Terrorist in Search of Humanity

Faisal Devji argues that new forms of militancy, such as the actions of al-Qaeda, are informed by the same desire for agency and equality that animates other humanitarian interventions, such as environmentalism and pacifism. To the militant, victimized Muslims are more than just symbols of ethnic and religious persecution-they represent humanity's centuries-long struggle for legitimacy and agency. Acts of terror, therefore, are fueled by the militant's desire to become a historical actor on the global stage. Though they have yet to build concrete political institutions, militant movements have formed a kind of global society, and as Devji makes clear, this society pursues the same humanitarian objectives that drive more benevolent groups.


A brilliant long essay on the ethical underpinnings of modern jihad.-- New York Review of Books

An oasis in the wearisome desert of al-Qaeda studies. It is, in the best possible sense, subversive. --The Economist

Thought-provoking, and elegantly written. --Times Literary Supplement

An erudite analysis of the rise of jihadism as almost a new 'sect' within Islam-one that combines mystical and traditional elements of Islam with a sophisticated globalization effort based on an ethical, rather than political, worldview. -- Slate.com

The Terrorist in Search of Humanity is in many ways a sequel to Devji s equally provocative 2005 book, Landscapes of the Jihad. Al Qaeda's importance in the long run, Devji writes, lies not in its pioneering a new form of networked militancy... but instead in its fragmentation of traditional structures of Muslim authority within new global landscapes. . . . it is a measure of Devji s seriousness, and his unfailingly original turn of mind, that one waits impatiently for his next provocation.--The National (Abu Dhabi)

An understanding of groups like Al-Qaeda has virtually been absent from the discourse as it has been explained away as pure 'evil'. Devji does the opposite. He begins by locating their (ostensible) appeal in their language for rights of the oppressed of the world, typically, and from there launches into an understanding of how Quranic verses, Islamic teachings and what they claim to be inspired by have been changed into a modern political message that has succeeded in destabilising the world as the West has known it, since 9/11.. . What makes the book readable is his meticulous research. . . Plenty of what Devji concludes may be controversial, but it is bound to stir the pot in a most interesting way. --Indian Express

One of the most intelligent analyses of the world-view of the militant Islamist. --The New Statesman

Faisal Devji has, as usual, written a fascinating book. Starting with an apparent paradox (terrorists as humanitarians), he explores in depth the modernity of al-Qaeda and the real nature of humanitarian concerns. He has provided us with a profound philosophical analysis of globalization. --Professor Olivier Roy

This brilliantly provocative book upsets many of the conventional understandings of 'Islamic terrorism' which pervade the Western academy and public life.--Sir Christopher Bayly, Vere Harmsworth Professor of Imperial and Naval History, University of Cambridge

Devji's text is an original, timely and extremely impressive contribution to the scholarship on militant Islam and contemporary global politics. Unlike much of the current literature on these topics which focus on the 'secret history' of clandestine networks or essentialising accounts of political Islam, he allows us to situate Islamic militancy within the discursive proximity and exchange which globalization enables. -- Shane Brighton, Birkbeck College, University of London