Politics, Theology and Religion in Jihadist Violence

Jonathan Cole Middle East Quarterly Winter 2019, Volume 25: Number

The global proliferation of jihadist violence over the past decades notwithstanding, many educated Westerners still view this phenomenon as a corollary of an extremist misinterpretation of jihad that has nothing to do with the concept’s purported real meaning (i.e., an inner spiritual battle), or indeed with the actual spirit and teachings of Islam. Yet while the overwhelming majority of the world’s Muslims do not actively support the global jihadist movement, this does not make it a hijacker or distorter of Islam. Rather, both the movement’s pronounced goals and modus operandi arise from or reflect Islam’s authoritative texts, traditions, and history. But understanding this requires greater conceptual clarity about the interrelationship among the three Western categories at the heart of controversy: politics, theology, and religion.............Jihadist violence, whether directed at Muslim regimes or Western governments and populaces, is therefore political as it seeks to bring Islam to power in territorial states and thus implement its political agenda. Jihadists ultimately aim to redraw or remove boundaries between these states currently sovereign under international law and establish a global caliphate............To Read More.....

My Take - We really need to get this. Islam isn't a religion. It's a political criminal movement masquerading as a religion. We also need to understand this.  In all nations dominated by Islam these are not modern societies. They're medieval tribal societies with modern weapons, transportation and communications. The only fix is to declare Islam a terrorist movement. Along with worldwide condemnation we need to keep them poor, keep them isolated and keep them unarmed as much as possible.