Calvert, John . "The Mythic Foundations of Radical Islam ." Orbis 48, no. 1(Winter 2004): pp. 29-41. Notes: Available full text on Wilsonweb
Abstract: The core concepts of radical Islam as provided by Sayyid Qutb, an Egyptian Islamist, constitute a political myth of Islam's rebirth as a vital force in world affairs to be attained by confrontation with the west. The myth aims to inspire a movement of purifying, cathartic community rebirth, by demonizing the political and cultural moorings of the Western and implementing God's rule over the earth.

Cook, Michael . The Koran : A Very Short Introduction . New York, NY: Oxford University Press, 2000. Call Number: BP 130.4 .C66 2000
Abstract: The significance of the Koran both in the modern world and in traditional Muslim culture. Illustrates the diversity of interpretations championed by traditional and modern commentators, discusses the processes by which the book took shape, and compares it to other scriptures and classics of the historic cultures of Eurasia.

Emerson, Steven. Jihad in America. 2001. [videorecording]. Call Number: BP182 .J54 2001
Abstract: A documentary report by journalist Steven Emerson investigating Islamic fundamentalists' activities in the U.S. today. The program features videos of militants' meetings in the U.S., interviews with leading law enforcement and government officials and contains a discussion about the civil liberties and dealing with the threat of terrorism.

Esposito, John L. The Oxford Dictionary of Islam. New York, NY: Oxford University Press, 2003. Call Number: REF BP 40 .O95 2003
Abstract: This book is meant for readers with little or no knowledge of Islam. It contains more than 2,000 vividly written, up-to-date, and authoritative entries that focus primarily on the 19th and 20th centuries. The coverage includes religious, political, and social spheres of the modern Islamic world. It covers recent events, biographical profiles (ranging from Naguib Mahfouz (the Nobel Prize winner from Egypt) to Malcolm X, including political leaders, influential thinkers, poets, scientists, and writers), major political movements, militant groups, religious sects and terms from Islamic law, culture, and religion, key historical events, and important landmarks (such as Mecca and Medina). A series of entries looks at Islam in individual nations, such as Afghanistan, the West Bank and Gaza, Bosnia-Herzegovina, and the United States, and there are discussions of Islamic views on such issues as abortion, birth control, the Internet, the Rushdie Affair, and the theory of evolution.

Glassé, Cyril. The New Encyclopedia of Islam. Walnet Creek, CA: AltaMira Press, 2002.
Call Number: BP 40 .G42 2002
Abstract: All aspects of religious belief, ritual, practices, prayer, significant political movements, spiritual and political leaders, art, architecture, sects, law, social institutions, history, ethnography, nations and states, languages, science, major cities and centers of learning are covered in over 1300 entries. It includes a bibliography, reference maps, graphical representations of the branches of Islam, genealogical tables and a chronology.

Gregg, Gary S . The Middle East : A Cultural Psychology. New York, NY: Oxford University Press, 2005. Call Number: REF BP 40 .O95 2003
Abstract: The first comprehensive summary of psychological writings on the region, covering works by psychologists, anthropologists, and sociologists written in English, Arabic, and French. It references autobiographies, literary works, ethnographic accounts, and life-history interviews, and provides insight into the lives, families, and social relationships of Middle Easterners as they struggle to reconcile the lure of Westernized life-styles with traditional values.

Hanif, Muhammad. "Islam: Sunnis and Shiites." Social Education 58, no. 6(October 1994): pp. 339-44. Notes: Available full text on InfoTrac
Abstract: Islam has more that 970 million followers, most of them living in the Middle East, and is divided into Sunnis and Shiites, who form 83% and 16%, respectively, of the Muslim population. Sunnis and Shiites have various common beliefs such as the unity of Allah, the five obligatory prayers and the necessity of a pilgrimage to Mecca, but they differ in several important aspects including the concept of the Imamate, the role of present-day Imams and intercession between human beings and Allah.

Henkel, Heiko. "Between Belief and Unbelief Lies the Performance of Salat: Meaning and Efficacy of a Muslim Ritual." Journal of the Royal Anthropological Institute 11, no. 3(September 2005): pp. 487-508. Notes: Available full text on InfoTrac
Abstract: Drawing on fieldwork in Istanbul, Turkey, the article analyses the role of the Muslim five-times-daily prayer (salat), within the Islamic tradition. It is argued that the prayer, with its intricate ritual format, provides practitioners with a formidable resource for strengthening their commitment to Islam and asserting membership in a community of believers while at the same time enabling religious Muslims to pursue new and diverse interpretations of Islam. The character of the salat as a mobile discipline that can easily be inserted into very different forms of life has become especially important as religious Muslims have increasingly been incorporated into liberal society in Turkey in the past decades.

Hufnail, Mark. Inside Islam. MPH Entertainment. 2002. [DVD videorecording].
Call Number: A-V BP 161.3 .I57 2002
Abstract: Lifts the veil of mystery surrounding a misunderstood faith, traces its roots back to the Hebrew Bible and discovers how the Five Pillars, the religion's central tenets, helped spread Islam to the far corners of the world. It also covers what the Qu'Ran says about war, violence and suicide, and how these words have been co-opted by extremists. Experts like Khaled Abou el Fadl (Speaking in God's Name) debate the challenges facing Islam today, including a crisis of authority and deep divisions among many sects.

Kepel, Gilles. Jihad : the Trail of Political Islam . Cambridge, MA: Belknap Press of Harvard University Press, 2002. Call Number: BP 130.4 .C66 2000
Abstract: The late twentieth century has witnessed the emergence of an unexpected and extraordinary phenomenon: Islamist political movements. Beginning in the early 1970s, militants revolted against the regimes in power throughout the Muslim world and exacerbated political conflicts everywhere. Their jihad, or "Holy Struggle," aimed to establish a global Islamic state based solely on a strict interpretation of the Koran. Religious ideology proved a cohesive force, gathering followers ranging from students and the young urban poor to middle-class professionals.
After an initial triumph with the Islamic revolution in Iran, the movement waged jihad against the USSR in Afghanistan, proclaiming for the first time a doctrine of extreme violence. By the end of the 1990s, the failure to seize political power elsewhere led to a split: movement moderates developed new concepts of "Muslim democracy" while extremists resorted to large-scale terrorist attacks around the world.

Jihad is the first extensive, in-depth attempt to follow the history and geography of this disturbing political-religious phenomenon. Fluent in Arabic, Kepel has traveled throughout the Muslim world gathering documents, interviews, and archival materials inaccessible to most scholars, in order to give us a comprehensive understanding of the scope of Islamist movements, their past, and their present.

Encyclopedia of Islam and the Muslim World ( Volume 1 & 2), editor Richard C. MartinVol. 1-2. New York, NY: Macmilliam Reference USA, 2004. Call Number: REF BP40 .E525 2004 v1(v2)
Abstract: All aspects of Islam and its influence on human culture and society from antiquity to the present day are covered. The Encyclopedia of Islam and the Muslim World encompasses a variety of subjects including history, anthropology, geography, sociology, philosophy, political science, religion and others. Each entry concludes with a bibliography and cross-references that point readers to topics of related interest. It is illustrated with photographs, timelines and maps.

Middle East Media Research Institute. "Memri(The Middle East Media Research Institute) TV Project." [http://www.memritv.org/Search.asp?ACT=S5&P1=9]. September 2006.
Abstract: Video Clips from Arab Television on the subject of Jihad and Terrorism

Pargeter, Alison. "Western Converts to Radial Islam: The Global Jihad's New Soldiers?. " Jane's Intelligence Review 18, no. 8(August 2006): pp. 20-27.
Abstract: The participation of a handful of Western converts to radical Islam in recent terrorist attacks has triggered speculation about how such individuals might constitute a unique security risk. The profiles of such recruits and their role in jihadist networks are explored

PBS Home Video. Islam, Empire of Faith. 2001. [DVD videorecording]. Call Number: A-V BP 50 .I74 2001
Abstract: Documents the rise and growth of Islam throughout the world, from the birth of Prophet Muhammad in the 6th century through the peak of the Ottoman Empire 1000 years later. Discusses the impact of Islamic civilization on world history and culture.

Popeo, John W. "Combating Radical Islam in Prisons Within the Legal Dictates of the Free Exercise Clause." New England Journal on Criminal & Civil Confinement 32, no. 1(Winter 2006): pp. 135-59. Notes: Available full text on Lexis-Nexis - Please see a librarian
Abstract: This article assesses the First Amendment constitutionality of certain prison directives set forth by the Office of the Inspector General (OIG) to the Bureau of Prisons (BOP). These directives seek to mitigate the proliferation of radical Islam within penal institutions.

Takeyh, Ray and Nikolas K. Gvosdev. "Radical Islam: the Death of an Ideology?" Middle East Policy 11, no. 4(Winter 2004): pp. 86-96. Notes: Available full text on InfoTrac
Abstract: Since the tragedies of September 11, 2001, the United States has invested its war on terrorism with the loftier vision of diminishing the zeal of radical Islam. President Bush and the architects of America's policy insist that the best manner of combating terrorism and ensuring stable societies is to extinguish the fires of radical Islam. Indeed, Osama bin Laden and his cohort of militants are inspired by a distorted vision of Islam and sanctify their campaign of violence through a selective reading of Quranic phrases. However, beyond the narrow band of terrorists hiding in the mountains of Afghanistan and the occasional fulminations of radical clerics, the critical question remains, does Islamism pose an actual threat to the region's political order? Is there any place in the Middle East where Islamist parties and forces are actually poised to assume political power? If viewed through such a prism, the inescapable conclusion is that while radical Islam may prove tantalizing to a disillusioned few, it is a fading ideology with a limited and diminishing constituency.

Wiktorowicz, Quintan. "A Genealogy of Radical Islam ." Studies in Conflict and Terrorism 28, no. 2(March/April 2005): pp. 75-98. Notes: Available full text on Swets Online Content
Abstract: A genealogy of the radical ideas that underline al-Qaeda"s justification for violence shows that the development of jihadi thought over the past several decades is characterized by the erosion of critical constraints used to limit warfare and violence in classical Islam. This erosion is illustrated by the evolution of jihadi arguments related to apostasy and waging jihad at home, global jihad, civilian targeting, and suicide bombings.