This book explores the radical Islamist mindset by adopting the philosophical category of revolutionary Gnosticism. Already used for the study of other revolutionary phenomena such as Nazism, Bolshevism and Jacobinism, never before has this notion been adopted in relation to Salafi -Jihadism, the latest existing revolutionary ideology. The consistency of Salafi -Jihadism with revolutionary Gnosticism reveals a conception of the world that stands in the forgetfulness of a pure transcendent dimension, notwithstanding the apparent spiritual framework and religious justifications that jihadists provide. Through the examination of Islamist sermons and texts in light of a distinct philosophical tradition, this book investigates the activist redemptive effort of Salafi -Jihadism, which leaves God without a clear possibility of intervening in human affairs.
Giacomo Maria Arrigo (Messina, 1992) has a PhD in Political Philosophy from the University of Calabria (Italy) and the KU Leuven University (Belgium). In 2020, he held a research position at the Filippo Burzio Foundation, Turin. He is currently Co-Editor-in-Chief of the journal “Occhialì – Rivista sul Mediterraneo islamico” and Teaching Assistant for the courses “History of Moral Doctrines” and “Philosophy of History” at the Catholic University of the Sacred Heart, Milan.