This book focuses on the crisis facing Al Qaeda and how the mass killing of Muslims is challenging its credibility as a leader among Islamist jihadist organizations.

V.G. Julie Rajan is Assistant Professor in the Department of Women's and Gender Studies at Rutgers University, USA. She is the author of Women Suicide Bombers: Narratives of Violence (Routledge 2011).

Introduction: Global Crises: Insecurity, Terrorism and Human Rights 1. Islamism, Al Qaeda, and Takfir 2. Iraq, 2003 - : The Shia Resurgence, Zarqawi's Legacy, and the Islamic State 3. Syria, 2011- : Convoluted Loyalties, a Chaotic Insurgency, and the Revival of the Caliphate 4. Afghanistan 2001-: Centuries of Imperialism, the Rise of the Mujahidin, and the Taliban 5. Pakistan, 2004-: Blasphemy, Tribalism, and a State of Insecurity 6. Al Qaeda's Global Crisis: Defending Takfir, Losing Relevance, and the Rise of the Islamic State