Sunni Jihadist charismatic leadership

Charismatic leaders have often emerged at the forefront of Sunni jihadist groups. Three factors are important for understanding this trend. First, the role of perceptions of crisis among potential supporters. Second, Sunni jihadist charismatic figures emerge as antagonists to mainstream religious and political authorities. Third, they typically build on the “charismatic capital” of predecessors in a form of routinization called “transformative charisma.” This chapter explores the interplay of these factors in the example of Anwar al-Awlaki (1971–2011), the American-born al-Qaida spokesman, to demonstrate the utility of charismatic leadership theory and the importance of charismatic figures in the evolution of Sunni jihadism.