Ribat, al-Qa'ida, and the challenge for US foreign policy [Ressource électronique]

This article explores al-Qa'ida's concept of a sacred geography, focusing on the idea of "ribat" -- maintaining watch on the frontier to defend Islam. Beginning in Afghanistan, fundamentalists have re-adopted this term from the hadith to characterize their struggle with the West, from al-Andalus to Palestine to Chechnya to Iraq. The implications for US policy are enormous, especially as it operates within the perceived Islamic patrimony. An understanding of ribat also helps explain why al-Qa'ida had no significant presence in Iraq prior to March 2003 but would soon thereafter [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] Copyright of Middle East Journal is the property of Middle East Journal and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)