Jihad: The Rise Of Militant Islam In Central Asia

Ahmed Rashid, who masterfully explained Afghanistan’s Taliban regime in his previous book, here turns his skills as an investigative journalist to the five Central Asian republics adjacent to Afghanistan that were part of the Soviet Union until its collapse in 1991. Religious repression, political corruption, and the region’s extreme poverty have created a fertile climate for militant Islamic fundamentalism. Funded and trained by organisations such as Osama bin Laden’s Al Qaeda and the Taliban, guerrilla movements like the IMU (Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan) have recruited a staggering number of members and launched insurgencies that threaten the stability of all five nations. Based on groundbreaking research and numerous interviews, Jihad explains the roots of fundamentalist rage in Central Asia, describes the goals and activities of these militant organisations, and suggests ways by which this threat can be neutralised in the future through diplomatic and economic intervention.