Redefining Jihad in Local Context: From the Rise of Islam to the Islamic State (thesis)

Abstract

While I have focused primarily on literature produced by the leadership figures within al-Qaeda and the Islamic State and have analyzed how such leaders interpret the historical sources, I would like to suggest that the changes seen within the al-Qaeda organization regarding the interpretations of historical texts and the ideology of what it means to be a Muslim go beyond the individual figures and their agendas. Cole Bunzel’s, “From Paper State to Caliphate” demonstrates his particular interest in leadership and special emphasis on how each leader interprets the historical texts. While I too have used the same model, looking at leadership as a way of advancing historical development over time, I would like to suggest that there is another explanation for the changing ideologies regarding the individual duties of the Muslim that goes beyond leadership, and this explanation is the role of local context. The local context of al-Qaeda and now the Islamic State has constantly required changes within the ideology of the individual duties of a Muslim. And, while responding to their own local contexts, they have constantly been changing their perception of the West. [From Epilogue]