Like many people in America and around the world, Talal Asad experienced
the events of September 11, 2001, largely through the media and the
emotional response of others. For many non-Muslims, "the suicide bomber"
quickly became the icon of "an Islamic culture of death"--a conceptual
leap that struck Asad as problematic. Is there a "religiously-motivated
terrorism?" If so, how does it differ from other cruelties? What makes
its motivation "religious"? Where does it stand in relation to other
forms of collective violence?
Drawing on his extensive scholarship in the study of secular and
religious traditions as well as his understanding of social, political,
and anthropological theory and research, Asad questions Western
assumptions regarding death and killing. He scrutinizes the idea of a
"clash of civilizations," the claim that "Islamic jihadism" is the
essence of modern terror, and the arguments put forward by liberals to
justify war in our time. He critically engages with a range of
explanations of suicide terrorism, exploring many writers' preoccupation
with the motives of perpetrators. In conclusion, Asad examines our
emotional response to suicide (including suicide terrorism) and the
horror it invokes.
On Suicide Bombing is an original and provocative analysis critiquing
the work of intellectuals from both the left and the right. Though
fighting evil is an old concept, it has found new and disturbing
expressions in our contemporary "war on terror." For Asad, it is
critical that we remain aware of the forces shaping the discourse
surrounding this mode of violence, and by questioning our assumptions
about morally good and morally evil ways of killing, he illuminates the
fragile contradictions that are a part of our modern subjectivity.
