BOOK LAUNCH: The Myth of �Islamic Terrorism�: Religion, Politics and the Making of Terrorism in Pakistan.

Ever since 9/11, “Islamic terrorism” has been regarded by Western political leaders, the media and a great number of academics and terrorism experts as the most serious security threat facing Western countries and their allies. Pakistan in particular has, with some exaggeration, been singled out by as a failing, impoverished, politically unstable, nuclear armed state dominated by socalled fanatical “Islamic terrorists” who threaten the security of the rest the world, particularly the West.

In his recently published book, The Making of Terrorism in Pakistan, Eamon Murphy demonstrates that the root causes of terrorism in Pakistan have little to do with the teachings of Islam but rather lie in more mundane political, social and historical developments. He argues that the use of the term “Islamic terrorism” is not only inaccurate, unfair and insulting to the vast majority of Muslims but has also contributed to the growth of Islamophobia throughout the Western world.

Eamon Murphy is Adjunct Professor in the newly formed Department of Social Sciences and International Affairs at Curtin University. Previously he had taught history, politics and international relations at Curtin for over 36 years. His current research interest is terrorism in South Asia, and he has published books, journal articles and book chapters on aspects of terrorism in India and Pakistan, including his co-edited volume Contemporary State Terrorism: Theory and Practice ( Routledge, 2010). His latest book The Making of Terrorism in Pakistan: Historical and Social Roots of the Extremism has just been published in the prestigious Routledge Critical Terrorism Studies series.