Gurski, a former Canadian intelligence analyst, provides an excellent survey of armed conflicts involving what he refers to as ‘lesser jihads,’ or the most extreme and intolerant Islamic terrorists who view the world as a zero-sum game. Chapters are organized by region as Gurski walks the reader through cases where Muslims are at times the aggressors, but also frequently the victims. Through brief case discussions, he demonstrates that regardless of local and underlying causes, violence against Muslims anywhere has been presented by Islamic terrorists via social media as a worldwide offensive against traditional Islam, or what he terms the ‘ummahfication of war.’ External actors feed into this narrative through foreign military intervention in some cases and through neglect in others, helping to explain the transnational migration of foreign fighters. Gurksi concludes with valuable lessons and suggested approaches by external actors to make the ummahfication of war narrative less effective. Readers will find the book interesting and insightful.

Summing Up: Highly recommended. Upper-division undergraduates through professionals.

Choice Reviews

Jihadism is complicated. Very few are qualified to explain the complexity of phenomenon in the lucid and incisive manner as we find in Phil Gurski’s new book. Benefiting from his background in both academia and intelligence analysis, Gurski has written a well-informed and nuanced tour d'horizon of the conflicts and chains of events that brought about, and continue to fuel, Al Qaeda’s and Islamic State’s terrorist activities. It should be read by students and scholars in the fields of armed conflict, political violence and Islamist militancy. I would also recommend it for practitioners involved in preventing, countering and analyzing violent extremism

Petter Nesser, senior researcher with the Norwegian Defence Research Establishment (FFI)

The Lesser JiThe Lesser Jihads provides an accessible summary of jihadist ideology and thinking across a number of conflicts. Gurski’s discussion of the Uighurs is a particularly welcome contribution. This work serves as an important reminder that many countries outside of Syria and Iraq have been and continue to be affected by the current wave of terrorist violence, and that Muslims are disproportionately affected by that violence.
hads provides an accessible summary of jihadist ideology and thinking across a number of conflicts. Gurski’s discussion of the Uighurs is a particularly welcome contribution. This work serves as an important reminder that many countries outside of Syria and Iraq have been and continue to be affected by the current wave of terrorist violence, and that Muslims are disproportionately affected by that violence.

Jessica Davis, author of Women in Modern Terrorism: From Liberation Wars to Global Jihad and the Islamic State

A valuable and rare contribution of a former intelligence expert to the public and scientific debate on jihadi terrorism. Gurski’s excellent understanding of Islamist extremism gives us important insights into underlying motives and mechanisms that lead to (re)framing conflicts in Islamist and jihadist ideological perspectives. His pointing out the jihadi strategy of ‘ummahfication of conflicts’ by exploiting the feeling that Islam is under attack is convincing and helps us in formulating policy measures and counter narrative.

Paul H.A.M. Abels, Deputy Director of the Analysis and Strategy Department of the National Coordinator on Security and Counter-Terrorism