The Globalization of Martyrdom Al Qaeda, Salafi Jihad, and the Diffusion of Suicide Attacks

This unflinching analysis provides new information about the relationship between ideology and suicide attacks and recommends policies focused on containing Salafi Jihadism.

Outstanding Academic Title, Choice magazine

This groundbreaking volume examines the rise and spread of suicide attacks over the past decade. Sorting through 1,270 terror strikes between 1981 and 2007, Assaf Moghadam attributes their recent proliferation to the mutually related ascendance of al Qaeda and its guiding ideology, Salafi Jihad, an extreme interpretation of Islam that rejects national boundaries and seeks to create a global Muslim community.

This unflinching analysis provides new information about the relationship between ideology and suicide attacks and recommends policies focused on containing Salafi Jihadism.

"One of the most authoritative books on the subject . . . Throughout its entirety, the book carries an interdisciplinary timbre, maintains the highest level of analytical integrity, and keeps the reader interested, if not intrigued."—Association for the Study of the Middle East and Africa

"One of the most interesting, nuanced studies published in our field in some time . . . a truly remarkable, thought-provoking text."—Democracy and Security

"An excellent read. Moghadam is a leading expert in the study of Al Qaeda and suicide attacks and his expertise shines through . . . Well-researched and argued, this book deserves a close read by all scholars interested in questions of terrorism, Al Qaeda, and the way globalization is influencing the trajectory of terrorist groups."—Middle East Strategy at Harvard blog

"A rigorous and important examination of suicide attacks executed by Osama bin Laden and the movement he inspires. This timely book is a valuable contribution to an improved understanding of suicide attacks, terrorism, and Al Qaeda alike, and provides plausible policy recommendations to help stem the further spread of this tactic."—General (ret.) John P. Abizaid, former commander, United States Central Command

"One of the most thorough and important works available on this often misunderstood subject. The author's masterful treatment of this phenomenon's history and its contemporary growth and evolution, alongside his incisive analysis and perceptive policy recommendations, makes The Globalization of Martyrdom a welcome and seminal contribution to the field of terrorism studies."—Bruce Hoffman, School of Foreign Service, Georgetown University, author of Inside Terrorism

This groundbreaking volume examines the rise and spread of suicide attacks over the past decade. Sorting through 1,270 terror strikes between 1981 and 2007, Assaf Moghadam attributes their recent proliferation to the mutually related ascendance of al Qaeda and its guiding ideology, Salafi Jihad, an extreme interpretation of Islam that rejects national boundaries and seeks to create a global Muslim community. In exploring the roots of the extreme radicalization represented by Salafism, Moghadam finds many causes, including Western dominance in the Arab world, the physical diffusion of Salafi institutions and actors, and the element of opportunity created by the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan. He uses individual examples from the Middle East, Southwest Asia, and Europe to show how the elite leaders of al Qaeda and affiliated groups and their foot soldiers interact with one another and how they garner support-and a growing number of converts and attackers-from the Muslim community. Based on over a decade of empirical research and a critical examination of existing thought on suicide attacks, Moghadam distinguishes the key characteristics separating globalized suicide strikes from the traditional, localized pattern that previously prevailed. This unflinching analysis provides new information about the relationship between ideology and suicide attacks and recommends policies focused on containing Salafi Jihadism.