For four years, Jessica Stern interviewed extremist members of three religions around the world: Christians, Jews, and Muslims. Traveling extensively—to refugee camps in Lebanon, to religious schools in Pakistan, to prisons in Amman, Asqelon, and Pensacola—she discovered that the Islamic jihadi in the mountains of Pakistan and the Christian fundamentalist bomber in Oklahoma have much in common.

Based on her vast research, Stern lucidly explains how terrorist organizations are formed by opportunistic leaders who—using religion as both motivation and justification—recruit the disenfranchised. She depicts how moral fervor is transformed into sophisticated organizations that strive for money, power, and attention.

Jessica Stern's extensive interaction with the faces behind the terror provide unprecedented insight into acts of inexplicable horror, and enable her to suggest how terrorism can most effectively be countered.

A crucial book on terrorism, Terror in the Name of God is a brilliant and thought-provoking work.

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This book is fantastic. I could not put it down. Unlike most books of this sort which by necessity rely primarily on anecdotal evidence, this is serious work. It is closer to hard science in its procedure than most of the rabble rousing goobly gook masquerading as serious books on terrorism.

Prof. Stern is not trying to morally equate anything. She simply tries to expose some terrorist core motivations which are decidedly different from those of a soldier. Traditional phase-line thinking will not win thin war on terrorism. We need more thinkers of Stern's ilk to raise the level of the discourse.

45 of 47 found the following review helpful:

An excellent framework for understanding terrorismOct 30, 2003
By Colorado Professor
In surveying books on terrorism for my college course, I found this one of the best. Wish it wasn't hardcover!

Stern analyzes the different types of reasons for terrorism (humiliation, alienation, demographics, territory, and history) and explains both on the psychological and sociological level how they operate. She also explains how the different methods of terrorism operate to bring about the psychological trance/bliss state, how terrorists become as well as their logistical operations. She describes charismatic leaders, commanders and cadres, lone wolves, and freelance franchises as forms of organization and the sometimes mixed motives of their members. She discusses terrorist organizations' relationships with states, weapons acquistion and type, recruit training, and techniques to enhance commitment.

The book covers much the same territory that Mark Juergensmeyer's "Terror in the Mind of God" covers. He does it more elegantly, with more depth, and with many of the same insights and conclusions, but Stern provides more information on the nature of organizations and a better categorization of motives. This is the broader book.

If you have strong ideological beliefs or interests in parties involved with or affected by terrorism, you probably won't like the book. Christian terrorism and Jewish terrorism exist, albeit on a vastly lower level than Islamic terrorism at the moment, but the forces behind all kinds of terrorism have much in common, as this book points out. If we can't get past emotional reactions and judgments to understand why and how these terrible and tragic events occur, then we only contribute to their perpetuation, not their alleviation.

42 of 47 found the following review helpful:

Straight from the terrorist's mouthSep 07, 2003
By V. Harris
With the avalanche of books on terrorism and Islam cluttering the bookstores and library shelves, I was hesitant to plunge into this one. I am glad I reconsidered. It is a remarkable account using primary sources, primarily insiders or inmates who have been active in pursuing their perfidious goals. Many are the actual villains in some of the high profile terrorist crimes of our era.
Sparing a lot of details and personalities, you can discover them for yourself, it is enough to say that Stern has traveled the globe to conduct her interviews and compile her research. From American Fundamentalists with their addiction to targeting abortion clinics for destruction; to Hamas; Indonesians, Pakistanis et al committed to their respective jihads, the author gives a comprehensive, and often eye opening glimpse at the inside operations of a vast cross section of groups.
In establishing a common thread of psychological and economic profiles of the recruits for various terrorist groups, Stern provides useful insight for those wishing to comprehend some of the most menacing ideologues in our modern world. The story is all the more remarkable as Stern is an American professor, female, and Jewish; yet she manages, occasionally at potential risk to her safety, to penetrate conservative Muslim strongholds to obtain her information.
This is scholarly, but still well organized and readable, and I highly recommend it as a first stop for anyone seeking to get a good handle on this important issue.

15 of 16 found the following review helpful:

A Staple to understand Terrorist idealogy - A General Overview of the BookNov 22, 2005
By Andrew Lumpkin "Divinity Student"
Timely for her insight into the psychology of religious militarism, Jessica Stern investigates the factors that create terrorism. Written in narrative format, the author interviews members of several militant movements in order to understand how religion can be used as a tool of violence. By dividing the book into two parts, Stern first examines the factors leading to religious terrorism, and in the second part of the book, she studies typical terrorist organizational structures. Written in the last two years, Stern concludes with public policy implications to counter the rise of religious terrorism.

In each chapter in the first part of her book, Stern interviews religious militants from differing religions in order to uncover the factors that increase the likelihood a person will join and remain in a terrorist organization. Although "fun and profit" (5) provide incentives for religious militancy, Stern believes five other factors influence the decision to join in a jihad. Whether real or perceived humiliation, terrorist leaders have learned to harvest the outrage youth feel against occupying powers. Because of the oppression of these powers, terrorist organizations set up legitimate charitable organizations to ease the suffering of the oppressed class. Youth join terrorist organizations to strike back against their oppressors because of their alienation and humiliation, and out of a sense of obligation to return the favor to those terrorist organizations that provide charitable relief to their families. Ethnic demographics also play a key role in terrorism. When a government creates a "policy [that] deliberately shifts an ethno-religious mix" (62) (i.e., a migration policy), the power of the once dominant ethnicity becomes weakened. As a result, the privileges this group once received begin to diminish, and this group seeks to reestablish its authority. Eventually, a "holy war" is called, and militants flock to either side believing they are fighting an eternal struggle. Ancient history can be a "powerful weapon in extremists' hands, including in their efforts to expand national boundaries and to seek redemption" (85). Terrorists use a selective reading of history and religious texts for justifying violence and mobilizing recruits. Disputes over territory also create an Us versus Them mentality, which helps establish a "clear identity and a definite purpose in life" (137).

Stern writes the second half of her book in an attempt to understand terrorist organizational structures. She believes terrorist organizations fall into four categories. Within each of these organizations is a tension between being able to withstand loss of members (resiliency) and the organization's ability to optimize the destruction of the attack (capacity). First, terrorist organizations can be structured by an inspirational leader. In this type of organization, one leader headlines a movement, but does not give explicit orders or material benefits to his/her followers. The movement is tied together by a special narrative and language, and followers are inspired to take violent action on behalf of the group. Second, lone-wolf avengers use their own ideologies and agendas to fight for their own cause. The lone-wolf avengers cannot cause damage on a large scale, but at the same time, these terrorists provide difficulty for investigators, as networks are individualized. Third, commander and cadre organizations provide a large hierarchical network that are highly destructive, and members of the organization and their families benefits from their large fund-raising efforts. Because of the structure of this organization, it can be easily penetrated, and this organization necessitates a large cash income. Fourth, Stern examines Al Qaeda as an example of the ultimate organization. This organization has a hierarchical structure, but hires militants for specific geographical areas to use in one-time missions. This organization takes careful interest in planning its attacks, has allies in high governmental positions, and has the ability to acquire conventional, unconventional, and nuclear weapons. Recruitment and training are a high priority for this organization. This organizational structure vocalizes and articulates the grievance it wants addressed, advertises its mission, and has the patience and ability to change its mission objectives. This organization is structurally a network of network weakly tied together, optimizing resiliency. This organization receives incomes from licit and illicit businesses and charitable organizations, and it uses leaderless resisters, freelancers, and franchises to optimize its effectiveness.

In her concluding chapter, Stern explains the vulnerability of Islamic states to terrorism. America's support for Israel, increasing globalization leading to lower standards of living, and the vulnerability of states transitioning to a democracy all increase the likelihood of terrorism in Islamic states. With this in mind, Stern closes with a handful of foreign policy suggestions.. America must understand that violence against terrorism is partially effective, and violence provides terrorist organizations with the ability to recruit new militants. Therefore, we need to learn to penetrate these organizations. We should not impose the death penalty on terrorists. We should not use torture during interrogation, and we should purchase the expertise of unemployed terrorists. America should also promote and develop alternative educational methods in Muslim nations, combat infrastructures that mobilize recruits, and make it more difficult for terrorist organizations to obtain weapons.

15 of 16 found the following review helpful:

A valuable look at a difficult subjectDec 18, 2003
By kalla0069 "kalla0069"
I have grown utterly weary of the explosion of terrorism studies following 9/11, but this book held me rapt from beginning to end. Stern has written a deeply personal work far removed from either dry academic prose or "I was there" anecdotes without losing the ability to present a fairly balanced view across a number of regions and religions. The result is a remarkable look at both the personalities of those she interviewed and her sometimes startlingly honest reactions to each one. Her style is solid and the footnotes are filled with extensive, valuable resources for further reading. This is not a good buy for those readers that prefer the author remain detached from his or her subject, but in my opinion it is Stern's first-person style, descriptive narrative and open revelation of her thoughts and reactions to each subject that makes this an especially powerful work.

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