Terror in the Name of Faith

As a manifestation of asymmetrical violence coming from the bottom up, terrorism in the late twentieth and early twenty-first centuries is qualitatively different from terrorism in earlier times. Against a backdrop of globalization, the spread of new forms of mass communication, and the threat of uncontrolled proliferation of weapons of mass destruction, the problem of extremism and terrorism acquires a totally new meaning, becoming an important factor not only in the foreign and domestic policy of most countries, but also in the everyday lives of billions of people all over the world. Without a clear understanding of the roots of terrorism, it is extremely difficult (if not completely impossible) to comprehend this phenomenon, which has become a major threat to world security in recent decades. And without such an understanding, we cannot effectively combat the threat. In this study, Emanuilov and Yashlavsky investigate the religious aspects of modern terrorism from its origins to the present day.

Rahamim Emanuilov (PhD Azerbaijan State University) worked for many years in Iran and Afghanistan. He is the manager and president of the Civilizations Interaction foundation at the Institute of Oriental Studies at the Russian Academy of Sciences and is an advisor to the speaker of the Federation Council on relations with Middle Eastern and Near Eastern countries, as well as Central Asian states.