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Terror in the Name of God: Why Religious Militants Kill
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Average Rating:  out of 42 Reviews
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Price: $15.95
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Sale: $8.18
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Manufacturer: Harper Perennial
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EAN (European Article Number): 9780060505332
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Number of Items: 1
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Binding: Paperback
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Author: Jessica Stern
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Publisher: Harper Perennial
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Dewey Decimal Number: 303.625
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Publication Date: 2004-09-01
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Reading Level: 400
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Description: For four years, Jessica Stern interviewed extremist members of three religions around the world: Christians, Jews, and Muslims. Traveling extensively—to refugee camps in Lebanon, to religious schools in Pakistan, to prisons in Amman, Asqelon, and Pensacola—she discovered that the Islamic jihadi in the mountains of Pakistan and the Christian fundamentalist bomber in Oklahoma have much in common. Based on her vast research, Stern lucidly explains how terrorist organizations are formed by opportunistic leaders who—using religion as both motivation and justification—recruit the disenfranchised. She depicts how moral fervor is transformed into sophisticated organizations that strive for money, power, and attention. Jessica Stern's extensive interaction with the faces behind the terror provide unprecedented insight into acts of inexplicable horror, and enable her to suggest how terrorism can most effectively be countered. A crucial book on terrorism, Terror in the Name of God is a brilliant and thought-provoking work.
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Customer Reviews
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Review Summary: Dated Fear Tactics, Relevant Prescriptions |
Date: 2008-10-29 |
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Details: Written in 2003 when the War in Iraq had something to do with September 11th and people paid attention to the Homeland Security Advisory System (Go ahead tell me, what's the threat level today? Orange? Yellow?), Terror in the Name of God seems shockingly dated today.
But, as Stern is probably the most highly regarded terrorist expert, it does shed some light on things. Stern breaks the book down into two sections. The first is the grievances of religious terrorists. For the sake of perceived objectivity she looks into American Christian organizations and Israeli Jewish terror organizations. (For the record, she condones neither.) She breaks down how the new globalized world has passed some people by. You know the losers of globalization.
The second part of the book is about the make-up of terror organizations. She sees many different types: organizations that do not condone violence by ignore people who commit it in their name, the lone-wolf terrorist, and the hierarchical Leninist-style organization. Al Qaeda with its centralized top organization with dispersed allies and sleeper cells becomes the conglomeration of all of these.
Stern then proposes some policy prescriptions. While there are some that are tactical and others that are strategic involving cutting funds and fighting them where they are, the largest prescriptions are on the level of international norms. The greatest thing to combat terrorism is to address the grievances of those ignored in the globalized world, otherwise it is a losing battle. Terror organizations are nothing more than a hydra that will replace its heads unless there is no one to make a new head. It seems pretty obvious today but 5 years ago it was ground-breaking and even un-patriotic to think that the US' own actions may have something to do with it.
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Review Summary: Not recommended |
Date: 2008-08-15 |
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Details: Although the concept is interesting, this book was not as accurate as I would have hoped. It was also fairly monotonous. I saw Stern speak in person; she never answered the questions from the audience and did not really even know her own book well enough to be informative. |
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Review Summary: From the mouth of extremists... |
Date: 2008-08-12 |
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Details: Jessica Stern provides insight to the behavior of religious extremists through her personal interviews with members of different religious sects in America and around the world. This is not written as an "edge of your seat" or "read one weekend" style of book. It is a means of educating the reader though sections of the book are filled with suspense and espionage. Stern provides details to the way of life of religious extremists, their surroundings, family, who they trust, who they want to kill and why.
The book is well written with the right amount of detail to place your mind on the dusty road traveling to the mountain camp where Stern will have her interview, to the apprehension she feels of not knowing what will happen next.
The descriptive interviews and statements Stern makes in her book are supported by news casts of today. Stern enlightens the reader to the complexity of the militant's way of thinking and provides reasons for no easy solution to stopping their growth around the world.
An excellent read by an impressive author. |
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Review Summary: Terror in the Name of God |
Date: 2008-05-21 |
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Details: A real page turner! I have never felt compelled to write a book review . . .until now. Dr. Stern has spent years interviewing American terrorists motivated by faith and international jihadists and has compiled an interesting profile of the religious terrorist. What I found so very refreshing was that she does not write like most academics; rather, she writes and approaches the topic like a novel. Considering the sensitive topic of religion, Dr. Stern has approached the subject in a fair and, in what I believe, impartial matter. I would urge attorneys representing terrorist suspects, or prosecutors for that manner, analysts, investigators and the like, to read this book and keep it close for future reference.
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Review Summary: Not Enough Insight To Make Reading This Book Worthwhile |
Date: 2008-03-23 |
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Details: While it is critically important to understand why terrorists commit the atrocities they do, a much more significant book is needed to gain those insights.
What you will learn from this book is that most religious terrorists feel humiliated and deprived. How novel. You'll also learn the difference between terrorism and jihad. The latter only kills soldiers and elected officials or particular targets, but not woman, old people and infants. Unless of course, you're talking about attacks against Israel, where anyone is fair game. All that's needed is to redefine who is in the military (any potential will do) and their death is deemed ok. Sounds like old news to me.
Stern always described how she dressed during interviews, what she was served to eat, any gifts she was given, and never failed to mention that she usually bestowed upon her interviewees a Harvard pen. Thrilling. What any of that had to do with her subject matter is beyond me.
Her chapter on Al Qaeda was the best written part of her book, and it is chilling. And her analogy of terrorism as being like a virus is unfortunately all too accurate.
Her recommendations for combating terrorism are for the most part weak.
Karen Armstrong is the kind of writer who could tackle this subject competently. |
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