both the laws of the international community and the values of humanity, which serve as the foundation of peace throughout the world. The terrorists believe in the idea of Islamic, totalitarian rule, and so they wage jihad to install Islamic governments. The West has failed to understand this reality due in part, Phares explains, because the intellectual community of scholars and those of the news media have failed the public by not educating and reporting about the increasing problems of extremism in the Middle East. Additionally, radical lobbyists and apologists have for decades blurred the true intentions and threats of the jihadi movement. Through funding programs in Middle Eastern studies in the U.S., oil-rich countries such as Saudi Arabia with regimes like the Wahabis have misguided public perception of the problems throughout the Arab world. As a result, extremists have strengthened their singular ideology of strict Islamic law as the governing body of both religion and the state. Phares expresses clearly that opposition to extremism is prevalent throughout the Middle East and that Muslims are not adverse to democracy. The problem is that jihadism seeks to destroy world order in all its forms—economic, social, and financial. Even in exposing the dilemma of fighting terror, Phares makes great progress against extremism by confronting the ideologies and arming readers with the knowledge to fight back.

[Sara Sharick · Rating 5 out of 5]

read in Jan 2009, re read in November 2015. ISIS was not a thing yet in 2007 when this was published, but the author could easily have written this in 2015, adding ISIS to the litany of other Jihadist groups. Jihadists have engaged in the war of ideas since long before the Iraq war or the war on terror. it's time we started fighting back.

[Steven]

Author does a great job explaining the title. After all that is a substantial part of what this GWOT is all about.

[Sara Sharick]

Have read the paperback edition of this book twice, once in 2008 and once in 2015. Goodreads doesn't have a 'reread' function yet. But it was obviously good enough for me to reread. very timely.