The Shade of Swords: M.J. Akbar writes the first cohesive history of jihad. From the Prophet Muhammed to the presence of British and American troops in Afghanistan, and more recently in Iraq, Akbar shows how jihad's origins lie in the earliest consciousness of Muslims, how it thrives on complex notions of persecution, victory and sacrifice. Jihad pervades the mind and soul of Islam. This book reveals its strength and significance, and this jihad has come to Iraq in a new Shia dimension.