The Art of Making a Jihadist

Thomas Hegghammer, former Member and Visitor in the School of Historical Studies, sat down with the Guardian's Andrew Anthony to discuss his book Jihadi Culture: The Art and Social Practices of Militant Islamists (Cambridge University Press, 2017), an examination of the background activities and patterns of behavior that amount to a distinct Jihadi culture.

“We should expect them to spend all their time honing their bomb-making skills, raising funds, or studying the enemy’s weakness,” Hegghammer writes. “Yet they ‘waste’ time on poetry recitation, hymn singing, and other activities that serve no apparent strategic purpose.”