Martyrdom and Sacrifice in Islam ─ Theological, Political and Social Contexts

Martyrdom in the Muslim world is increasingly integral to conversations about international security. Over the years, the belief system around self sacrifice has become key to understanding the Middle East and its political relationships with the West although much of the literature and conversation has been restricted to modern concepts of jihadism. The recent spate of scholarship relating to suicide bombers and jihadists studies these concepts without a broader understanding of the principle of martyrdom. This book expands on the chronology of self-sacrifice within Islam and contextualises the use of suicide bombings using details of the rise of martyrdom in places such as Iraq, Lebanon, Chechnya and Pakistan. It historicises the background in which 'jihad' has been glorified while also exploring contemporary methods of recruitment, like the use of the internet. The authors pay close attention to the different sects and factions of Islam and the differing interpretations of jihad that accompany these ideologies. In the current political climate, a book that explores martyrdom within the framework of historical perspectives, geographical regions and the influence of outside cultures is essential.

Meir Hatina is Associate Professor of Islamic and Middle Eastern Studies at The Hebrew University, Jerusalem. He is also the Director of The Nehemia Levtzion Center of Islamic Studies at the same university. Meir Litvak is the Director of the Center for Iranian Studies at Tel Aviv University and an Associate Professor in the Department of Middle Eastern and African History at the same university. He holds a PhD from Harvard University.