Solidarity Versus Universalism
Contemporary jihad is often seen either as pure negation of the concept of state sovereignty, or it is understood as merely seeking an Islamic version of state sovereignty through implementation of shari’a. In contrast, this article shows how transnational jihads in particular emphasize a logic of solidarity between Muslim communities without necessarily rejecting nation-state authority altogether. It unearths this logic of solidarity at the theoretical level through an analysis of the political theology of the Palestinian jihad theoretician ‘Abd Allah ‘Azzam in both his juristic writings and his work on miracles in the jihad in Afghanistan. Solidarity rather than sovereignty illuminates everyday challenges and dilemmas of jihad participants as well, as demonstrated by debates among Arab jihad fighters in the 1992-1995 war in Bosnia-Herzegovina over Islamic law rules governing marriages to Bosnian women.