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The Pragmatic Fanaticism of al Qaeda: An Anatomy of Extremism in Middle Eastern Politics
Author(s) -
DORAN MICHAEL
Publication year - 2002
Publication title -
political science quarterly
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.025
H-Index - 49
eISSN - 1538-165X
pISSN - 0032-3195
DOI - 10.2307/798179
Subject(s) - fanaticism , politics , al qaeda , classics , political science , philosophy , sociology , law , history , terrorism
Al Qaeda's behavior presents us with something of a paradox. On the one hand, the organization stands for the principle that Islamic law is the only proper foundation for social and political life; on the other, it often disregards that law with impunity. For instance, the Islamic rules on warfare forbid attacks on women and children, but Osama bin Laden, in his smoking-gun video, expresses no remorse for having killed many innocents on September 11. On the contrary, he suggests that by doing so he showed the world the true face of Islam.