Jihad: The Rise of Militant Islam in Central Asia

by Ahmed Rashid
Jihad: The Rise of Militant Islam in Central Asia  
published 2002 by Penguin (Non-Classics)
binding Paperback
isbn 0142002607   (isbn13: 9780142002605)
pages 320
description In the aftermath of September 11, as Americans tried to figure out what they were up against, many of them turned to Ahmed Rashid's masterful book ...more
date added
03-16-07



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other reviews (showing 1-20 of 86)



Clean
Clean rated it: 4 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars
03/14/08

Read in February, 2008
recommended to Clean by: My mother, trying to dissuade me from visiting the region.
recommends it for: Anyone wishing to understand post-Soviet Central Asia and some of the roots of radical jihadism
This was a fascinating book for me, and not just because I've hosted a high school exchange student from the region. It clearly lays out who the main actors are, and identifies which ones are radical jihadis, versus those groups which take political action instead to work toward their religiously-inspired goals.

One of the more interesting insights I gained in the course of reading this is just how chaotic the dissolution of the Soviet Union was for the former SSRs. As the author notes, Rus...more
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Chelsea
Chelsea rated it: 5 of 5 stars5 of 5 stars5 of 5 stars5 of 5 stars5 of 5 stars
05/07/08

bookshelves: central-asia
Read in April, 2008
Wonderful introduction to the world of Central Asian politics, as well as regional religious conflicts and ethnic interests. An unbiased, enlightening read. I look forward to reading his new 2008 publication in June.

I loved this quote - an excerpt from an interview at Berkeley just after the release of this book. I think it sums up why I enjoyed his book so much - history IS vital to understandi...more
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~m.
~m. rated it: 3 of 5 stars3 of 5 stars3 of 5 stars3 of 5 stars3 of 5 stars
10/08/07

Read in April, 2005
This is a good follow up to Rashid's other book, Taliban, that gives a good overview of an area that most know nothing of. Rashid writes in a clear manner and gives an interesting analysis of the interconnected regional issues of Central Asia. I found the post-Soviet observations the most useful and interesting part of the book.
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Gabrielle
Gabrielle rated it: 3 of 5 stars3 of 5 stars3 of 5 stars3 of 5 stars3 of 5 stars
10/03/07

Read in August, 2007
recommends it for: central asian enthusiasts
not Ahmed's most readable book but still worth a flip through if Central Asian Islamic Militancy is your thing. chock full of interesting facts that will clear up a lot of questions to todays political situations.
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Danielle
Danielle rated it: 3 of 5 stars3 of 5 stars3 of 5 stars3 of 5 stars3 of 5 stars
11/14/07

Read in October, 2006
Somewhat better than Taliban but still short sighted on some fronts. It suffers for being written at the start of the conflict with the U.S., but it is a good primer for Islam in the area.
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Ramón
Ramón rated it: 4 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars
03/24/08

If you've never read anything about this region of the world, this is a great book to get familiar with an area that will continue to intrude itself into Western consciousness.
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Dirk
Dirk rated it: 5 of 5 stars5 of 5 stars5 of 5 stars5 of 5 stars5 of 5 stars
08/18/07

I've wriiten it before (just a moment ago actually)and I'll write it again ... read everything Rashid's written before you head to your polling place next year.
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PMP
03/14/07

bookshelves: presenttense
Read in September, 2005
Every academic argues that his area of specialisation is the next hotbed of crisis and disaster. How else will he make his living?
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Kate
Kate rated it: 3 of 5 stars3 of 5 stars3 of 5 stars3 of 5 stars3 of 5 stars
03/23/07

bookshelves: nonfiction, own, read-partially
I found this readable and informative, but that's about as glowing as I can be.
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Sara
Sara rated it: 3 of 5 stars3 of 5 stars3 of 5 stars3 of 5 stars3 of 5 stars
01/21/08

bookshelves: general
Also good for background.
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Komaruzzaman
Komaruzzaman added it
07/23/07

bookshelves: baca-baca
Read in July, 2007
recommends it for: sauya
baca dong
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Sven
Sven rated it: 4 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars
05/01/08

 

Daniel
Daniel rated it: 4 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars
12/07/07

bookshelves: central-asia
 

taiga
taiga marked it as to-read
03/16/07

bookshelves: to-read
 

Innosanto
Innosanto rated it: 4 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars
01/07/08

 

Oliver
Oliver rated it: 3 of 5 stars3 of 5 stars3 of 5 stars3 of 5 stars3 of 5 stars
06/28/08

bookshelves: currently-reading
 

Justin
Justin marked it as to-read
04/13/08

bookshelves: to-read
 

Jen
Jen rated it: 3 of 5 stars3 of 5 stars3 of 5 stars3 of 5 stars3 of 5 stars
04/15/08

Read in April, 2008
 

Benjamin
Benjamin marked it as to-read
03/15/08

bookshelves: to-read
 


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book data (includes all editions)

avg rating (all editions): 3.68 (59 ratings)
avg rating (this edition): 3.70 (53 ratings)
number of reviews: 11






other editions

Jihad (Yale Nota Bene)
Jihad: The Rise of Militant Islam in Central Asia (Hardcover)
Jihad (Paperback)