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Religious Violence in the Middle East: Military Intervention, Salafi-Jihadism and the Dream of a Caliphate



Author(s)

Emran El-Badawi

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DOI:10.17265/2328-2177/2016.06.007

University of Houston, Houston, USA

From the beginnings of Wahabism in the 18th century to the so called Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL, ISIS) violence has occasionally been justified in the name of Islam, which is problematic for secular and traditional scholars alike. This paper demonstrates that there are three complex, interrelated causes for this violence: foreign military intervention, Salafi-Jihadism and a utopian state founded upon faith and justice, i.e. a caliphate.

Jihad, caliphate, salafi, islamic state, ISIS, ISIL, al-qaeda, muslim brotherhood, hamas, hezbollah, wahabism, taliban, Arab Spring, Iranian revolution, war on terror, gulf war, cold war, israeli-arab war, syrian civil war