Ayman Az-Zawahiri (1951-present) of Al-Qaeda, and continues to influence to this day groups such as ‘ISIS’. In “Milestones” Sayyid Qutb uses a mixture of ideological sophistry and historical myopia to propound an ultra-violent form of Islamist extremism. 298. Sayyid Qutb’s ‘thesis’ can be briefly summarised as follows: (i) The whole world is stepped in jahiliyyah (ignorance of the Divine guidance or unbelief). (ii) The world must be rid of jahiliyyah because it is one man’s lordship over another. (iii) Only the Muslims understand the real meaning of the message la ilaha illa Allah (there is no deity except God). (iv) Islam’s function is to change people’s beliefs, actions, outlook and way of thinking. (v) Merely speaking about the beauties of the Islamic belief system is defeatist – Islam must became a ‘practical’ movement using jihad. (vi) ‘Defence’ in Islamic jihad must be given a broad meaning, i.e. the defence of man against all those things that limit his freedom. (vii) Islam is a movement to physically wipe out jahiliyyah, tyranny and servitude, introduce true freedom of man and assert God’s sovereignty divine authority. In “Milestones”, he describes the aim of jihad in the following (disingenuous) terms: “The Jihad of Islam is to secure complete freedom for every man throughout the world by releasing him from servitude to other human beings so that he may serve his God. … This is in itself a sufficient reason for Jihad. These were the only reasons in the hearts of Muslim warriors.” (p.70). 299. Sayyid Qutb defines jihad itself in the following and totalitarian terms: “Jihad in Islam is simply a name for striving to make his system of life dominant in the world. … Thus, whenever an Islamic community exists… [i.e. when the number of Believers reaches three]16 it has a God-given right to step forward and take control of the political authority so that it may establish the Divine system…” (p. 76) 300. Sayyid Qutb’s virulent anti-Westernism and extreme anti-Americanism fuelled the divided Manichean worldview of ‘Us’ versus ‘Them’. He advocats in essence a call to arms and an armed jihad to destroy jahili society and eradicate jahiliyya: “But any place where the Islamic Shari’ah is not enforced and where Islam is not dominant becomes the home of hostility [Dar-ul-Harb] for both the Muslim and the Dhimmi [protected non-Muslim citizens of an Islamic government]. A Muslim will remain prepared to fight against it, whether it be his birthplace or a place where his relatives reside or where his property or any other material interests are located.” (Qutb, 1964:131) 301. Professor Gleave suggests that Sayyid Qutb’s identification with violent Jihadi Salafism is ‘simplistic’. I disagree. As Dr Wilkinson explains, Sayyid Qutb’s belief in the eternal enmity between Muslims and non-Muslims and the cosmic struggle and duty of Muslims to overcome un-belief (kufr) by fighting has become a bedrock of 16 See “Milestones”, p.102. 68