The following are an abstract and some reviews on the book:
Abstract
Since September 11, 2001 much has been written about "Islamist terrorism," arguing that it is a perversion that has "hijacked Islam" in the service of social, political and economic grievances. However, such accounts cannot explain why other people that can lay claim to similar or more serious grievances have not developed such devastating religious terrorist ideologies. Moreover, many of the terrorists themselves have attested to their own religious motivation and their belief that they acted in accordance with the precepts of Islam.
Warrant for Terror examines fatwas, which are legal opinions declaring whether a given act under Islam is obligatory, permitted or forbidden and which serve as a major instrument by which religious leaders impel believers to engage in acts of jihad. These fatwas come from all over the Muslim world, but mainly from the Arab world. And they should not be dismissed as a cynical use of religious terminology in political propaganda. Many terrorists testify that they were motivated to act by them. Indeed, this book shows that Islamic law plays a central role in determining for believers the practical meaning of the duty to jihad. It also examines the underlying religious, legal, and moral logic of these fatwas and the depth of their influence in contrast to alternative moderate Islamic interpretations. And the book explores the wide scope of issues that these fatwas deal with, covering almost all facets of Islamic "law of war:" the justification for declaring jihad; the territory in which the jihad should be fought; whether women and children may participate in jihad; the legality of killing women, children and other non-combatants; the justification for killing hostages and mutilating their bodies; and the permissibility of diverse tactics and weapons, including suicide attacks and even nuclear weapons and other weapons of mass destruction. This book also delves into the contradictions between the radical and the mainstream narratives and the sources of the weakness of the latter in the face of the former. In the conclusion, the author raises a number of provocative questions relating to the "religious policy" of the West in the face of the threat of Islamic extremism.

Reviews

"Non-Muslims rarely pay attention to the religious struggle within Islam. They must, urgently. Radical clerics, wielding the deadly accusation of apostacy, have silenced most mainstream Muslim clerics and regimes in the Muslim world on the issues of jihad and terrorism. We are at serious risk of having hundreds of millions of religiously-driven enemies and deferential followers."--R. James Woolsey, former Director of Central Intelligence

"Shmuel Bar has written one of the most important and compelling books in recent years. If you want to understand Islamic terrorism and jihad, this is the book to read. He has written an absolutely brilliant page-turning analysis of the dynamics underlying radical Jihad today--and for policymakers, analysts and the public, Warrant for Terror will provide you insights that few other books even dare try. This is one of the best books I have ever read on the dynamics of jihad and fatwas. Read it to be educated and to truly understand. Ignore it at your peril. Dr. Bar has performed a wonderful public service by compiling and analyzing the fatwas for us. This book is a bench mark in the literature on Jihad."--Steven Emerson, Executive Director, The Investigative Project on Terrorism, and author of American Jihad: The Terrorists Living Amongst Us.

"If you are sick of instant experts offering sound-bite style insight into the phenomenon of Radical Islam, then Warrant for Terror is the right medicine for you. Through an exhaustive yet refreshingly readable analysis of fatwas -- Muslim religious injunctions -- Shmuel Bar takes us deep into the minds of both those who issue calls for jihad and those who heed them. As a tool to understand the logic, the rationale, and the motivation of the enemy in the war on terror, this book is sure to be assigned in counter-terror training courses around the world. Thankfully, the rest of us can read it, too."--Robert Satloff, Executive Director, The Washington Institute for Near East Policy

"Drawing on Arabic sources not typically available to English readers, Shmuel Bar outlines the way that fatwas from Muslim religious authorities have in recent years laid a basis for jihadism and terror. Warrant for Terror is critical reading to understand the nature of the challenge posed by radical Islamism today."--Francis Fukuyama, Johns Hopkins University

This is an excellent book for those wanting to understand Jihad and the justification for Jihad. How do Muslim terrorists justify killing innocent women and children? What are fatwas and why should we care?

Although somewhat scholarly, this book is readable and is perfect for those wanting to understand what motivates the evil doers.