Jihadism Is a Modern Philosophy, but Its Islamic Roots Run Deep

Hussein Aboubakr Mansour’s essay is a fascinating investigation of the intellectual roots of modern Arab nationalism, leftism, and various stripes of political Islam. Mansour argues that these modern ideologies are imported Western radicalism garbed in Arabic and Islamic concepts. He contends, for example, that the modern concept of jihad owes more to Western revolutionary ideology than to classical Islamic doctrine.

Mansour is surely correct that Western ideas played a large part in shaping the modern ideological landscape in the Middle East, and not enough has been done to outline the contours of these influences. Moreover, modern Middle Eastern realities have too often been reduced to supposedly unchanging and unchangeable Islamic or Arab traits. And yet, Mansour's argument runs the risk of taking matters to the other extreme.

Modern ideologies in the Middle East, and particularly Islamic ideologies, boast links with premodern Islamic sources that extend beyond terms and slogans. These connections are crucial to understanding the development of ideologies such as Islamism and jihadism. More significantly, this continuity is an important factor in their appeal: their ability to convey Islamic authenticity, despite their modern character and Western influences. Two central ideas of modern Islamic thought should suffice to illustrate this point.