The Genesis of Modern Jihadism: 1979 as a Geopolitical and Ideological Watershed
The Genesis of Modern Jihadism: 1979 as a Geopolitical and Ideological Watershed

Summary/Abstract: The history of the Muslim world and the development of terrorism underwent a significant sea change in 1979. Along with other noteworthy occurrences like the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan and the seizure of the Grand Mosque in Mecca, the Iranian Revolution sparked a number of revolutionary processes that drastically changed the terrain of Islamic movements and political activism. This article looks at how these occasions led to the Islamic Awakening (Sahwa) and the rise of contemporary Political Islam movements, many of which would go on to become or serve as inspiration for terrorist groups. This study shows how the revolutionary fervor of 1979 produced favorable conditions for the spread of extremist ideologies and violent movements throughout the Muslim world by thoroughly examining historical developments, ideological shifts, and regional dynamics. Geopolitical events, religious ideology, and socio-political grievances all played a complex role in this transformation, which is traced in the article from legitimate political and religious revival movements to the rise of transnational terrorist networks.

• Details
• Contents