Jihadist beheading: a convergence of technology, theology, and teleology?

Although contemporary jihadist terrorists are most well known for perpetrating operations that generate mass casualties, they also conduct violent acts that yield fewer victims, such as beheading hostages. Examining the religious and cultural contexts that surround jihadist beheadings, developments...

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Main Authors:	Lentini, Pete, Bakashmar, Muhammad
Format:	Article
Language:	English
Published:	Routledge 2007
Subjects:	HV6001 Criminology JA Political science (General) U Military Science (General)
Online Access:	http://irep.iium.edu.my/48018/ http://irep.iium.edu.my/48018/ http://irep.iium.edu.my/48018/ http://irep.iium.edu.my/48018/1/Jihadist_beheading_article-_Bakashmar.pdf

id	iium-48018
recordtype	eprints
spelling	iium-480182016-07-15T03:36:39Z http://irep.iium.edu.my/48018/ Jihadist beheading: a convergence of technology, theology, and teleology? Lentini, Pete Bakashmar, Muhammad HV6001 Criminology JA Political science (General) U Military Science (General) Although contemporary jihadist terrorists are most well known for perpetrating operations that generate mass casualties, they also conduct violent acts that yield fewer victims, such as beheading hostages. Examining the religious and cultural contexts that surround jihadist beheadings, developments in new media, and drawing on examples from the ChechenWars and the IraqWar, this article argues that jihadists have employed this tactic for a range of reasons, including obtaining ransom payments, hampering foreign investment, discrediting transitional states, and recruiting supporters. It also suggests that jihadists’ beheading of their captives corresponds with aspects of cosmic war, particularly on how religious terrorists’ desires to please a deity and secure a place of honor in the hereafter has devalued the lives of both captor and prisoner. Consequently, contemporary jihadist beheading is an outgrowth of the practice of terrorist hostage taking. As this article goes to press (February 2007) UK authorities disrupted a terrorist cell allegedly plotting to behead British Muslim soldiers who served in Afghanistan and Iraq, and to broadcast the filmed executions through jihadist websites. Journalists have described the intended beheadings and their dissemination as “Iraq-style.” There is no doubt that jihadist beheading became more widely known as a result of the Iraq conflict. However, the beheadings in Iraq were largely used to recruit future jihadists and to demonstrate jihadists’ strength to their potential support base, the global Muslim community. In contrast, the alleged UK beheading plot was aimed at striking terror into Muslims living in the UK so that they would not support or serve their government. Indeed the Iraq beheadings were intended to persuade, and the UK plot was intended to dissuade. These alleged activities suggest that contemporary jihadist beheading is not only an extension of hostage-taking, it is also an independently evolving terrorist tactic. Routledge 2007-04-01 Article PeerReviewed application/pdf en http://irep.iium.edu.my/48018/1/Jihadist_beheading_article-_Bakashmar.pdf Lentini, Pete and Bakashmar, Muhammad (2007) Jihadist beheading: a convergence of technology, theology, and teleology? Studies in Conflict and Terrorism, 30 (4). pp. 303-325. ISSN 1057-610X E-ISSN 1521-0731 http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/10576100701200140 10.1080/10576100701200140
repository_type	Digital Repository
institution_category	Local University
institution	International Islamic University Malaysia
building	IIUM Repository
collection	Online Access
language	English
topic	HV6001 Criminology JA Political science (General) U Military Science (General)
spellingShingle	HV6001 Criminology JA Political science (General) U Military Science (General) Lentini, Pete Bakashmar, Muhammad Jihadist beheading: a convergence of technology, theology, and teleology?
description	Although contemporary jihadist terrorists are most well known for perpetrating operations that generate mass casualties, they also conduct violent acts that yield fewer victims, such as beheading hostages. Examining the religious and cultural contexts that surround jihadist beheadings, developments in new media, and drawing on examples from the ChechenWars and the IraqWar, this article argues that jihadists have employed this tactic for a range of reasons, including obtaining ransom payments, hampering foreign investment, discrediting transitional states, and recruiting supporters. It also suggests that jihadists’ beheading of their captives corresponds with aspects of cosmic war, particularly on how religious terrorists’ desires to please a deity and secure a place of honor in the hereafter has devalued the lives of both captor and prisoner. Consequently, contemporary jihadist beheading is an outgrowth of the practice of terrorist hostage taking. As this article goes to press (February 2007) UK authorities disrupted a terrorist cell allegedly plotting to behead British Muslim soldiers who served in Afghanistan and Iraq, and to broadcast the filmed executions through jihadist websites. Journalists have described the intended beheadings and their dissemination as “Iraq-style.” There is no doubt that jihadist beheading became more widely known as a result of the Iraq conflict. However, the beheadings in Iraq were largely used to recruit future jihadists and to demonstrate jihadists’ strength to their potential support base, the global Muslim community. In contrast, the alleged UK beheading plot was aimed at striking terror into Muslims living in the UK so that they would not support or serve their government. Indeed the Iraq beheadings were intended to persuade, and the UK plot was intended to dissuade. These alleged activities suggest that contemporary jihadist beheading is not only an extension of hostage-taking, it is also an independently evolving terrorist tactic.
format	Article
author	Lentini, Pete Bakashmar, Muhammad
author_facet	Lentini, Pete Bakashmar, Muhammad
author_sort	Lentini, Pete
title	Jihadist beheading: a convergence of technology, theology, and teleology?
title_short	Jihadist beheading: a convergence of technology, theology, and teleology?
title_full	Jihadist beheading: a convergence of technology, theology, and teleology?
title_fullStr	Jihadist beheading: a convergence of technology, theology, and teleology?
title_full_unstemmed	Jihadist beheading: a convergence of technology, theology, and teleology?
title_sort	jihadist beheading: a convergence of technology, theology, and teleology?
publisher	Routledge
publishDate	2007
url	http://irep.iium.edu.my/48018/ http://irep.iium.edu.my/48018/ http://irep.iium.edu.my/48018/ http://irep.iium.edu.my/48018/1/Jihadist_beheading_article-_Bakashmar.pdf
first_indexed	2023-09-18T21:08:14Z
last_indexed	2023-09-18T21:08:14Z
_version_	1777411077535956992

Jihadist beheading: a convergence of technology, theology, and teleology?

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