Lt. Col. Joseph Myers recently delivered a presentation on Quranic warfare (based on his paper on the topic published in Parameters, the Army War College quarterly) at the Association for the Study of the Middle East and Africa.

To better understand the Quranic basis of jihad, Myers recommends one book above all others, The Quranic Concept of War, by Pakistani Brig. Gen. S.K. Malik. The general explained this religious definition of war with reference to the Quran, stating that this justification for warfare is “infinitely supreme and effective.”

Myers said the work needs to be studied in the West, in order to better understand the enemy in the war on terrorism. Don’t count on academics, such as most engaged in Middle East studies, to pick up on this suggestion.