In this article, I present a contribution to a critical theory of so-called Islamic terrorism, which assumes that this terrorism is of an objective nature, that it has more to do with modernity and its false universalism and hegemonic politics than with the Islamic religion per se. Therefore, my contribution will be based on three levels of interpretation: First, I will discuss the Western philosophical narrative on so-called Islamic terrorism. Second, in the output from the anthropological work of Abdullah Hammoudi's master and disciple, I will show why we must understand terrorism as one of the consequences of authoritarianism. And thirdly, I will present the psychoanalysis of Islamic terrorism and at the same time show its limitations.