Abstract: | A discussion of the socio-cultural background of militant Islam. The surge of Muslim militancy is considered in a broad context, taking into account the input of such factors as local grassroot attitudes, political socialization, and tangential intellectual theories. The analysis suggests that militant Islam was nurtured by the dynamics of synthesizing traditional and Western elements: a renaissance of the traditional belief system with a simultaneous proliferation of Western gadgets and styles; a strong leaning on Islam for legitimation of authority, while simultaneously holding back from a coherent implementation of the exercized symbols. Notes. |