Alia Brahimi
- Published in print:
- 2010
- Published Online:
- January 2011
- ISBN:
- 9780199562961
- eISBN:
- 9780191595059
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199562961.001.0001
- Subject:
- Political Science, Political Theory, International Relations and Politics
In the ‘war on terror’ both sides have taken great pains to justify their actions in moral terms. As force is employed so are sophisticated arguments which directly invoke the just war traditions of ...
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In the ‘war on terror’ both sides have taken great pains to justify their actions in moral terms. As force is employed so are sophisticated arguments which directly invoke the just war traditions of the West and Islam. This book explores the moral‐theological arguments for war offered by the George W. Bush administration and al‐Qaeda. It examines the way in which these actors have drawn upon key just war concepts and, in some cases, reconceptualized their scope and content. The book's principal contention is that, in significant ways, the just war arguments of Bush and bin Laden are inconsistent with the moral requirements of their respective just war traditions. In two parts, the book examines these arguments in relation to the body of thought which comprises the Western just war tradition and that of Islamic jihad, and assesses the consistency of Bush and bin Laden's claims. The central argument of the book—that the Bush administration and al‐Qaeda depart from important consensuses about justified warfare—contains within it an alternative way of understanding the war on terror. Rather than a clash between civilizations, it is suggested that the war on terror can be accounted for by a clash within civilizations: in resorting to violence, both sides have acted against their own traditions and contravened the requirements of their own civilizations.Less
In the ‘war on terror’ both sides have taken great pains to justify their actions in moral terms. As force is employed so are sophisticated arguments which directly invoke the just war traditions of the West and Islam. This book explores the moral‐theological arguments for war offered by the George W. Bush administration and al‐Qaeda. It examines the way in which these actors have drawn upon key just war concepts and, in some cases, reconceptualized their scope and content. The book's principal contention is that, in significant ways, the just war arguments of Bush and bin Laden are inconsistent with the moral requirements of their respective just war traditions. In two parts, the book examines these arguments in relation to the body of thought which comprises the Western just war tradition and that of Islamic jihad, and assesses the consistency of Bush and bin Laden's claims. The central argument of the book—that the Bush administration and al‐Qaeda depart from important consensuses about justified warfare—contains within it an alternative way of understanding the war on terror. Rather than a clash between civilizations, it is suggested that the war on terror can be accounted for by a clash within civilizations: in resorting to violence, both sides have acted against their own traditions and contravened the requirements of their own civilizations.
Anne Marie Oliver and Paul F. Steinberg
- Published in print:
- 2006
- Published Online:
- October 2011
- ISBN:
- 9780195305593
- eISBN:
- 9780199850815
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195305593.003.0006
- Subject:
- Religion, Islam
After the interrogation they moved to Ibrahim's second house to have lunch. After lunch, Ibrahim dropped the authors back at the sheikh's house. Yasin spoke good English, but had called for a ...
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After the interrogation they moved to Ibrahim's second house to have lunch. After lunch, Ibrahim dropped the authors back at the sheikh's house. Yasin spoke good English, but had called for a translator. It was the translator rather than the sheikh who answered most of the questions. Through the translator, the sheikh's reconciliatory remarks were further countered by statements about Jews who loved themselves and wanted to live all alone, and considered themselves a people chosen by God and everybody else a slave. For Yasin, jihad was a duty incumbent upon each Muslim. This was the standard understanding among the Muslim Brothers. Mahmud az–Zahar, then Hamas spokesman, had earlier elaborated the difference between “the minor jihad” and “the major jihad”. The major jihad involves strengthening one's will and self-management, whereas the minor jihad involves the defense of land, money, and honor.Less
After the interrogation they moved to Ibrahim's second house to have lunch. After lunch, Ibrahim dropped the authors back at the sheikh's house. Yasin spoke good English, but had called for a translator. It was the translator rather than the sheikh who answered most of the questions. Through the translator, the sheikh's reconciliatory remarks were further countered by statements about Jews who loved themselves and wanted to live all alone, and considered themselves a people chosen by God and everybody else a slave. For Yasin, jihad was a duty incumbent upon each Muslim. This was the standard understanding among the Muslim Brothers. Mahmud az–Zahar, then Hamas spokesman, had earlier elaborated the difference between “the minor jihad” and “the major jihad”. The major jihad involves strengthening one's will and self-management, whereas the minor jihad involves the defense of land, money, and honor.
Reuven Firestone
- Published in print:
- 2002
- Published Online:
- October 2011
- ISBN:
- 9780195154948
- eISBN:
- 9780199849239
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195154948.001.0001
- Subject:
- Religion, Islam
While there is no evidence to date that the indigenous inhabitants of Arabia knew of holy war prior to Islam, holy war ideas and behaviors appear already among Muslims during the first generation. ...
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While there is no evidence to date that the indigenous inhabitants of Arabia knew of holy war prior to Islam, holy war ideas and behaviors appear already among Muslims during the first generation. This book focuses on why and how such a seemingly radical development took place. Basing the hypothesis on evidence from the Qurʾān and early Islamic literary sources, this book locates the origin of Islamic holy war and traces its evolution as a response to the changes affecting the new community of Muslims in its transition from ancient Arabian culture to the religious civilization of Islam.Less
While there is no evidence to date that the indigenous inhabitants of Arabia knew of holy war prior to Islam, holy war ideas and behaviors appear already among Muslims during the first generation. This book focuses on why and how such a seemingly radical development took place. Basing the hypothesis on evidence from the Qurʾān and early Islamic literary sources, this book locates the origin of Islamic holy war and traces its evolution as a response to the changes affecting the new community of Muslims in its transition from ancient Arabian culture to the religious civilization of Islam.
Steve Bruce
- Published in print:
- 2007
- Published Online:
- September 2007
- ISBN:
- 9780199281022
- eISBN:
- 9780191712760
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199281022.003.0007
- Subject:
- Religion, Religion and Society
Many critics blame Paisley for the Troubles. He has been accused of serious crime, incitement, and creating a climate conducive to terrorism. This chapter considers the evidence against Paisley, ...
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Many critics blame Paisley for the Troubles. He has been accused of serious crime, incitement, and creating a climate conducive to terrorism. This chapter considers the evidence against Paisley, demonstrates that Paisley's people have overwhelmingly remained law-abiding and, by comparison with Islamic fundamentalism, considers the role of evangelicalism in discouraging Protestants from holy war.Less
Many critics blame Paisley for the Troubles. He has been accused of serious crime, incitement, and creating a climate conducive to terrorism. This chapter considers the evidence against Paisley, demonstrates that Paisley's people have overwhelmingly remained law-abiding and, by comparison with Islamic fundamentalism, considers the role of evangelicalism in discouraging Protestants from holy war.
Noorhaidi Hasan
- Published in print:
- 2010
- Published Online:
- September 2010
- ISBN:
- 9780195369212
- eISBN:
- 9780199871179
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195369212.003.0003
- Subject:
- Religion, Religion and Society, Islam
Using the backdrop of the bloody communal warfare between Muslims and Christians that erupted in the islands of the Moluccas in the eastern part of Indonesia in January 1999, this chapter examines ...
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Using the backdrop of the bloody communal warfare between Muslims and Christians that erupted in the islands of the Moluccas in the eastern part of Indonesia in January 1999, this chapter examines why thousands of young men, roughly half of whom were university students and graduates between 20 and 35 years old, were so eager to welcome the call for jihad and to risk their lives by venturing to the front lines to fight against Christians. In what way does their collective activism reflect a process of cultural interactions between the local and the global, the hegemonic and the subaltern, and the center and the periphery? It is argued that the determination of Salafi youths to join Laskar Jihad to fight in the Moluccas is more a form of rational choice in their attempt to negotiate identity, and thus claim dignity. Their acts can be conceptualized as drama, a sort of performative practice of youths to demonstrate, in the face of powerful opponents, a hitherto marginalized power and to challenge the hegemonic global order.Less
Using the backdrop of the bloody communal warfare between Muslims and Christians that erupted in the islands of the Moluccas in the eastern part of Indonesia in January 1999, this chapter examines why thousands of young men, roughly half of whom were university students and graduates between 20 and 35 years old, were so eager to welcome the call for jihad and to risk their lives by venturing to the front lines to fight against Christians. In what way does their collective activism reflect a process of cultural interactions between the local and the global, the hegemonic and the subaltern, and the center and the periphery? It is argued that the determination of Salafi youths to join Laskar Jihad to fight in the Moluccas is more a form of rational choice in their attempt to negotiate identity, and thus claim dignity. Their acts can be conceptualized as drama, a sort of performative practice of youths to demonstrate, in the face of powerful opponents, a hitherto marginalized power and to challenge the hegemonic global order.
Ogbu Kalu
- Published in print:
- 2008
- Published Online:
- May 2008
- ISBN:
- 9780195340006
- eISBN:
- 9780199867073
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195340006.003.0015
- Subject:
- Religion, World Religions
The intensified level of religious violence around the world and especially in Africa is a disconcerting dimension of the 21st century. Some argue that religions have an innate affirmation of ...
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The intensified level of religious violence around the world and especially in Africa is a disconcerting dimension of the 21st century. Some argue that religions have an innate affirmation of violence; that, in spite of the many levels of meaning given to the word jihad, it demands the use of force, and especially violence, to protect religion, and that Christianity's track record is no better in this aspect than any other religion's. Using Nigeria as a case study, this chapter examines the discourses used by scholars to explain the rising crescendo of religious violence, the radicalization of Islamic politics amid the competition for dwindling economic resources, responses to modernity, the dilemma of pluralism in a modern African state, and especially the “clash of fundamentalisms” induced by the insurgence of Pentecostalism and charismatic forces into Islamic strongholds. The reassertion of local identities and the manipulation of religion as a cultural signifier is reflected by the demonization of Islam in Pentecostal rhetoric.Less
The intensified level of religious violence around the world and especially in Africa is a disconcerting dimension of the 21st century. Some argue that religions have an innate affirmation of violence; that, in spite of the many levels of meaning given to the word jihad, it demands the use of force, and especially violence, to protect religion, and that Christianity's track record is no better in this aspect than any other religion's. Using Nigeria as a case study, this chapter examines the discourses used by scholars to explain the rising crescendo of religious violence, the radicalization of Islamic politics amid the competition for dwindling economic resources, responses to modernity, the dilemma of pluralism in a modern African state, and especially the “clash of fundamentalisms” induced by the insurgence of Pentecostalism and charismatic forces into Islamic strongholds. The reassertion of local identities and the manipulation of religion as a cultural signifier is reflected by the demonization of Islam in Pentecostal rhetoric.
Jones James W
- Published in print:
- 2008
- Published Online:
- May 2008
- ISBN:
- 9780195335972
- eISBN:
- 9780199868957
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195335972.003.0003
- Subject:
- Religion, Islam
“Jihadism in Comparative Perspective: Psychological Themes in Religiously Motivated Terrorism.” This chapter has two goals: first, to describe salient psychological-religious themes found in the ...
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“Jihadism in Comparative Perspective: Psychological Themes in Religiously Motivated Terrorism.” This chapter has two goals: first, to describe salient psychological-religious themes found in the statements of contemporary jidhadists and compare them to those of other world religions and, second, to use these descriptions to elaborate some of the most significant psychological-religious motifs characterizing contemporary religiously motivated terrorism. These motifs form the basis for the analysis carried out in the remainder of the book: the next two chapters provide additional illustrations from two disparate religious traditions, the fifth chapter provides a psychological analysis and commentary on them, and the final chapter discusses what they tell us about religion.Less
“Jihadism in Comparative Perspective: Psychological Themes in Religiously Motivated Terrorism.” This chapter has two goals: first, to describe salient psychological-religious themes found in the statements of contemporary jidhadists and compare them to those of other world religions and, second, to use these descriptions to elaborate some of the most significant psychological-religious motifs characterizing contemporary religiously motivated terrorism. These motifs form the basis for the analysis carried out in the remainder of the book: the next two chapters provide additional illustrations from two disparate religious traditions, the fifth chapter provides a psychological analysis and commentary on them, and the final chapter discusses what they tell us about religion.
Marc David Baer
- Published in print:
- 2008
- Published Online:
- January 2008
- ISBN:
- 9780195331752
- eISBN:
- 9780199868018
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195331752.003.0008
- Subject:
- Religion, Islam
This chapter begins with a discussion of Mehmed IV's path of jihad in the early 1670s when he journeyed to the heart of Europe to conquer a citadel which is referred to today as “the Turkish ...
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This chapter begins with a discussion of Mehmed IV's path of jihad in the early 1670s when he journeyed to the heart of Europe to conquer a citadel which is referred to today as “the Turkish fortress”. It then discusses Mehmed IV' second campaign to ensure the Treaty of Buczacz that guaranteed Polish tribute, death of Fazıl Ahmed Pasha, Mehmed IV's campaign against the Russian Empire, and conquest and conversion in Central Europe.Less
This chapter begins with a discussion of Mehmed IV's path of jihad in the early 1670s when he journeyed to the heart of Europe to conquer a citadel which is referred to today as “the Turkish fortress”. It then discusses Mehmed IV' second campaign to ensure the Treaty of Buczacz that guaranteed Polish tribute, death of Fazıl Ahmed Pasha, Mehmed IV's campaign against the Russian Empire, and conquest and conversion in Central Europe.
Jane Idleman Smith
- Published in print:
- 2007
- Published Online:
- January 2008
- ISBN:
- 9780195307313
- eISBN:
- 9780199867875
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195307313.003.0002
- Subject:
- Religion, Islam
For more than fourteen centuries Christians and Muslims have lived in proximity and in one way or another have interacted with each other. The responses of each community have been guided both ...
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For more than fourteen centuries Christians and Muslims have lived in proximity and in one way or another have interacted with each other. The responses of each community have been guided both religiously and practically. This chapter details the rise of Islam and the meaning of jihad, relations between Muslims and Christians from the beginning of Islam to the present, religious polemic, the Crusades, the importance of Jerusalem for both faiths, Muslim military advances into western territories and western missionary movements, and political colonialism in Muslim lands. Dialogue between Christians and Muslims cannot proceed in depth without an understanding of the history that has led to current preconceptions, tensions, and often misunderstandings.Less
For more than fourteen centuries Christians and Muslims have lived in proximity and in one way or another have interacted with each other. The responses of each community have been guided both religiously and practically. This chapter details the rise of Islam and the meaning of jihad, relations between Muslims and Christians from the beginning of Islam to the present, religious polemic, the Crusades, the importance of Jerusalem for both faiths, Muslim military advances into western territories and western missionary movements, and political colonialism in Muslim lands. Dialogue between Christians and Muslims cannot proceed in depth without an understanding of the history that has led to current preconceptions, tensions, and often misunderstandings.
Thomas F. Farr
- Published in print:
- 2008
- Published Online:
- January 2009
- ISBN:
- 9780195179958
- eISBN:
- 9780199869749
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195179958.003.0009
- Subject:
- Religion, Religion and Society
Chapter 8 is woven around the author's trip to Saudi Arabia six months prior to 9/11. There are two faces of Saudi Arabia: Mecca, the birthplace of Islam and the prophet Mohammed, and Riyadh in the ...
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Chapter 8 is woven around the author's trip to Saudi Arabia six months prior to 9/11. There are two faces of Saudi Arabia: Mecca, the birthplace of Islam and the prophet Mohammed, and Riyadh in the Nadj region, the home of Mohammed bin Abd al-Wahhab and the birthplace of Osama Bin Laden. The chapter explores the tensions between the two kingdoms, and the connections between Islam and Islamist extremism, especially as manifested in Saudi understandings of jihad and tawhid. It traces the pernicious Wahhabi public theology from its origins in the 13th century to its ideological covenant with the House of Saud. The author's experiences with Saudi officials, religious minorities in the kingdom, the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom and the State Department lead him to conclude that Wahhabism will remain a source of terrorism, and a threat to U.S. national security, until the Saudis contain or destroy it via political reform grounded in religious freedom.Less
Chapter 8 is woven around the author's trip to Saudi Arabia six months prior to 9/11. There are two faces of Saudi Arabia: Mecca, the birthplace of Islam and the prophet Mohammed, and Riyadh in the Nadj region, the home of Mohammed bin Abd al-Wahhab and the birthplace of Osama Bin Laden. The chapter explores the tensions between the two kingdoms, and the connections between Islam and Islamist extremism, especially as manifested in Saudi understandings of jihad and tawhid. It traces the pernicious Wahhabi public theology from its origins in the 13th century to its ideological covenant with the House of Saud. The author's experiences with Saudi officials, religious minorities in the kingdom, the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom and the State Department lead him to conclude that Wahhabism will remain a source of terrorism, and a threat to U.S. national security, until the Saudis contain or destroy it via political reform grounded in religious freedom.
