Good Muslim, Bad Muslim: America, the Cold War, and the Roots of Terror

In the introduction, Mamdani explores the intertwined histories of political violence, modern state formation, colonialism, and terrorism, arguing that to understand events like 9/11, one must look beyond cultural essentialism and instead examine historical and political contexts, especially the legacy of Western imperialism and Cold War politics. Mamdani begins by asserting that the twentieth century was a “century of violence” (3), characterized by global wars, revolutions, and genocides. Modern sensibilities often accept violence if it serves historical progress, a tendency rooted in the legacy of the French Revolution. Violence has been treated as the “midwife of history” (3)—the force that makes progress possible. What unsettles the modern mind is not violence itself but violence perceived as senseless, such as terrorism or genocide. These acts of “senseless” violence—violence not directly tied to the formation or preservation of states or empires—often elicit explanations grounded in culture or evil rather than historical causality.

This reluctance to historicize violence, Mamdani argues, hinders a true understanding of modern political violence, particularly when it does not align with narratives of progress. Violence in the “uncivilized” (7) world is explained through “culture talk” (11), a framing that portrays political conflict in non-Western societies as tribal, ethnic, or religious rather than political.