Why would anybody believe that God could sanction terrorism? Why has the rediscovery of religion's power in recent years manifested in such a bloody way? What, if anything, can be done about it? Terror in the Mind of God, now in its fourth edition, answers these questions and more. Thoroughly revised and expanded, the book analyzes in detail terrorism related to almost all the world's major religious traditions: European Christians who oppose Muslim immigrants; American Christians who support abortion clinic bombings and militia actions; Muslims in the Middle East associated with the rise of ISIS, al Qaeda, and Hamas; Israeli Jews who support the persecution of Palestinians; India's Hindus linked to assaults on Muslims in the state of Gujarat and Sikhs identified with the assassination of Indira Gandhi; and Buddhist militants in Myanmar affiliated with anti-Muslim violence and in Japan with the nerve gas attack in Tokyo's subway. Drawing from extensive personal interviews, Mark Juergensmeyer takes readers into the mindset of those who perpetrate and support violence in the name of religion.
Identifying patterns within these cultures of violence, he explains why and how religion and violence are linked and how acts of religious terrorism are undertaken not only for strategic reasons but to accomplish a symbolic purpose. Terror in the Mind of God continues to be an indispensible resource for students of religion and modern society.
Preface and Acknowledgments 1. Introduction: Terror and God The Meaning of Religious Terrorism Seeing Inside Cultures of Violence PART ONE. CULTURES OF VIOLENCE 2. Soldiers for Christ Anders Breivik, Defender of Christendom Timothy McVeigh and the Oklahoma City Federal Building Bombing Michael Bray and Abortion Clinic Bombings Christian Justifi cations for Violence Ian Paisley and the Troubles in Belfast 3. Zion Betrayed Meir Ettinger, the Ghost of Meir Kahane Yoel Lerner and the Assassination of Yitzhak Rabin Baruch Goldstein's Attack at the Tomb of the Patriarchs 4. Islam's "Neglected Duty" Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, the Caliph of ISIS Mahmud Abouhalima and the World Trade Center Bombing Abdul Aziz Rantisi and Hamas Suicide Missions Modern Islamic Justifi cations for Violence 5. The Spear of Shiva, the Sword of Sikhism Maya Kodnani and the Gujarat Massacre Simranjit Singh Mann and the Lure of Khalistan Hindu and Sikh Justifi cations for Violence 6. Buddhist Faces of Terror Ashin Wirathu and the Defense of Burmese Buddhism Takeshi Nakamura and the Aum Shinrikyo Assault Can Buddhist Violence Be Justified? PART TWO. THE LOGIC OF RELIGIOUS VIOLENCE 7. Theater of Terror Performance Violence Setting the Stage A Time to Kill Reaching the Audience 8. Cosmic War Grand Scenarios Symbolic War When Symbols Become Deadly 9. Martyrs and Demons Sacrificial Victims The Invention of Enemies America as Enemy Satanization and the Stages of Empowerment 10. Warriors' Power Empowering Marginal Men Why Guys Throw Bombs Fighting for the Rule of God 11. The Mind of God Empowering Religion Postmodern Terror Curing Violence Healing Politics with Religion Notes List of Interviews and Correspondence Selected Bibliography Index
