Anar Valiyev* The fall of the Soviet Union and collapse of communist ideology have profoundly influenced Azerbaijani society. Over the years since its independence, the population has tried to recover from seven decades of totalitarianism…

By Joas Wagemakers Review of Al-Gamāʿah al-Islāmīyah (translation Sherman A. Jackson), Initiative to Stop the Violence – Mubādarat Waqf al-ʿUnf: Sadat’s Assassins and the Renunciation of Political Violence (New Haven andLondon: Yale University Press, 2015)…

By Dr Mark Rix* Chilcot’s report [into the UK’s involvement in the Iraq War launched in 2003] resonates hugely today—as the world grapples with the inordinate terror threat of the so-called Islamic State, the report…

By Dr. David Patrick Houghton* The systematic study of the psychology of terrorism is beset with methodological problems. Most notably, we usually lack access to actual terrorists, as well as the expertise required to study…

Dr Mikhail Roshchin This primer on Islamist movements in Dagestan and North Ossetia is based primarily on the author’s field research in the region. Dagestan Since ancient times, Dagestan has been well known in the…

Adeeb Khalid, Carleton College, Northfield, MN, USA The late nineteenth century saw the rise of modernist movements throughout the Muslim world. While they existed in markedly different political contexts, they all argued for the compatibility…

By Diana Galeeva* International organization: origins and member’s identities The Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) was founded in 1981 by Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar, Oman and the United Arab Emirates, all of which faced similar…

By Tommaso Virgili The request addressed by some Arab states to Qatar to shut down the Al-Jazeera media network has ignited a heated debate. The channel, which is owned by the Qatari government, is definitely…