The shade of swords : Jihad and the conflict between Islam and Christianity / M.J. Akbar.

Includes bibliographical references (pages [343]-381) and index.

Chapter and verse -- The joys of death: a bargain with Allah -- Rebellions in the dark of the night -- A map of Islam -- Circle of Hell -- Allah! Muhammad! Saladin! -- The doors of Europe -- Jihad in the east: a crescent over Delhi -- The holy sea: pepper and power -- The bargain goes sour -- The wedge and the gate -- History as anger, Jihad as non-violence -- Islam in danger zone -- Jinnah redux and the age of Osama.

The Shade of Swords is the first cohesive history of Jihad, written by one of India's leading journalists and writers. In this paperback edition, updated to show how and why Saddam Hussein repositioned himself as a Jihadi against America, M.J. Akbar explains the struggle between Islam and Christianity. Placing recent events in a historical context, he tackles the tricky question of what now for Jihad following the collapse of Saddam Hussein's regime. With British and American troops in Afghanistan, Pakistan, and once again in Iraq, the potential for Jihadi recruitment is ever increasing. Explaining how Jihad thrives on complex and shifting notions of persecution, victory and sacrifice, and illustrating how Muslims themselves have historically tried both to direct and control the phenomenon of Jihad, Akbar shows how Jihad pervades the mind and soul of Islam, revealing its strength and significance. To know the future, one needs to understand the past. M.J. Akbar's The Shade of Swords holds the key.