Politics and Religion Journal

The Genesis of Modern Jihadism: 1979 as a Geopolitical and Ideological Watershed

Lilia Chentouh — 2026-05-20

The history of the Muslim world and the development of terrorism underwent a significant sea change in 1979. Along with other noteworthy occurrences like the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan and the seizure of the Grand Mosque in Mecca, the Iranian Revolution sparked a number of revolutionary processes that drastically changed the terrain of Islamic movements and political activism. This article looks at how these occasions led to the Islamic Awakening (Sahwa) and the rise of contemporary Political Islam movements, many of which would go on to become or serve as inspiration for terrorist groups. This study shows how the revolutionary fervor of 1979 produced favorable conditions for the spread of extremist ideologies and violent movements throughout the Muslim world by thoroughly examining historical developments, ideological shifts, and regional dynamics. Geopolitical events, religious ideology, and socio-political grievances all played a complex role in this transformation, which is traced in the article from legitimate political and religious revival movements to the rise of transnational terrorist networks.

The Clash of Civilizations Thesis: From the Securitization of the Realm of Ideas to the Manufacturing of Terrorism

Adel Aissaoui — 2026-05-20

This study attempts to dissect Samuel Huntington’s “Clash of Civilizations” thesis, which he presented as an attempt to interpret the new dynamics of international relations in the post-Cold War era. This theory assumes that future conflicts will emerge between different civilizations based on their cultural and religious differences, rather than political and economic ones. This vision summoned the philosophy of conflict as a central actor and ignored the universal, immutable reality of interaction, integration, harmony, and dialectical engagement among cultures and civilizations. This, in turn, led to the emergence of the phenomenon of the securitization of the realm of ideas and beliefs, which created an environment conducive to violence and counter-violence, and encouraged individuals and groups to resort to violence as a means of expressing resistance to cultural and political hegemony. It also fostered a tendency toward conflict, domination, and civilizational egocentrism, which directly contributed to the generation and manufacturing of terrorism in its various political, religious, and ideological contexts, and to its transition from the local to the global.

The Phenomenon of Jihadist Thought in the 20th and 21st Centuries: From Ideological Foundations to Armed Brutality

Mohamed Bechari — 2026-05-20

This study explores the phenomenon of jihadist thought across the twentieth and twenty-first centuries, analyzing its evolution from ideological foundations to brutal manifestations of armed violence. It argues that jihadist ideology cannot be reduced to isolated acts of terrorism or seen merely through a security lens; rather, it constitutes a complex intellectual and political system shaped by religious texts, political frustrations, historical grievances, and social crises. The research adopts a genealogical and comparative approach to trace jihadism’s development from early theorists like Sayyid Qutb to the operational strategies of organizations such as al-Qaeda and ISIS. The study identifies key phases in the evolution of jihadist movements: from Qutb’s revolutionary reinterpretation of Islamic concepts like jahiliyya and hakimiyya, through the globalized militancy of al-Qaeda, to ISIS’s experiment in proto-state governance marked by extreme brutality and sophisticated propaganda. It demonstrates how jihadist thought transformed from revivalist protest to a doctrine of nihilistic violence, with theological justifications evolving alongside geopolitical opportunities, such as the chaos following the Arab Spring and the exploitation of failed states.

Further, the research examines how jihadist movements adapted structurally, shifting from hierarchical to decentralized, networked models, leveraging digital technologies to expand their ideological reach and operational capacity. It highlights the persistent tension between global jihadist ambitions and local dynamics, as well as the growing emphasis on virtualization and asymmetric warfare. Ultimately, the study concludes that jihadist thought has evolved into a hybrid ideology—part religious, part revolutionary, part nihilistic—that continues to exploit global grievances and identity crises. Combating its persistence requires not only security measures but also intellectual and theological efforts to reclaim Islamic discourse from extremist distortions and to promote alternative narratives grounded in peace, justice, and human dignity.

From Intervention to Insurgency: How American Foreign Policy Facilitated Jihadist Mobilization in the Muslim World

Shafiq Flynn — 2026-05-20

This article interrogates the intricate nexus between U.S. foreign policy in the Middle East and the proliferation of jihadist mobilisations. Through situating jihadism within a broader context of historical contingencies, sociopolitical transformations and local grievances, the analysis foregrounds the decisive role American interventions and policy played in engendering conditions conducive to the articulation and diffusion of jihadi movements. Through historicising U.S. engagement in the region from the post–World War II era, initially characterised by economic expansionism and subsequently escalating into military securitisation and political involvement, the analysis underscores the far-reaching impacts of these policies. The discussion focuses on key historical turning points where U.S. interventions intersected with the spread of jihadist ideology. The article further identifies four major dynamics generated by these policies that have fuelled the rise of jihadist movements: the creation of power vacuums and weak governance structures; the intensification of sectarian divides and identity politics; widespread psychological and cultural humiliation; and the apparent dissonance embedded within U.S. policy narratives. By theorising these dynamics, this article contributes to debates on intervention and American empire and offers a reappraisal of American foreign policies that have inadvertently facilitated the very forms of ideologies and militancy they purported to suppress.

Psychological Pathways to Extremism: Radical Beliefs and the Rise of Violence in the Muslim World—A Case Study of Religious Alienation

Badra Hamdi Alghanami — 2026-05-20

This article examines the psychological dimensions of religious alienation among Arab veterans of the Soviet-Afghan War and its role in shaping trajectories of Islamic radicalization. Drawing on insights from identity transformation and cognitive openness, it identifies four key manifestations of religious alienation as central to understanding how spiritual dislocation can lead to violent extremism: the search for identity and belonging, rejection of established norms and institutions, adoption of binary worldviews, attraction to simplified moral frameworks, and emergence of cognitive openings. The article argues that the Afghan jihad served as both a catalyst for ideological transformation and a context for the psychological reconfiguration of religious obligation. It concludes that effective counter-radicalization efforts must address underlying emotional and cognitive vulnerabilities, rather than focusing solely on ideological content or security-based measures. The study offers broader implications for understanding radicalization as a human response to existential uncertainty, identity crisis, and institutional breakdown.

Misreading the Tradition: A Critical Analysis of Four Islamic Legal Concepts in Extremist Jihadi Discourse

Bachar Bakour — 2026-05-20

This study critically examines and deconstructs four key legal foundations frequently appropriated by extremist jihadi groups to justify violence: the Qur’anic slogan of la hukma illa lillah (sovereignty belongs to God alone), the doctrine of takfir (excommunication) of rulers, the Sword Verse (Qur’an 9:5), and the question of tatarrus (human shields). Through textual analysis of both classical Islamic jurisprudential sources and contemporary extremist literature, this study demonstrates how extremist discourse departs from the traditional methodological approaches, ethical commitments, and contextual understandings that defined these concepts in classical Islamic scholarship. The significance of this study lies in its contribution to understanding how the misreading of these key legal foundations led to the emergence of jihadist ideology. The study further explores counter-extremism discourse by demonstrating that jihadi extremist positions do not represent authentic expressions of Islamic law, but rather modern politicized reconstructions that violate the very legal tradition they claim to uphold. The findings offer insights for religious scholars, policymakers, and security professionals engaged in countering violent extremism through evidence-based theological and legal critique.

A Word from the Editor-in-Chief: 20 years of the Journal and How Karl Marx Deeply Misjudged Religion

Miroljub Jevtić — 2026-05-20

A Word from the Guest Editor: The Evolution of Jihad in the 21st Century

Khalifa Mubarak Al Dhaheri — 2026-05-20

From the Social Contract to the Gospel Covenant: Eschatology and the Rebirth of Prophetic Politics in Ethiopia

Awol Ali Mohammed — 2026-05-20

This article argues that contemporary Ethiopia is witnessing a fundamental transformation of its political foundation, moving from a secular social contract toward a sacralized Gospel covenant. It critiques the emergence of an “eschatological statecraft” under Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed, wherein the regime strategically mobilizes Pentecostal-Charismatic theological concepts - particularly prophetic destiny and redemptive suffering - as a core technology of governance. Employing a qualitative research design grounded in Critical Discourse Analysis (CDA), this study systematically examines a corpus of 47 political speeches, policy documents, media broadcasts, and visual propaganda materials from 2018 to 2024. The analysis reveals how the regime constructs a narrative framing the Prime Minister as a divinely chosen leader told by his mother at his age of seven, his rule a preordained chapter in a national divine plan. Within this paradigm, crises such as war, economic collapse, and social fragmentation are narrated not as governance failures but as divinely permitted trials necessary for national purification. Concurrently, the state’s developmental rhetoric employs a potent eschatology of suffering, urging the present generation to embrace sacrifice as a civic duty for a future prosperity that only their children will witness. Drawing on political theology and postcolonial theory, this paper analyzes how this discursive fusion constructs a moralized political order that sanctifies authority while systematically depoliticizing accountability.

"Waning Crescent: The Rise and Fall of Global Islam", by Faisal Devji. New Haven: Yale University Press, 2025.

Fatiha Daouar — 2026-05-20

"When Politics Meets Religion: Navigating Old Challenges and New Perspectives", edited by Marko Veković and Miroljub Jevtić. London and New York: Routledge, 2025.

Rastko Jović — 2026-05-20

2026-05-20