Al Qaeda's Global Crisis

V.G. Julie Rajan is Assistant Professor in the Department of Women's and Gender Studies at Rutgers University, USA. She is the author of Women Suicide Bombers: Narratives of Violence (Routledge 2011).

• Introduction: Global Crises: Insecurity, Terrorism and Human Rights 1. Islamism, Al Qaeda, and Takfir 2. Iraq, 2003 — : The Shia Resurgence, Zarqawi’s Legacy, and the Islamic State 3. Syria, 2011— : Convoluted Loyalties, a Chaotic Insurgency, and the Revival of the Caliphate 4. Afghanistan 2001—: Centuries of Imperialism, the Rise of the Mujahidin, and the Taliban 5. Pakistan, 2004—: Blasphemy, Tribalism, and a State of Insecurity 6. Al Qaeda’s Global Crisis: Defending Takfir, Losing Relevance, and the Rise of the Islamic State

'In every generation, the terrorists become more violent. Julie Rajan's Al Qaeda's Global Crisis is the first book on the third generation of the contemporary wave of terrorism. Defying Al Qaeda, the rise of the Islamic State is analysed by Rajan's outstanding account of the ideological and operational dimensions of the current and emerging global threat. This masterful study should be read by all those concerned with international security.' -- Rohan Gunaratna, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore'Julie Rajan details how the genocide of Muslims has been the main cause of instability in Pakistan, Afghanistan, Iraq, and Syria and the key driver of civil wars in the region. The killing of Muslim civilians by AQ backed takfiris has been ignored by other analysts who have almost exclusively focused on violence directed against the West. This timely and fascinating book charts the rise of the Islamic State, demonstrating the generational effects as well as well as how the Islamic State is posing an increasing challenge to the larger al Qaeda network. A must-read for anyone interested in the spread of radical Islamism, why rape is used a strategy of war, and better understand how Iraq became such a disaster.' -- Mia Bloom, University of Massachusetts, Lowell, USA‘The practice of takfir - declaring other Muslims as infidels - is a central fault line in the global jihadi movement. Yet, the topic is often overlooked in existing literature on al-Qaida. Rajan’s book provides a comprehensive overview of how the killing of Muslims at the hands of al-Qaida's regional affiliates since 2001 has undermined the network's long-term sustainability. The book is essential reading for anyone who seeks to understand the rise and fall of al-Qaida and likeminded movements.’ -- Anne Stenersen, Norwegian Defence Research Establishment, Norway'Rajan (women's and gender studies, Rutgers Univ.,) takes on the formidable task of explaining how the Islamic concept of takfir is relevant to ongoing conflicts throughout the Muslim world especially in Afghanistan, Pakistan, Iraq, and Syria. ... The book is well researched, drawing on primary material and academic and other sources, and it provides solid background for the aforementioned conflicts' --S. Cantey, Washington and Lee University, CHOICE recommended