In this Book
- Virtual Caliphate: Exposing the Islamist State on the Internet
- Book
- 2010
- Published by: University of Nebraska Press
summary
In 1924, the last caliphate—an Islamic state as envisioned by the Koran—was dismantled in Turkey. With no state in existence that matches the radical Islamic ideal since, al Qaeda, which sees itself as a government in exile, along with its hundreds of affiliate organizations, has failed to achieve its goal of reestablishing the caliphate. It is precisely this failure to create a homeland, journalist Yaakov Lappin asserts, that has necessitated the formation of an unforeseen and unprecedented entity—that is, a virtual caliphate.
An Islamist state that exists on computer servers around the world, the virtual caliphate is used by Islamists to carry out functions typically reserved for a physical state, such as creating training camps, mapping out a state’s constitution, and drafting tax laws. In Virtual Caliphate, Lappin shows how Islamists, equipped with twenty-first-century technology to achieve a seventh-century vision, soon hope to upload the virtual caliphate into the physical world.
Lappin dispels for the reader the mystery of the jihadi netherworld that exists everywhere and nowhere at once. Anyone interested in understanding the international jihadi movement will find this concise treatment compelling and indispensable.
An Islamist state that exists on computer servers around the world, the virtual caliphate is used by Islamists to carry out functions typically reserved for a physical state, such as creating training camps, mapping out a state’s constitution, and drafting tax laws. In Virtual Caliphate, Lappin shows how Islamists, equipped with twenty-first-century technology to achieve a seventh-century vision, soon hope to upload the virtual caliphate into the physical world.
Lappin dispels for the reader the mystery of the jihadi netherworld that exists everywhere and nowhere at once. Anyone interested in understanding the international jihadi movement will find this concise treatment compelling and indispensable.
Table of Contents
Download Full Book
- Introduction
- pp. vii-viii
- 1 The Strangers
- pp. 1-10
- 2 The Roots: Nowhere to Call Home
- pp. 11-24
- 3 Going Online
- pp. 25-32
- 4 The Ministry of War
- pp. 33-40
- 5 Online Training Videos
- pp. 41-46
- 7 The Ministry of Foreign Affairs
- pp. 57-70
- 8 Uploading the Virtual Caliphate
- pp. 71-84
- 9 The Ministry of Morality
- pp. 85-94
- 10 The Ministry of Finance
- pp. 95-104
- 11 Electronic Warfare
- pp. 105-112
- 12 Online Clashes with Shiites and Iran
- pp. 113-120
- 14 Can the Virtual Caliphate Be Defeated?
- pp. 129-136
- 15 The Gathering Counteroffensive
- pp. 137-144
- 16 The Virtual Caliphate’s WMD Program
- pp. 145-152
- 17 Future Scenarios
- pp. 153-160
- 18 Virtual Statehood?
- pp. 161-164
- Selected Sources
- pp. 185-190
- About the Author
- p. 203
Additional Information
ISBN
9781597975612
Related ISBN(s)
9781597975117
MARC Record
OCLC
755569996
Pages
212
Launched on MUSE
2015-01-01
Language
English
Open Access
No