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Books > Religion & Spirituality > General > Religious intolerance, persecution & conflict > General
Selected as one of 'Five books that help explain what is happening
in Afghanistan' (Financial Times) So-called Islamic State began to
appear in what it calls Khorasan (Afghanistan, Pakistan, Central
Asia, Iran and India) in 2014. Reports of its presence were at
first dismissed as propaganda, but during 2015 it became clear that
IS had a serious presence in Afghanistan and Pakistan at least.
This book, by one of the leading experts on Islamist insurgency in
the region, explores the nature of IS in Khorasan, its aim and
strategies, and its evolution in an environment already populated
by many jihadist organisations. Based on first-hand research and
numerous interviews with members of IS in Khorasan, as well as with
other participants and observers, the book addresses highly
contentious issues such as funding, IS's relationship with the
region's authorities, and its interactions with other insurgent
groups. Giustozzi argues that the central leadership of IS invested
significant financial resources in establishing its own branch in
Khorasan, and as such it is more than a local movement which
adopted the IS brand for its own aims. Though the central
leadership has been struggling in implementing its project, it is
now turning towards a more realistic approach. This is the first
book on a new frontier in Islamic State's international jihad.
Islamophobia is one of the most prevalent forms of prejudice in the
world today. This timely book reveals the way in which
Islamophobia's pervasive power is being met with responses that
challenge it and the worldview on which it rests. The volume breaks
new ground by outlining the characteristics of contemporary
Islamophobia across a range of political, historic, and cultural
public debates in Europe and the United States. Chapters examine
issues such as: how anti-Muslim prejudice facilitates questionable
foreign and domestic policies of Western governments; the tangible
presence of anti-Muslim bias in media and the arts including a
critique of the global blockbuster fantasy series Game of Thrones;
youth activism in response to securitised Islamophobia in
education; and activist forms of Muslim self-fashioning including
Islamic feminism, visual art and comic strip superheroes in popular
culture and new media. Drawing on contributions from experts in
history, sociology, and literature, the book brings together
interdisciplinary perspectives from culture and the arts as well as
political and policy reflections. It argues for an inclusive
cultural dialogue through which misrepresentation and
institutionalised Islamophobia can be challenged.
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What should states do with the bodies of suicide bombers and other
jihadists who die while perpetrating terrorist attacks? This
original and unsettling book explores the host of ethical and
political questions raised by this dilemma, from (non-)
legitimisation of the 'enemy' and their cause to the
non-territorial identity of individuals who identified in life with
a global community of believers. Because states do not recognise
suicide bombers as enemy combatants, governments must decide
individually what to do with their remains. Riva Kastoryano offers
a window onto this challenging predicament through the responses of
the American, Spanish, British and French governments after the
Al-Qaeda suicide attacks in New York, Madrid and London, and
Islamic State's attacks on Paris in 2015. Interviewing officials,
religious and local leaders and jihadists' families, both in their
countries of origin and in the target nations, she has traced the
terrorists' travel history, discovering unexpected connections
between their itineraries and the handling of their burials. This
fascinating book reveals how states' approaches to a seemingly
practical issue are closely shaped by territory, culture,
globalisation and identity.
This book provides a sophisticated investigation into the
experience of being exterminated, as felt by victims of the
Holocaust, and compares and contrasts this analysis with the
experiences of people who have been colonized or enslaved. Using
numerous victim accounts and a wide range of primary sources, the
book moves away from the 'continuity thesis', with its insistence
on colonial intent as the reason for victimization in relation to
other historical examples of mass political violence, to look at
the victim experience on its own terms. By affording each
constituent case study its own distinctive aspects, The Victims of
Slavery, Colonization and the Holocaust allows for a more enriching
comparison of victim experience to be made that respects each group
of victims in their uniqueness. It is an important, innovative
volume for all students of the Holocaust, genocide and the history
of mass political violence.
James Hadfield-Hyde clearly and concisely illustrates the
innumerable problems Islam faces within itself, without
overburdening the reader with scriptural arguments. The book is
aimed at enlightening those outside of the faith, as to the
chronology of historical facts which has led us to the problems we
face today. There is an element within Islam which has openly
declared war on the world; it preaches an apocalyptic and homicidal
interpretation of their faith. This is an entirely new kind of
warfare, and we must alter our strategy to defeat it, accordingly.
Jihadism cannot be defeated merely by containment, but firstly, by
the removal of political correctness. Hadfield-Hyde stresses the
importance of 'knowing thine enemy' and all his reasons for being
so. Many Muslims seek a modern, and more tolerant 'Reformation,'
but fear for the consequences if they speak out. It is to them that
we must turn; there is hope for a peaceful coexistence only as long
as we are all free to speak the truth.
The popularity of the 'New Atheist' movement speaks to both the
growing ranks of atheists as well as their vehement disdain for
religion. In 'Faitheist', Chris Stedman challenges the orthodoxies
of this movement and makes a passionate arguement that atheists
should learn to respect religious identity while remaining secular.
In this all-embracing Christian church history, E. H. Broadbent
details the growth, traditions and teachings of churches and
denominations through the ages. Intended as an introduction to
organized Christianity, the Pilgrim Church selects examples from
the time of Christ onward of Christian denominations. From the
beginning, Broadbent is keen to emphasize how gaps in history mean
much of the church history is simply obscured. How exactly
Christians almost two thousand years ago, or in the pre-Reformation
Middle Ages, worshipped and practiced their faith is simply a
mystery for theologians and historians. The central argument of
Broadbent's book is that the Catholic church, in its effort to
suppress divergence it deemed as heresy, destroyed much of the
evidence of other churches. Much of the book is composed with this
underpinning principle; a truth that resounds through the entire
text, which is informed by the undoubted scholarship of the author.
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