Your Sons Are at Your Service: Tunisia's Missionaries of Jihad

Aaron Y. Zelin

Published by Columbia University Press 2020

Your Sons Are at Your Service

Tunisia's Missionaries of Jihad

Aaron Y. Zelin

In the series Columbia Studies in Terrorism and Irregular Warfare

https://doi.org/10.7312/zeli19376

Overview
Contents

About this book

Aaron Y. Zelin uncovers the history of Tunisian involvement in the jihadi movement and offers an in-depth examination of the reasons why so many Tunisians became drawn to jihadism following the 2011 revolution. Your Sons Are at Your Service is a meticulously researched account that challenges simplified views of jihadism’s appeal and success.

Author / Editor information

Aaron Y. Zelin is the Richard Borow Fellow at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy and a visiting research scholar in the Department of Politics at Brandeis University. He is the founder of the website Jihadology.net, a primary source archive of global jihadi materials.

Reviews

Wassim Nasr, France 24:
To understand modern jihadism as an ideology and dogma, the Tunisian jihadi movement provides a unique case. They were among the first, the most dedicated, and the most radical international recruits, challenging authorities at home and abroad. Some challenged the Taliban, al-Qaeda, and even the Islamic State. Zelin gives a glimpse into the past and future of jihadism through the Tunisian scope.

Jytte Klausen, Brandeis University:
Zelin presents a striking and unique study of the Tunisian jihadi mobilization in the aftermath of the Arab Spring, its historical roots in the 1980s, and in the global jihadi movement. He has conducted extremely valuable and innovative research, collecting data and speaking with activists and leaders in the extremist circles on the ground in Tunisia. The book cements Zelin’s reputation as an expert in his field, prized for his independent voice on this critical subject.

Thomas Hegghammer, author of Jihad in Saudi Arabia: Violence and Pan-Islamism Since 1979:
In this meticulously researched book packed with new discoveries, Zelin provides a comprehensive history of Tunisian jihadism, one of the least studied branches of the jihadi movement. But Your Sons Are at Your Service is much more than a country case study: it provides important insights on broader topics such as postrevolutionary politics, Salafi activism, foreign fighting, rebel recruitment, jihadi ideology, the Islamic State, and the war in Libya. This book should be on the shelf of any serious student of the modern Middle East.

J. M. Berger, author of Extremism:
Backed by an astonishing body of research, Your Sons Are at Your Service is a sweeping, authoritative history of Tunisian jihadism, with new revelations on almost every page. Zelin is one of the most respected scholars studying terrorism at the top of his game in this debut book.

Topics

Frontmatter Publicly Available Download PDF	i
CONTENTS Publicly Available Download PDF	vii
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS Publicly Available Download PDF	ix
ABBREVIATIONS Publicly Available Download PDF	xiii
NOTE ON TRANSLITERATION Publicly Available Download PDF	xv
INTRODUCTION Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	1
1. The Generation of Zaytunah Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	23
2. A Scattered Group with a Less- Than- Perfect Image Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	41
3. Come do Jihad Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	71
4. Sons of Tunisia Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	96
5. Tunisia is a Land of Dawa Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	114
6. Hear from Us, Not About Us Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	135
7. Tunisians Can Be Found Everywhere in the Land of Jihad Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	159
8. It Was Mostly the Tunisians Who Where Involved in Takfir Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	188
9. Honest Ones Among the Dawa People Must Come to al-Sham Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	204
10. We Are Here to Protect You from This Nonbeliever Government Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	233
11. The Future of the Tunisians Jihadi Movement Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	257
Author's Note on Terminology Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	273
Notes Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	279
Bibliography Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	339
Index Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	365

Language: English
Publisher: Columbia University Press
Audience: Professional and scholarly;

eBook

Published: May 5, 2020
ISBN: 9780231550499