Global jihad is a new phenomenon in the postmodern, post-Cold War world. Interest in Islam is on the rise, something is captivating the hearts and minds of Muslim people, but it is not Al-Qaeda. The end of coordinated terrorism can be observed while terrorist attacks are still performed by individuals and small groups worldwide. Politically after the Cold War, the globe became a place of conflict, and Muslims saw themselves as representatives of the human race.
Faisal Devji believes that global terrorism is rooted in the end of the Cold War when Muslims in Afghanistan brought down the USSR, and now they want to destroy the next empire – the United States. They perceive the West as hypocritical, claiming one standard to the world and not following it. The jihadists use the argument of reciprocity, stating that they mirror Americans, giving a proportionate and equivalent response.
Global jihadism uses violence more as a statement than a tool of aggression and militant agenda. According to Devji, violent Muslim actions are used as a political expression because they are non-instrumental and cannot influence anything directly. Suicide attacks, for example, are suicides first of all and are meant to draw attention to ideological and political issues. Devji even compares terrorist attacks with environmental activism because these are religious and ideological actions and not a way to directly influence the order of things.
A pluralistic worldview is another fundamental characteristic of global jihad, stemming from the argument of reciprocity. There is no universal truth and common ideology among terrorists; they call to judge the West by its standards and uprise questions of human rights violations and Western hypocrisy. In addition, there is no religious and ideological unity; it is normal to have disagreements among various ummahs, nationalities, and religious branches. Every nation argues for itself as a center of jihad. Muslims of different countries do not strive to achieve unity in their struggle against the West.
There is no need for such unity since global jihad does not operate with a single coherent ideology but is based on broad and vague concepts. Terrorists use global networks; they are leaderless, and decentralized, and exploit franchise models. Small groups or individuals perform DIY operations using everyday materials and media. This non-instrumental way of action is very similar to how the modern Western world works, and structural familiarity attracts people.