The Roots of Radical Islam - Softcover

Gilles Kepel

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0863565093 ISBN 13: 9780863565090

Publisher: Saqi Books, 2005

Synopsis

The suicide attacks of 11 September 2001 originated deep within Islamist circles. One of the prime suspects behind the attack, the Egyptian Ayman al-Zawahiri, was heavily influenced by Egypt's radical movements and by Sayyid Qutb, a Muslim Brother who became a prime advocate of jihad and renewed Islamist thought in the 1950s. Widely considered the heir to this legacy, al-Zawahiri remains a driving force behind al-Qaeda itself.

Gilles Kepel, one of the world's leading experts on Islamist movements, was amongst the first to identify Egypt as the cradle of contemporary Islamism. This seminal work, with a new introduction that puts it in perspective, gives a profoundly perceptive account of the foundations of today's radical Islamic organisations, and offers compelling insights into the structure, theory and tactics employed by the various groups as early as the 1970s in Egypt.

About this title

Product Description:

Written by a leading expert on Islamist movements, this work gives a perceptive account of the foundations of radical Islamic organisations, and offers insights into the structure, theory and tactics employed by the various groups as early as the 1970s in Egypt.

Review:

‘'An extremely thoughtful and balanced guide to a movement whose influence can no longer be ignored.’' The Cambridge Review

'‘Broadly conceived and incisive.’' New York Review of Books

‘'This book gives the background necessary to understand the purpose and mindset of today’s religious radicals.’' --Mark Juergensmeyer, author of Terror in the Mind

About this edition

• Publisher: Saqi Books
• Publication date: 2005
• ISBN 10: 0863565093
• ISBN 13: 9780863565090
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 256