The Jihadi Dictionary: The Essential INTEL Tool for the Military, Law Enforcement, Government, and the Concerned Public. Multieducator, Inc. 2016.
Dr. Nancy Hartevelt Kobrin’s books have nothing to do with our book,Jewish Luck. Many nonfiction books cue a reader through the title or subtitle if the book is meant for them. I feel I am one of the “concerned public” when it comes to the topic of terrorism. I’m also tired of hearing pundits talk about terrorism in terms of airport security or border control. I don’t want to rely on instant replays and reactive reporting. Maybe it’s my background as a historian that makes me want to know more about the root causes, the culture, the language of jihadis. For me it’s more than an academic exercise. Understanding the “whys” allows us to address the question, “how could this be different?”
When I saw the title, The Jihadi Dictionary, I assumed I wouldn’t read the book from A-Z (yes, it’s arranged like a dictionary). I’ve found that reading the entries as the terms that connect to jihadi thought and behavior arise in the news sharpened my perceptions. At times I understand the news better, at other times it makes me want to question the validity of the pundit. For example, the term “weapons of mass destruction” seems to have emerged under the Bush administration. However, you’ll learn that the term was coined in 1937 by the Archbishop of Canterbury referring to the bombing of Guernica. When I read the section about relevance to jihadis, it really made me think. Dr. Kobrin writes, “Weapons of mass destruction afford the jihadis a unique means of bonding with hard objects, which are a replacement for the mother.” She concludes by stating that jihadis tell the public what they want to do and they will do it. This statement alone shakes up what historians (including me) learned about the art of brinksmanship in the Cold War. This is a different war. The psychology of the jihadi was not an approach I’d ever considered before reading Dr. Kobrin’s works and it’s certainly worth seriously considering. If you’re someone with unshakeable opinions, you might not want a challenge of this sort. Dr. Hartevelt Kobrin’s holistic approach and introduction of psychology offers me a different lens for understanding. After reading the dictionary I am even more convinced of the importance of improving the way women in the Muslim world are treated and how imperative it is to encourage shifts in education for both boys and girls.
If you, too, consider yourself a concerned citizen, (and certainly if you fit one of the three professional categories of the subtitle) here’s a primer on consulting The Jihadi Dictionary. The introduction clearly explains the format of the entries and how to use the dictionary. I also suggest reading The Coda and the other end matter first to understand the theories and beliefs underpinning the dictionary. Her theory about the role of maternal attachment will challenge you to think more deeply about the roots of Jihadism and think more creatively about the solutions.
Currently Dr. Hartevelt Kobrin is a fellow at the American Center for Democracy (acdemocracy.org). Her background includes a Ph.D in Comparative Literature and certificates from The Chicago Institute of Psychoanalysis and the US Army’s Human Terrain Program. She has varying degrees of fluency in thirteen languages. Reading both The Jihadi Dictionary and The Maternal Drama of the Chechen Jihadi, I could see the different strands of Dr. Hartevelt Kobrin’s background come into play. She has a broad vantage point.
With all the rhetoric that surrounds us in the United States during this election cycle, it’s imperative to take a few steps back from reflexive responses like “kick the Muslims out of the US.” Dr. Hartevelt Kobrin’s work helps experts and ordinary citizens understand the deeper reasons for terrorism.
I suggest anyone running for President should read at least one of Dr. Hartevelt Kobrin’s books—even better, read them all. It wouldn’t hurt Mr. Putin to read these books either.
Additional Books by Nancy Hartevelt Kobrin
The Banality of Suicide Terrorism. Lincoln, NE: Potomac Books, 2010
Penetrating the Terrorist Psyche. Printed by Create Space, 2013.
The Maternal Drama of the Chechen Jihadi. Multieducator, Inc, 2014.