Cultic Studies Review, Vol. 5, No. 1, 2006, Page 86
Book Reviews
Terror in the Name of God: Why Religious Militants Kill
Jessica Sterns, Harper Perennial (a division of Harper Collins): New York,
September 1, 2004. ISBN 0060505338 (paperback) $15.95. 400 pages.
Since the attacks of September 11, 2001, numerous books about terrorism have been
published. Most of the authors did not have direct contact with terrorists as data sources
instead, they relied on secondary sources and cited those few individuals who have had
direct contact. In her book Terror in the Name of God: Why Religious Militants Kill, Dr.
Jessica Stern interviewed terrorists and presumed terrorist supporters on their home
ground.
Until Dr. Stern‘s book was published, most of the authors who had direct contact with
terrorists were either journalists or former counter-terrorism agents. Dr. Stern‘s book is
therefore unusual because she is a trained social scientist who spent four years collecting
primary data. She is to be commended for her courage in undertaking this enterprise, which
she did in spite of her acknowledged fears.
Dr. Stern has a Ph.D. in Public Policy from Harvard University, and she is a faculty affiliate
at the Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs. She has served on the National
Security Council, specializing in the threat of nuclear smuggling and terrorism in Russia and
the former Soviet states. She has been a super-terrorism fellow at the Council of Foreign
Relations and a national fellow at the Hoover Institute. She has published numerous articles
and books on terrorism and weapons of mass destruction. She clearly has the background
and expertise to write an academic treatise on terrorists for her fellow scholars and
researchers. In this case, she has instead written a very readable book for the general
public that is an interesting blend of personalized journalism and social science.
Overview
In her introduction, Dr. Stern states that she limited her research to terrorists who are
religiously motivated because she considers religious terrorists to be the most dangerous
individuals in the world today. Also in this section, Dr. Stern acknowledges that her field-
interview and survey data-collection methods did not constitute fully controlled experiments
with random selection to experimental and control groups. This is an important point that
applies to all research on cults and extremist groups. These closed, insular groups cannot be
studied with the best scientific methods, and therefore any conclusions made about these
groups are empirically questionable.
Dr. Stern divides her book into two sections. Part I is entitled Grievances That Give Rise to
Holy War. In the five chapters in this section, Dr. Stern uses the data from her interviews
and surveys to answer the following question: Why do people respond to religious
grievances by joining terrorist groups, and once they join, what makes them stay? Dr. Stern
concludes that there are five ―grievances‖ (reasons) that cause individuals to join and stay
in these groups. Each chapter in Part I is devoted to one of these five grievances:
Alienation, Humiliation, Demographics, History, and Territory. Although she has separated
these grievances into separate chapters, Dr. Stern recognizes that behavior is determined in
multiply ways, and that joiners have a complex set of reasons for their actions.
In Part II, entitled Holy War Organizations, Dr. Stern addresses this question: How do
leaders run holy-war organizations? In chapters 6, 8, and 9, she focuses on different types
of terrorist organizations, and on the different kinds of relationships that exist between cult
leaders and their followers. The focus in chapter 7 is on individuals who engage in terrorist
actions apparently without the approval or support of a group or organization. In chapter
Book Reviews
Terror in the Name of God: Why Religious Militants Kill
Jessica Sterns, Harper Perennial (a division of Harper Collins): New York,
September 1, 2004. ISBN 0060505338 (paperback) $15.95. 400 pages.
Since the attacks of September 11, 2001, numerous books about terrorism have been
published. Most of the authors did not have direct contact with terrorists as data sources
instead, they relied on secondary sources and cited those few individuals who have had
direct contact. In her book Terror in the Name of God: Why Religious Militants Kill, Dr.
Jessica Stern interviewed terrorists and presumed terrorist supporters on their home
ground.
Until Dr. Stern‘s book was published, most of the authors who had direct contact with
terrorists were either journalists or former counter-terrorism agents. Dr. Stern‘s book is
therefore unusual because she is a trained social scientist who spent four years collecting
primary data. She is to be commended for her courage in undertaking this enterprise, which
she did in spite of her acknowledged fears.
Dr. Stern has a Ph.D. in Public Policy from Harvard University, and she is a faculty affiliate
at the Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs. She has served on the National
Security Council, specializing in the threat of nuclear smuggling and terrorism in Russia and
the former Soviet states. She has been a super-terrorism fellow at the Council of Foreign
Relations and a national fellow at the Hoover Institute. She has published numerous articles
and books on terrorism and weapons of mass destruction. She clearly has the background
and expertise to write an academic treatise on terrorists for her fellow scholars and
researchers. In this case, she has instead written a very readable book for the general
public that is an interesting blend of personalized journalism and social science.
Overview
In her introduction, Dr. Stern states that she limited her research to terrorists who are
religiously motivated because she considers religious terrorists to be the most dangerous
individuals in the world today. Also in this section, Dr. Stern acknowledges that her field-
interview and survey data-collection methods did not constitute fully controlled experiments
with random selection to experimental and control groups. This is an important point that
applies to all research on cults and extremist groups. These closed, insular groups cannot be
studied with the best scientific methods, and therefore any conclusions made about these
groups are empirically questionable.
Dr. Stern divides her book into two sections. Part I is entitled Grievances That Give Rise to
Holy War. In the five chapters in this section, Dr. Stern uses the data from her interviews
and surveys to answer the following question: Why do people respond to religious
grievances by joining terrorist groups, and once they join, what makes them stay? Dr. Stern
concludes that there are five ―grievances‖ (reasons) that cause individuals to join and stay
in these groups. Each chapter in Part I is devoted to one of these five grievances:
Alienation, Humiliation, Demographics, History, and Territory. Although she has separated
these grievances into separate chapters, Dr. Stern recognizes that behavior is determined in
multiply ways, and that joiners have a complex set of reasons for their actions.
In Part II, entitled Holy War Organizations, Dr. Stern addresses this question: How do
leaders run holy-war organizations? In chapters 6, 8, and 9, she focuses on different types
of terrorist organizations, and on the different kinds of relationships that exist between cult
leaders and their followers. The focus in chapter 7 is on individuals who engage in terrorist
actions apparently without the approval or support of a group or organization. In chapter
