Understanding Islamist Terrorism: The Islamic doctrine of war

Modern Islamist terrorists look back to the early years of Islam to justify their actions. This book examines the origins of the classical Islamic doctrine of war that was followed at that time and explores its later development. It explains the ideology, logic and beliefs that drive the terrorists and demonstrates the consequences for the West of this return to the early teachings of Islam.

Foreword, Chapter 1: Introduction: The Interpratation of Sources, Chapter 2: Sources: Qur'an, Hadith, Shari'a, Chapter 3: The theology of war, peace and empire-building, Chapter 4: History: Muhammad and his successors, Chapter 5: Violent sects and movements within Islam: Past and present, Chapter 6: The motivation of terrorists and suicide bombers, Chapter 7: The making of an Islamic Terrorist, Chapter 8: Contemporary Muslim debate, Chapter 9: Reponses to Islamist Terrorism, Chapter 10: Conclusion, Appendix 1: Traditional division of Islam, Appendix 2: Modern trends in Islam, Appendix 3: Various networks of radical Islam, Appendix 4: `Bin Laden' Audiotape, Appendix 5: Editorial in Al-Masaa (2 February 2004) , Appendix 6: The Zarqawi document, Glossary, References and notes, Bibliography, Index of Qur'an references, Index of Hadith References, Index.