Professional Documents
Culture Documents
In this Issue
• Reclaiming the Moral Vision of Islam
by S Parvez Manzoor 1
• Towards a New Beginning
by Najah Kadhim 3
• Islam and the Question of Violence
by Seyyed Hossein Nasr 5
• Neither Violence nor Peace an Absolute Value in Islam
by Sherman Jackson 8
• Jihad a Misunderstood Concept
by S Hisham Kabbani & S Seraj Hendricks 10
• A Crisis of Interpretation
by Abdulaziz A Sachediona 14
• Framing on Terror
by Dalia Mojahed 18
• The Evolution of Jihad
by Farish A Noor 21
• Jihadi Suicide Bombers
by Ahmed Rashid 23
• The Spirituality of Jihad
by S Parvez Manzoor 25
• Suggested Reading 28
transcendence and nihilism appear indistin One requisite of a revival of Islamic reason
guishable to our sceptical age For our critics ing we believe is to allow the claims of
they represent two faces of the same demi humanity and history a legitimate place in our
urge or the two phantoms of the unenlight discourses Anything that pretends to have an
ened mind that modernity has finally dis Islamic quotient must also justify itself in the
pensed name of humanity And any expression of
Behind every moral obscenity every defile Islamic ethics whether expressed as a as a legal
ment of human sanctity every act of terror injunction or not must be fully cognizant of
however lurks an intellectual failure an abdi the reality of the historical world Only a delib
cation of the true calling of reason to save man eration of the claims of humanity and history
from ignorance and ungodliness Only when can act as a counterpoise to the sterile literal
transcendence is severed from its religious ism of the tradition and enhance our moral
morality does it devolve into selfworship that consciousness
revels in the antipolitics of terror and suicide Of course all visions of Muslim politics
Only the soul which does not kneel before the must take into account the claims of power or
Truth which is Satanic in its pride may aspire the reality of powerlessness And yet Islam
to be a norm unto itself The original act of sur must not be allowed to become a function of
render to God’s will heralds the birth of moral ‘Muslimness’ For if our faith has any meaning
ity in the human heart No messianic state no the distinction between norm and history
redemptive politics no cult of history no ‘the
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itself morally All we can do is to champion all put under strain the nature of legal order
Muslim causes or speak to our own historical that is supposed to bring order and amity
tradition but of addressing humanity in an among nations and peoples Fortunately
idiom that transcends our selfinterests we intense reflection both pragmatic and utopian
have no inkling Instead of moral insights we on these issues is also under way We must join
trade in trite slogans Without doubt this is this conversation if only for the sake of pre
due to the a failure of Islamic reason not of venting it from becoming delusional and self
2 Islamic faith serving
Towards a New Beginning
Najah Kadhim
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right to the interpretation of the sacred scrip activities elsewhere probably to Afghanistan
ture(s) It is also in the nature of this logic that or Pakistan
the political authority being religious in The culture of violence that is backed up by
nature relies by default on an inward looking the religious conviction of its (AlQaeda’s) fol
process which sustains its control and thus lowers which derives from their ultimate
prevents the outward forms of learning from vision and hence appears absolute is not likely
other sources which otherwise may provide it to be adaptive it will not be able to see new
sustenance and dynamism facts or absorb new ideas Such a culture is not
The problem is that domination cannot be able to adjust mentally to the demands of a
achieved without violence as violence is syn changing dynamic reality Hence it still
onymous with control and inseparable from upholds the idea of the total subjugation of the
the ‘game’ of politics itself! A great deal has other It is the psychological urge of their
been said about the source of violence in man innerselves to dominate the other physically
Hobbes in his famous statement once said "A or mentally in order to assure themselves of
man is a wolf to his fellow man" His belief was their being in power and feeling superior to the
that violence is part of the essential makeup other It is this urge for controlling the other
of man JeanJacques Rousseau on the other that necessitates the employment of violence
hand tried to downplay the role of violence in The other in this ideology has no place in a
human nature emphasizing instead the influ pragmatic historical world; it has either to
ence of environment and other factors for the vanish or to ‘join their belief community’ Not
inconsistently this violence is collective and
‘universal’ ie it is indiscriminate and must be
The problem is that domina applied to anyone It seeks to produce "collec
Issue 48 - 49
tion cannot be achieved tive fear" for the sake of bringing the other
without violence as vio into submission The strategic aim of such vio
lence in other words is the generation of col
le n c e i s sy n o n y m o u s w i t h
lective fear hence its reliance on terror No
control and inseparable wonder that the prejudices against Islam in the
from the ‘game’ of politics nonMuslin world derive no longer from igno
itself rance but rather from fear
3
What aids the violence of religious or cultic losing side Man is responsible for his actions
groups like AlQaeda or Taliban and others of and there cannot be any moral responsibility
their ilk are in my opinion the undigested and until these actions are based on freedom and
literal readings of the sources of medieval clas free choice Otherwise we human beings
sical fiqh (Jurisprudence) This gives them the would be like robots
required legitimacy or stamps of approval for A religious belief that lacks emphasis on
their horrific acts of murder and destruction love beauty and reasoning basic necessities of
Classical Fiqh is a mixture of the good and the men will necessarily produce isolationism and
false For many moderns however the whole radicalism To this may be added the propensi
legacy and the basic tenets of the classical Fiqh ty for violence for achieving political goals
are problematic inasmuch as this tradition something that can only enhance the animal
today appears to be out of touch with the side of man and degrade the uniquely human
political realities of our times Even from a part of man’s nature The psychology of vio
purely theoretical point of view it remains lence may even gradually adapt itself to such
contentions as it is often seen to contradict the animal drives in order to justify such bestial
Quran and Sunna of the Prophet behaviour as the beheading of the other as a
The basic tenets of Fiqh need to be con path to the realisation of the political goal Al
fronted reexamined and must be cleansed of Qaeda’s ideology and cult of violence is totally
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all its references to violence The killing of an contrary to the spirit of Islam and the procla
apostate or stoning to death of some one who mations of the Qura’n which says "We sent
has committed fornication (neither of which is you (the Prophet) but a mercy to the world" or
not mention in the Quran) are cases in point "in the name of Allah the compassionate and
Having said that it must also be pointed out merciful" which Muslims utter before starting
that even classical Fiqh does not condone the any action humble or grand mundane or
indiscriminate use of violence as practised by sacred A reinterpretation of Islamic thought
AlQaeda and its franchised JihadiSalafi through enlightened intellectual resources and
groups There is never any sanctioning of the backed by a humane approach can be our fore
destruction of worship for Muslims or non most weapon in our fight against the medieval
Muslims or of the burning down of others forces of darkness and terror
architectural monuments Islam is entering a new phase After
Because of the human tendency for vio years during which time its mission was to ini
lence (whether a part of the inherent nature of tiate bold and fresh ideas we may express with
man or due to environmental and other rea some satisfaction that there are now a sizeable
sons) the nonviolent or pacifist approach to number of people and groups who today
politics has been more often than not on the endorse our vision and have joined our ranks
Hence it is time for the next stage of monitor
ing the spread of enlightens ideas
A religious belief that lacks
Islam Monitor as this publication will be
emphasis on love beauty
known henceforth will report on as many as of
and reasoning basic necessi these ideas and promote them in an attempt to
ties of men will necessarily confront the ideology of violence propagated
produce isolationism and
Issue 48 - 49
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especially movements using the name of Islam Islam is related to these definitions As far as
and seeking to solve problems of the Muslim 'force' is concerned Islam is not completely
world created by conditions and causes opposed to its use but rather seeks to control
beyond the control of Muslims have only rein it in the light of the divine Law (alshari'a)
forced the idea prevalent in the West that in This world is one in which force is to be found
some special way Islam is related to violence everywhere in nature as well as in human
To understand the nature of Islam and the society among men as well as within the
truth about the assertion often made of human soul The goal of Islam is to establish
Islam's espousal of violence it is important to equilibrium amidst this field of tension of var
analyze this question clearly remembering ious forces The Islamic concept of justice
that the word islam itself means peace and itself is related to equilibrium the word for
that the history of Islam has certainly not justice (al'adl) in Arabic being related in its
been witness to any more violence than one etymology to the word for equilibrium
finds in other civilizations particularly that of (ta'adul) All force used under the guidance of
the West In what follows however it is the the divine Law with the aim of reestablishing
Islamic religion in its principles and ideals with an equilibrium that is destroyed is accepted
which we are especially concerned and not and in fact necessary for it means to carry out
particular events or facts relating to the and establish justice Moreover not to use
domain of historical contingency belonging to force in such a way is to fall prey to other
the unfolding of Islam in the plane of human forces which cannot but increase disequilibri
um and disorder and result in greater injustice
The word islam itself means Whether the use of force in this manner is
Issue 48 - 49
peace and that the history swift and intense or gentle and mild depends
of Islam has certainly not upon the circumstances but in all cases force
been witness to any more can only be used with the aim of establishing
violence than one finds in equilibrium and harmony and not for personal
other civilizations particu or sectarian reasons identified with the inter
larly that of the West ests of a person or a particular group and not
the whole 5
By embracing the 'world' and not shunning this Law which embraces not only Muslims
the 'kingdom of Caesar' Islam took upon itself but also followers of other religions who are
responsibility for the world in which force is considered as 'People of the Book (ahl al
present But by virtue of the same fact it lim kitab)' If there is nevertheless violation in
ited the use of force and despite all the wars Islamic society it is due not to the teachings
invasions and attacks which it experienced it of Islam but the imperfection of the human
was able to create an ambiance of peace and recipients of the Divine Message Man is man
tranquillity which can still be felt whenever wherever he might be and no religion can neu
something of the traditional Islamic world sur tralize completely the imperfections inherent
vives The peace that dominates the courtyard in the nature of fallen man What is remark
of a mosque or a garden whether it be in able however is not that some violence in
Marrakesh or Lahore is not accidental but the this sense of the word does exist in Muslim
result of the control of force with the aim of societies but that despite so many negative
establishing that harmony which results from social and economic factors aggravated by the
equilibrium of forces whether those forces be advent of colonialism overpopulation indus
natural social or psychological trialization modernization resulting in cultur
As for the meaning of violence as 'rough or al dislocation and so many other elements
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injurious physical force or action' Islamic Law there is less violence as unjust exertion of
opposes all uses of force in this sense except in force against others in most Islamic countries
the case of war or for punishment of criminals than in the industrialized West
in accordance with the shari'a Even in war If one understands by violence 'rough or
however the inflicting of any injury to immoderate vehemence' then Islam is totally
women and children is forbidden as is the use opposed to it The perspective of Islam is based
of force against civilians Only fighters in the upon moderation and its morality is grounded
field of battle must be confronted with force upon the principle of avoiding extremes and
and it is only against them that injurious phys keeping to the golden mean Nothing is more
ical force can be used Inflicting injuries out alien to the Islamic perspective than vehe
side of this context or in the punishment of mence not to say immoderate vehemence
criminals according to the dictum of the shar Even if force is to be used it must be on the
i'a and the view of a judge is completely for basis of moderation
bidden by Islamic Law
Finally if by violence is meant 'distortion of
As far as violence in the sense of the use of meaning or fact resulting in injury to others'
unjust force against the rights of others and Islam is completely opposed to it Islam is
laws is concerned Islam stands totally
based on the Truth which saves and which
opposed to it Rights of human beings are
finds its supreme expression in the testimony
defined by Islamic Law and are protected by
of the faith la ilaha illa 'Llah (there is no divin
ity but the Divine) Any distortion of truth is
By embracing the 'world' against the basic teachings of the religion
and not shunning the 'king even if no one were to be affected by it How
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can only be condoned in the sense of undoing
the violation of our own nature and the chaos Professor Nasr is the author of numerous
which has resulted from the loss of equilibri books including Man and Nature: the Spiritual
um But such a use of force is not in reality Crisis of Modern Man (Kazi Publications
violence as usually understood It is the exer ) Religion and the Order of Nature
tion of human will and effort in the direction (Oxford
) and Knowledge and the Sacred
of conforming to the Will of God and in sur (SUNY )
HarperCollins which commissioned this book ‘to cut through misinformation and
give American readers a clear sense of just what Islam is and what
it isn't’ informs A firsttier Islamic scholar Nasr (George
Washington Univ) speaks for traditional Muslims (as distinct from
"modernists" and "puritan reformers") and it is hard to imagine a
better introduction to the faith Nasr does not sidestep the issues
that nonMuslims have on their minds but he addresses them
within the context of the vitality and vision of Islam more gener
ally In the process he conveys both the "outer sense" of the
Qur'anic scripture and sacred traditions that shape the faith as a
social phenomenon and the "inner sense" that is the root of its
Issue 48 - 49
spiritual power Nasr does a very good job of expounding the com
monalties and contrasts of Islam with other faiths especially
Judaism and Christianity Rather than seeing Islamic strength as a
threat he argues that Islam and other religions share values that
commit them to opposing the deadening effects both spiritual and
literal of secularism and globalization Recommended for all academic and public
libraries Steve Young McHenry Cty Coll Crystal Lake IL
7
Neither Violence Nor Peace
Is An Absolute Value in Islam
Sherman Jackson
Elsewhere on this forum I have men desperate and facile counterclaims such as
tioned that the modern Western moral and “Islam is a religion of peace” by which they
political framework within which Islam is mean that any time a Muslim engages in vio
forced to express itself tends to force it into lence s/he is acting contrary to “true Islam”
apology and misrepresentation The present The fact is that Islam holds neither vio
question is representative of what I had in lence nor peace to be absolute values Both
mind are conditioned by geopolitical reality and
Islam obliges its followers to pray five the Muslim assessment of which is most con
times a day – every day; does that make sistent with a dignified existence Many in
Islam a “spiritual religion”? Muslims are the West have been misled to believe that
required to abstain from food drink and sex this “dignified existence” can only obtain
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from dawn to dusk every day for an entire when the world is emptied of all non
month every year; does that make Islam an Muslims This makes for good fearmonger
“ascetic religion”? Most people myself ing and sells lots of books But we should
included would answer these questions in remind ourselves that at the height of
the negative insisting that Islam is simply a Muslim power with no United Nations and
religion with spiritual and ascetic elements no Amnesty International! – Jews thrived in
But if Islam sanctions the use of organized Morocco Christians in Cairo and even
violence in response to perceived threats to Zoroastrians in Shiraz Meanwhile one could
its integrity it is deemed “a violent religion” not be a Muslim in Paris London or the
that holds violence to be both an absolute Chesapeake Bay before the th century!
good and the preferred means of propaga
In the interest of honest communication
tion In the present atmosphere many
and meaningful global dialogue I think that
Muslims will feel pressured not only to refute
all of us should abandon our hypocritical
this erroneous conclusion but to preclude its
claims to passivism and honestly lay out the
very possibility by making what are often
circumstances under which we will sanction
violence and those under which we will
The fact is that Islam holds accept peace At the very least this could
neither violence nor peace to provide us with an opportunity to recognize
be absolute values Both are our respective contributions to peace and
conditioned by geopolitical violence in the world instead of always see
reality and the Muslim assess ing our violence as noble and justified and
ment of which is most consis our enemy’s violence as gratuitous and bar
Issue 48 - 49
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beyond Islam and ask if time we expand our investigation beyond
there is something about Islam and ask if there is something about
Modernity that pushes so Modernity that pushes so many of us to seek
many of us to seek redemption in publicly directed violence
redemption in publicly
directed violence And God knows best
Sherman Jackson
Co-founder, American Learning Institute for Muslims
Sherman A Jackson is a professor of Arabic and Islamic Studies a visiting professor of law
and a professor of AfroAmerican Studies at the University of Michigan Ann Arbor He has
served as Executive Director for the Center of Arabic Study Abroad (CASA) in Cairo Egypt is
a member of the USMuslim World Advisory Committee of the HYPERLINK
"http://wwwusiporg/" US Institute of Peace and a cofounder of the American Learning
Institute for Muslims (ALIM)
Source: http://newsweekwashingtonpostcom/onfaith/sherman_jackson//
/neither_vio
lence_nor_peace_is_ html
Issue 48 - 49
9
Jihad: A Misunderstood Concept
S Hisham Kabbani & S Seraj Hendricks
Jihad in History and Law be guided by the interests of the people and
Jihad in Arabic means “to strive for some that the interests of the collectivity has in
objective” Thus the common assumption that some cases precedence over the interests of
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noncombative context
Combative Jihad in the technical usage of Imam Nawawi in his book alMinhaj when
Islamic law means “the declaration of war defining Jihad and its different categories said
against belligerent and aggressive nonMuslim “one of the collective duties of the community
powers or against fellow Muslim transgres as a whole (fard kifaya) is to lodge a valid
sors” It is not a haphazard decision taken by protest to solve problems of religion to have
anybody The principles of Islamic jurispru knowledge of Divine Law to command what is
10 dence state that the actions of the leader must right and forbid wrong conduct”
The explanation of Jihad in Imam alDardir's will tell you is seriously flawed The Qur’an
book Aqarab alMasalik is that it is propagating clearly states “There is no compulsion in reli
the knowledge of the Divine Law commending gion the path of guidance stands out clear
right and forbidding wrong He emphasized from error” [:
] and [
:] In this verse
that it is not permitted to skip this category of the word “rushd” or “path of guidance” refers
Jihad and implement the combative form say to the entire domain of human life not just to
ing “the first [Islamic] duty is to call people to the rites and theology of Islam
enter the fold of Islam even if they had been There is no debate about the fact that pre
preached to by the Prophet (s) beforehand” Islamic Arabia was a misguided society domi
Similarly Imam Bahouti commences the chap nated by tribalism and a blind obedience to
ter on Jihad in his book Kashf alKinaa by custom In contrast the clarity of Islam and its
showing the injunctions of collective religious emphasis on reason and rational proofs exclud
duties (kifaya) that the Muslim Nation must ed any need to impose it by force This verse is
achieve before embarking on combative Jihad a clear indication that the Qur’an is strictly
including preaching and education about the opposed to the use of compulsion in religious
religion of Islam dismissing all the uncertain faith Similarly Allah addressed Sayiddina
ties about this religion and making available all Muhammad (s) saying “Remind them for you
the skills and qualifications which people are only one who reminds” [: ] Allah
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might need in their religious secular physical addresses the believers urging them to obey
and financial interests because these constitute the injunctions of Islam “Obey Allah and obey
the regulations of both this life and the life to the Messenger and beware (of evil): if you do
come Hence da`wah—performing the activi turn back then know that it is Our Messenger's
ties of propagating Islam and its related fields duty to proclaim (the message) in the clearest
of knowledge—is the cornerstone of the 'build manner” [:] However this verse makes it
ing' of Jihad and its rules; and any attempt to clear that the Messenger's duty is only to pro
build without this 'stone' would damage the claim and preach the message; it remains to
each individual to accept and to follow
meaning and reality of Jihad
but the entire Muslim At such a time the ruler can declare and exe
nation must make peace A cute the provisions of Jihad It is a condition
peace treaty can be made by that there be a leader of the Muslims an Imam
to declare combative Jihad In alMughni Ibn
the nations’ leader and all
Qudama states “declaring Jihad is the responsi
subjects of the nation are bility of the Imam and is his independent legal
bound by that decision judgment” AlDardir says “proclaiming Jihad
comes through the Imam's assignment of a 11
leader” Abu Bakr AlJazaa'iri states that the towards Muslims or show clear intent to do so
pillars of Jihad are: “A pure intention and that (alhirabah) because of their religion with a
it is performed behind a Muslim Imam and clear intention to destroy the Islamic nation as
beneath his flag and with his permission it is a whole In the second eventuality it is the
not permissible for them to fight without an duty of the Muslim ruler to declare the Jihad as
Imam” a defensive action to repel such attacks
Similarly the ruler the political leader of the It is evident from the Qur’an and other
whole country has the power to ratify peace sources that the armed struggle against the
treaties if they are consistent with the inter polytheists was legislated in the context of spe
ests of the Muslims Conscription has to be cific circumstances after the Prophet (s) had
confined to young men of sound health on migrated from Makkah to Madina Persistent
condition that they have parental permission refusal of the Makkan leadership (the Prophet
to engage in combat The exception is where being in Madina at the time) to allow the
the enemy has already entered the borders of a peaceful propagation of Islam in Makkah This
Muslim state in which case Jihad becomes is in fact the most basic reason for armed Jihad
unconditionally incumbent on every able man Makkans themselves starting off military cam
paigns against the Muslims at Madinah with
Islamic Terms of Ratifying Peace the sole objective of eradicating Islam These
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derivative of the linguistic root of the brance takes many forms: each school of
word”Jihad” to describe those who are deserv Sufism focuses on a different form of ritual
ing of guidance and has made guidance
dhikr to enable the seeker to approach the
dependent on Jihad against the false desires of
Divine Presence varying from individual silent
the soul Therefore the most perfect of people
recitation and chanting to vocal group ses
are those who struggle the most against the
sions It is this spiritual struggle that raises
selfish promptings of the ego for God's sake
The most obligatory Jihad is that against the humankind and instills in him the sense of rela
base side of the ego desires the devil and the tionship with His Creator and the proper per
lower world spective in relating to all creation always call
The great Sufi AlJunayd said: “Those who ing for love between humanity and striving in
have striven against their desires and repented Allah’s Way for better understanding between
for God's sake shall be guided to the ways of various communities of all faiths Through this
sincerity One cannot struggle against his spiritual Jihad the effect of the selfish ego on
enemy outwardly (ie with the sword) except the soul of the seeker will be removed uplift
he who struggles against these enemies ing his state from depression anxiety and lone
inwardly Then whoever is given victory over liness to one of joy satisfaction and compan
them will be victorious over his enemy and ionship with the Most High
The authors annunciate their ethical stance in the form of a judicial ruling or legal opin
ion (fatwa) Abridged Please go to the source :
http://wwwsunnahorg/fiqh/jihad_judicial_rulinghtm
for a detailed fully annotated version of this text
13
A Crisis of Interpretation
Abdulaziz A. Sachedina
There is a crisis of interpretation in Islamic The "millet system" in the Muslim world
religious sciences This crisis is the result of a provided the premodern paradigm of a reli
selfcultivated dislocation between theology giously pluralistic society by granting each reli
ethics and law in Islamic tradition Unless the gious community an official status and a sub
doctrinal and ethical presuppositions of the stantial measure of selfgovernment The sys
early juridical tradition are investigated and tem based on the millet which means a "reli
expounded afresh the crisis will continue to giously defined people" was a "group rights
produce apologetic intellectually impover model" that was defined in terms of a commu
ished and most importantly ethically insensi nitarian identity and hence did not recognize
tive Islamic scholarship Moral sensibilities and any principle of individual autonomy in mat
demands of Islamic revealed texts can work ters of religion And this communitarian iden
together to resolve the epistemological crisis tity was not restricted to identifying non
Lack of historicism in analyzing the primary Muslim dhimmis the millet's selfgoverning
status allowed it to base its sovereignty on the
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activity on earth Whereas Godhuman rela
Is Apostasy a Religious or Civil Offense in tions are founded upon individual autonomy
Islam? under the divine regulation interhuman rela
tions are within the jurisdiction of human insti
Muslim jurists have not engaged in a tutions founded upon political consensus with
conceptual investigation of the ethicallegal the purpose of furthering justice and equity in
presuppositions of certain commandments in society The same distinction rules out the
the Qur’an For instance the Qur’an assigns authority of the Muslim state to regulate reli
Muslim public order the obligation of control gious matters except when the free exercise of
ling "discord on earth" This phrase is part of a religion for any individual is in danger
long verse that prescribes the severest penal That the Qur’an presents comprehensive
ties for rebellion commandments in which moral and civil are
The punishment of those who fight against not always easy to distinguish is demonstrated
God and His Messenger and hasten to do cor by the equal gravity under civil law accorded to
ruption creating discord on earth: they shall moral and religious transgressions by Muslim
be slaughtered or crucified or their hands and jurists The conceptual distinction aside
feet shall alternately be struck off or they shall Islamic law treats these transgressions as
be banished from the land This is degradation affecting not only humans but also God There
for them in this world; and in the world to is a sense in which both humans and God may
come awaits them a mighty chastisement have claims in the same infringement even if
the event seems to harm only one of them
Although punishment of crimes against reli
Eradication of corruption gion are beyond human jurisdiction the juridi
cal body in Islam is empowered to impose sanc
on earth is a moral com tions only when it can be demonstrated
Issue 48 - 49
mandment to protect the beyond doubt that the grievous crime included
wellbeing of a communi an infringement of a human right (haqq adami
private claim)
ty But this need not con
The underlying principle in the penal code is
tradict the freedom that the punishment should fit the crime and
afforded to individual con the character of the offender because the pur
science in matters of faith pose of punishment is the prevention of any
conduct that might undermine public order 15
The supreme duty of the Muslim ruler is to pro ing the Arabic word irtidad as "apostasy" The
tect the public interest function for which the term irtidad meaning "rejection" or "turning
law afforded him an overriding personal discre away from" was historically applied to the bat
tion to determine how the purposes of God tles that were fought against those Muslims
might best be achieved in the community who had refused to pay taxes to the Muslim
Since criminal law in Islam was a system of political authority after the Prophet's death
private law that fell under the ratifying and Hence the murtaddun were those who had
enforcement powers of the established politi rebelled against the established order Compare
cal regime prosecutions for offenses like false this with the way the term apostasy is under
accusation of unlawful intercourse or theft stood in Christianity where it suggests histori
crimes that offend against both God's will and cally an abandoning of exclusive and institu
just human relations take place only if initiat tionalized religion for another In this sense
ed by the victim and the plaintiff must be pres apostasy occurs when different religions com
ent both at trial and the execution In the case pete with one another in one public arena
of unlawful intercourse the witness plays a Irtidad on the other hand occurs within the
crucial role There must be four witnesses to communal order in the form of internal subver
the actual act of intercourse Moreover at the sion which is no longer merely a religious
time of punishment if the witnesses are not offense I have dealt elsewhere with the prob
present (and if the punishment is stoning if lem of the legal definition of apostasy in Islamic
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they do not throw the first stones) the punish jurisprudence Here I am once again confronted
ment is not carried out If the thief returns the with the complexity of the question of aposta
stolen object before an application for prosecu sy in Islam especially in the light of consistent
tion has been made the prescribed punishment and obvious Qur’anic treatment of that offense
lapses; repentance for highway robbery before as being beyond human jurisdiction It is evi
arrest causes the punishment to lapse; and if dent that the Qur’an supports full freedom of
an offense is treated a misdemeanor (jinayat) religion not merely tolerance of religions other
and the complainant is willing to pardon than Islam The irtidad or ridda of the Qur’an is
bloodmoney may be paid instead or the pun apparently a "turning away" from God and
ishment remitted altogether In the cases of hence is punishable by God alone; in jurispru
offenses against religion that are not sanc dence the irtidad depending on its public man
tioned by specific punishments apostasy for ifestation and its adverse impact on the Muslim
example (for which there is no definite punish public order denotes turning away from the
ment in the Qur’an) the effects of repen community in which case The determination
tance are even more farreaching of the gravity of the offense is strictly under the
The treatment of apostasy as an impinge jurisdiction of the legitimate Muslim public
ment on the right of God and humanity in Islam order The extent of punishment depends on
presents an interesting case of interdependency the civil interpretation of the act by the politi
between the religious and civil in the laws that cal and juridical authority
govern in the Muslim community To begin Consequently although classified as a capi
with there is a fundamental problem in render tal offense (hudud crime) in the Islamic penal
code apostasy was and remains the only crime
that presented Muslim legal authorities with a
The treatment of apostasy
serious dilemma The verse of the Qur’an that
as an impingement on the provides the jurists with the original ruling
Issue 48 - 49
www.islam21.net
and take appropriate action to deal with it ties framed as selfdefense against a violent
Since its determination as ridda was restricted rebellion against God and the Prophet to be
to the political authority required to protect countered in turn with violence if necessary
the common good of the community a num There is a selfevident problem in any
ber of Muslim jurists classified irtidad as part of Islamic criminalization of apostasy defined in
the ta`zir ("chastisement" "deterrence") the strict sense of public abandonment of an
crimes that "infringe on private or community institutionalized religion for another; a mere
interests of the public order" and for which expression of religious dissent against the
punishment is instituted by the legitimate established community which the Qur’an
political authority Consequently the burden is grants as a basic individual right cannot con
placed on the public authority to lay down stitute a criminal act punishable in this world
rules that penalize all conduct that seems con The Muslim civil authority has the ultimate
trary to the public interest social tranquility responsibility for using its discretionary power
or public order to assess the level of discord created by a pub
Hence civil considerations surrounding the lic declaration of an apostasy and to lay down
question of sedition and civil strife have shaped the appropriate measures to deal with it
Abdulaziz A. Sachedina
Professor of Religious Studies, University of Virginia
His publications include numerous articles in academic journals and these books: Islamic
Messianism ( ) Human Rights and the Conflicts of Culture ( ) The Just Ruler in
Shiite Islam ( ); The Prolegomena to the Qur'an ( ) and The Islamic Roots of
Issue 48 - 49
This is an abridged version The complete text may be accessed at the original source:
http://newsweekwashingtonpostcom/onfaith/abdulaziz_a_sachedina///a_crisis_o
f_interpretationhtml
17
Framing War on Terror
DALIA MOGAHED
Are the mental models guiding post / pol than their general public counterparts to
icy leading to actions that help to eliminate or believe that such attacks are justified and are
inadvertently increase extremism? at least as likely to reject violence even for a
More and more US policymakers and intel "noble cause"
lectuals are drawing an analogy between the After analyzing survey data representing
Cold War and the war on terror and are rec more than percent of the global Muslim
ommending analogous strategies since both population Gallup found that despite wide
conflicts were fought on the battlefield and spread antiAmerican sentiment only a small
over people's minds and hearts However minority sympathized with the attacks of /
recent research by The Gallup Organization on Even more significant there was no correla
Muslim public opinion around the world points tion between level of religiosity and extremism
to serious flaws in the "Cold War II" paradigm among Muslims
www.islam21.net
and the real danger in confusing these two Gallup went even further and asked both
very different conflicts America's trials and tri those who condoned and condemned extrem
umphs in its own internal "clash of cultures" ist acts "Why do you say that?" The responses
the civil rights struggleis a more appropriate fly in the face of conventional wisdom For
analogy example in Indonesia the largest Muslim
At the heart of Cold War II is a belief that majority country many of those who con
religious fanaticism fuels extremism and there demned terrorism cited humanitarian or reli
fore replacing Muslims' worldview with gious justifications to support their response
Western liberalism is the path to victory One woman said "Killing one life is as sinful as
against terrorism To understand the danger of killing the whole world" paraphrasing verse
this diagnosis we must first look at the factors : in the Qur'an
that do and do not drive sympathy for vio On the other hand not a single respondent
lence in Indonesia who condoned the attacks of /
As a starting point Muslims hold no monop cited the Qur'an for justification Instead this
oly on extremist views Although
percent of group's responses were markedly secular and
the American public thinks attacks where civil worldly One respondent said "The US gov
ians are targets are "completely justified" in ernment is too controlling toward other coun
Lebanon and Iran this figure is percent and tries seems like colonizing"
in Saudi Arabia
percent In Europe Muslims The real difference between those who con
in Berlin Paris and London are no more likely done terrorist acts and all others is politics not
piety For example those who sympathize
Issue 48 - 49
The real difference between with terrorism cite "occupation and US domi
those who condone terrorist nation" as their greatest fear for their country
acts and all others is politics and only a small minority agree the US would
not piety allow people in the region to fashion their own
political future or that it would support
democracy in the region Also among this
18 group's top responses was the view that to bet
ter relations with the Muslim world the West Defining the current conflict as a battle
should stop imposing its beliefs and policies between Western values and "radical Islam"
Although this group is as likely to say that misses the root cause of terrorism while ener
better relations with the West is of personal gizing the very perceptions that fuel sympathy
concern to them they are much less likely to for itthat Islam itself is under attack These
believe that the West reciprocates this concern findings begin to expose the danger of acting
and therefore much less likely to believe that on the Cold War II analogy The current war is
improved relations will ever come In short about not appearing to denigrate Islam or pro
those who sympathize with extremism are mote Western imperialism because it is these
characterized by perceptions of being under very perceptions that fuel extremist sentiment
siege and by lack of faith in nonviolent means Most importantly many have claimed that
of change "blue jeans and Playboy" brought down the
The Cold War II characterization also Soviet Union as much as strong military deter
assumes that Muslim grievances are rooted in rence In sharp contrast it is precisely
a rejection of modernity and Western values America's military power and popular culture
not specific policies Empirical evidence indi and their perceived threat to Muslims that
cates otherwise extremists exploit to gain support In short
www.islam21.net
For instance while the US and Britain are much of what worked in the Cold War will
generally viewed unfavorably Muslim opin have the exact opposite effect now
ions of France and Germany are relatively pos From many Muslims' point of view the con
itive even when compared with respondents' flict with the United States is about policy not
opinion of other Muslim nations This suggests principles Through Muslim eyes it looks like a
that negative sentiment is drawn along policy global civil rights struggle much more than
not cultural or religious lines another clash between superpowers When
Moreover despite intense political anger at viewed through this new perspective seeming
some Western powers Muslims do not reject ly inexplicable crises such as the Muslim reac
Western values wholesale Citizens of coun tion to the Danish cartoons come into sharper
tries from Saudi Arabia to Morocco from focus as does a more effective strategy for
Indonesia to Pakistan express admiration for ward
Western technology and democratic values
Thoughtful observers have drawn a compar
such as freedom of the press and government
ison between the Danish cartoon controversy
accountability In fact terrorism sympathizers
and an incident from America's own cultural
are more likely than the majority to say that
relations struggle: the
Watts riots
greater democracy will help Muslims progress
Looking at the cartoon controversy through
the analogous lens of race relations uncovers
From many Muslims' point some revealing insights In both cases violent
riots broke out in reaction to what seemed to
of view the conflict with the
outsiders as a "petty offense" In the case of the
United States is about poli
Issue 48 - 49
Dalia E Mogahed is executive director of The Center for Muslim Studies at the Gallup
Organization and coauthor with Prof John L Esposito of the frecently published book : Who
Speaks for Islam?: What a Billion Muslims Really Think Galluip Press
Issue 48 - 49
20
The Evolution of ‘Jihad’ in Islamist
Political Discourse:
How a Plastic Concept Became Harder
Farish A. Noor
Islamist discourse like any other political ‘Jihad’ can be loosely translated as ‘to strug
discourse is full of plastic concepts and ideas gle’ or ‘to expend effort’ towards a particular
that are meant to serve politically utilitarian cause The term was originally used to refer to
and instrumental purposes But what is impor one’s personal struggle against one’s own mor
tant for us to remember is that the instrumen tal failings and weaknesses which would
tal use of such plastic concepts (including include battling against one’s pride fears anx
‘democracy’ ‘human rights’ ‘justice’ etc) ieties and prejudices The Prophet Muhammad
invariably leads to their contestation as well as himself was reported to have described this
www.islam21.net
they come to serve as tools for political mobil personal existential struggle as the ‘Jihad
isation Akbar’ (Greater Jihad) Alongside this notion of
the Jihad Akbar was the concept of ‘Jihad
The word ‘Jihad’ has now entered the space
Asgar’ or ‘Lesser Jihad’ This refers to the strug
of international political and media discourse
gle for selfpreservation and selfdefence
along with those other wellknown favourites
which has always been regulated by a host of
‘Fatwa’ ‘Mullah’ and ‘Shariah’ Yet this entry
ethical sanctions and prerogatives
has also been a disabling one that has robbed
The Qur’an does stipulate clearly that
the word of some of its meaning while stretch
Muslims have to engage in a Jihad when they
ing the limits of its signification even further
are under attack but the conditions for such a
‘Fatwa’ for instance has now come to mean
jihad are clearly laid out and are strictly
‘death penalty’ thanks to the fatwa against the
defined within certain ethical prerogatives
British Muslim author Salman Rushdie But
Muslims cannot engage in conflict for the sake
those who have some knowledge of Islamic
of mere territorial expansion for instance
jurisprudence will tell you that ‘Fatwa’ really
(which brings into question the legal status of
means ‘judicial ruling’ and these rulings can
the early Arab conquests which were motivat
range from grave matters like the death penal
ed mainly by considerations of realpolitik)
ty to mundane everyday concerns like the Muslims also cannot engage in acts of terror
proper price of sheep in the market The latest and indiscriminate violence where civilians are
casualty in the war over meaning is the word targeted (In fact numerous Muslim leaders
‘Jihad’ like the early Caliphs even warned their troops
That the term ‘Jihad’ has become such a not to burn the fields of their enemies or kill
plastic concept is hardly surprising Plasticity is their livestock) A proper Jihad for the sake of
after all a normal feature of language and sig selfdefence was therefore a complicated and
Issue 48 - 49
nifiers invariably lose their roots as they find highly regulated matter and the rulers had to
themselves translated from one context to consult the jurists as well as their own popula
another But without falling into the trap of tions before such an enterprise was undertak
narrow essentialism it is nonetheless useful en
for us to get to grips with the concept of Jihad But Islam it must be remembered also hap
itself and understand how it came into being pens to be a faith that does not possess a cleri
If only to see just how far the term has been cal class or a supreme leader like the Pope On
abused of late the positive side this lends the creed an egali 21
tarian outlook which puts all Muslims on par the term itself has been used and abused by the
with each other But on the negative side the very same people who have resorted to the use
absence of a centralised hierarchy also means of violence in their name
that the Muslim world is full of selfproclaimed The task that lies before the Muslim com
‘leaders of the faith’ like the Taliban and their munity today is to reclaim the concept of
unwanted guest Osama bin Laden ‘Jihad’ and to invest it with other meanings dif
It is this absence of a clerical order and the ferent to those imposed by the Mullahs and
plasticity of religious discourse that allows con militants Cognisant of the painful realities
cepts like ‘Jihad’ to be hijacked by such self that stand before the Muslim world at present
appointed defenders of orthodoxy Coupled Muslim intellectuals must jump into the fray
with this is the predicament of a Muslim world and regain control of the discourse of Islam
that feels itself increasingly threatened and which has for too long been regarded as the
marginalised by the forces of globalisation exclusive purview of the dogmatic Mullahs
leading to the defensive posture being adopted We have to break down the rigid pedagogical
by many Muslim leaders themselves structures that have kept Islamic discourse in
‘Jihad’ has now been taken by Muslims and such a static mode by bypassing traditional
nonMuslims alike to refer to an aggressive institutions of learning and indoctrination
attitude that is rooted in a reactionary dis Everything from the universities to the media
www.islam21.net
course of authenticity and purity giving it a will have to be used as the new sites of Islamic
militant edge that it did not possess While it is thought and education in order for us to
true that the international media has done spread our message across to the wider public
some damage to the understanding of ‘Jihad’ it Muslim intellectuals need to show that our
is also important for Muslims to realise that struggle in the presentday has more to do
with striving for economic development mod
ernisation and the creation of civil society
It is this absence of a clerical Rather than thinking of ‘Jihad’ in exclusive and
defensive terms we need to redefine the con
order and the plasticity of cept in proactive terms that link it to the actu
religious discourse that al economic social and cultural needs of the
allows concepts like ‘Jihad’ Muslims of today ‘Jihad’ we need to show is
useless unless it brings us closer to a more pros
to be hijacked by such self perous liberal and tolerant society where
appointed defenders of Muslims are at ease with themselves and the
Other For liberal and progressive Muslims at
orthodoxy
least this Jihad has only just begun
Dr Farish A Noor is a Malaysian political scientist and human rights activist He has
taught at the Centre for Civilisational Dialogue University of Malaya and the Institute for
Islamic Studies Frie University of Berlin He is currently is a senior fellow at the S Rajaratnam
School of International Studies Nanyang Technological University Singapore This Article
Issue 48 - 49
22
Jihadi Suicide Bombers: The New Wave
Ahmed Rashid
After September readers around already distorted Islam His tactics had hardly
the world quickly learned about the basic anything to do with religion and everything to
tenets of jihad and its distortion by alQaeda do with gaining political power and influence
Now the shelves of Western bookshops are Jihad was no longer a defensive manoeuvre
again filled with books on the subject which but an offensive weapon that elevated mar
gives no sign of going away Jihad which tyrdom Every religion has had its martyrs—
means struggle is "recommended" rather than think of the early Christians and Jews defying
obligatory for all Muslims but its interpreta the Roman Empire—and Islam too has its pan
tion is literally an open book—the lesser jihad theon of martyrs But the Koran categorically
to purify one's soul and perform good deeds forbids suicide Until alQaeda began turning
for the community the greater jihad to religious texts on their heads martyrdom was
defend Islam when it is under attack Each accepted only as the last resort of a cornered
www.islam21.net
major collection of Hadith or the sayings of Muslim warrior and not as a wilfully planned
the Prophet Muhammad that were compiled death This radical change in the concept of
by several Muslim scholars well after the martyrdom has been viewed by many com
Prophet's death contains its own descriptions mentators as the license for modern Islamic
of jihad with the result that the discussion of terrorism
jihad has always been a matter of differing Suicide attacks have been made possible by
interpretations rather than literal observance the new training and indoctrination provided
Yet the young men who trained in these by alQaeda as well as the booming drug
camps were not educated in the Islamic trade which has provided the Taliban and al
schools called madrasas and they were Qaeda with enormous funds to compensate
inspired less by extremist Islamic ideology the families of young suicides Even more
than by their desires to see the world handle tragic women and children are now consid
weapons and have a youthful adventure It ered fair game On November
a sui
was a boy's world of reality games "I realized cide bomber struck in Baghlan in northern
that I had dreamed of this moment for years" Afghanistan killing seventytwo Afghans
writes Nasiri—a nom de plume including five members of parliament and
Nobody in the West seemed to suspect at fiftynine schoolchildren Another ninety
the time how extensively bin Laden had three children were wounded Afghan schools
are now regularly bombed by the Taliban and
Every religion has had its some six hundred out of a total of have
Issue 48 - 49
region has become a cottage they fight conventional battles with US forces
industry not very different The belts prevent them from being taken
alive allow them to kill Americans even as
from local handicraft pro
they die but above all satisfy a desire to con
duction elsewhere in the stantly live with and embrace the idea of mar
third world tyrdom
Ahmed Rashid is a wellknown Pakistani journalist and bestseller author writing for such
publications as The Washington Post Wall Street Journal Far East Economic Review etc He
appears regularly on international TV and radio networks such as CNN and BBC World
His works include The Resurgence of Central Asia: Islam or Nationalism? St Martin's
Press
; Taliban: Militant Islam Oil and Fundamentalism in Central Asia Yale University
Issue 48 - 49
Press and Jihad:: The Rise of Militant Islam in Central Asia Yale University Press
Excerpted from The New York Review of Books Volume Number June
Source: http://wwwnybookscom/articles/
24
The Spirituality of Jihad
S Parvez Manzoor
The Just War and Jihad: Violence in Judaism Christianity and Islam Ed By Joseph
Hoffmann Prometheus Books New York
Pp ISBN:
Today terror and counterterror religious course the Biblical tradition which has been the
fanaticism and secular restraint imperial fury principal target of the secularist wrath
and sectarian malice progressive universalism Christian consciousness has had to accommo
and retrograde parochialism indeed even date this assault by renouncing all claims to the
Islam and the West present themselves as guidance and governance of the political
Manichaean dualities And the obscenity of the realm Little wonder that the most visible
www.islam21.net
everescalating senseless and overbearing emblem of modernity is quite simply the
political violence perpetrated for reasons of absence of religious consciousness from the
state or for those of faith makes a mockery of public square Today however with newer
any claim about our humanity having pro tensions and new challenges to the authority
gressed from barbarity to civilization Little of the dominant narrative of modernization
wonder that the moral man appears markedly secularist ideologues have discovered further
distressed at times even panicstricken To reasons for renewing their calling To their
him the future of humanity looks bleak For polemical repertoire they have gleefully added
some however it is too tempting not to ‘Islam’ which for them merely represents a
impute the breakdown of the ‘moral order’ the mirrorimage of the same Biblical bellicosity to
violent rejection of the neoliberal utopia in which they have been thoroughly exposed
plainer terms to the resurgence of religious Not unexpectedly most of their claims about
passions in worldpolitics ‘Religion’ after all is ‘Islam’ have been made without any real famil
a creation of ‘the secular’ and is meant to rep iarity with the Islamic texts and with no close
resent its antithesis both morally and intellec encounter with its moral tradition
tually It stands accordingly for both unreason
One such collection of texts which despite
and inhumanity
the touchingly ‘ecumenical’ neutrality of its
Within the modernist discourse it is of pacifist vision comes across as a myopic tract
is Hoffmann’s edited volume on Just War and
And the obscenity of the Jihad Notwithstanding the promise of the
everescalating senseless title it is in fact a piece of extended polemics
against the Biblical tradition in general and
and overbearing political against its Western interpretations in particu
violence perpetrated for
Issue 48 - 49
terrorism” if thought only to apply to violent the secular state when warfare itself has been
excursions against the West by Islamic mili secularized it has neither been eradicated nor
tants indefinable’ (p ); ‘The pursuit of free
its obscenities become more tolerable Secular
dom and democracy globally has become a
polemics would gain in cogency when it adopts
method of distracting a credulous public from
an evenhanded approach towards human suf
the pursuit of the Magnalia Dei Americana –
fering and allows the inviolability of its own
the mighty acts of God wrought on behalf of
secular claims to come under moral scrutiny as
America’ (p ) However when Hoffmann
well It will have more relevance for religious
recognizes that ‘the leviathan god of monothe
conscience when even the modern agents of
ism is the source and model for concepts of
warfare states and jingoist ideologies; science
sovereignty and absolute monarchy’ ( ) he
and murderous technologies are arraigned
needs to become more alert to the fact that it
before the tribunal of its moral conscience
is secularism which now lays claims to the sov
ereignty of the state and reinforces wittingly Only a candid and forthright dialogue which is
or unwittingly the doctrine of the amorality of universally moral and not tribally political
political power However if one were to accept which is genuinely critical and not disingenu
political power as (morally) sovereign if one ously polemical will help us discover those
were to construe it as beyond good and evil visions of a just worldorder which may claim
the whole problem of the legitimacy and ille the allegiance of the religious and secular con
gitimacy of violence becomes redundant Little science both Islamic conscience it is our plea
must welcome such a debate
Far more scholarly sober and accessible dis
Today when the claims of cussion on Jihad is found in the synoptic state
inviolability and legal sover ment that is the work of Michael Bonner
Issue 48 - 49
www.islam21.net
vidual and spiritual inner strivings for Bonner model that is at the heart of the notion of jihad
it is neither He cogently demonstrates that prohibits political structures' (Oliver Roy: The
‘those who argue that Jihad means only vio Failure of Political Islam Harvard University
lence or only peace are both wrong’! The Press
p
) Even according to Jean
colour of his portrait of Jihad is neither black Paul Charnay the source of Roy's insights
nor white: it is grey! Alas the historian’s vision above jihad is an affair between the believer
the great leveller: it relativizes is There is not a and God and not between the believer and his
single ‘only’ in the historian’s vision; it is enemy It is an act of faith and a passion of
always ’only this’ or only that’ penitents which is essentially religious and
There are however a number of insights mystical and not political (JeanPaul Charnay:
that according to Bonner are inevitable: Jihad L'Islam et la guerre Paris Fayard
pp
refers first of all to a body of legal doctrines ff) In short jihad is an act of personal piety
However the more notable feature of the not a strategy for collective combat: it is
Jihad theory is that ‘like Islamic law in general beyond any political calculus of victory and
this doctrine of jihad was neither the product defeat Hence as such it can only be internal
nor the expression of the Islamic State: it spiritual and peaceful A violent individual
developed apart from that State or else in jihad would be a contradiction in terms The
uneasy coexistence with it’ Of course this communitarian struggle which alone may
puts a big question mark on the assumption of entail violence and militancy is on the other
hand a more mundane matter a legal regime
that must take into account the political calcu
Jihad is an act of personal lus of the common good (Maslaha)!
piety not a strategy for col
Issue 48 - 49
27
Suggested Reading
Islam and the Secular State: Negotiating the A Call for Heresy: Why Dissent Is Vital to
Future of Shari`a By Abdullahi Ahmed An Islam and America By Anouar Majid
Na`im Harvard Univesity Press University of Minnesota Press
A Call for Heresy discovers
Muslim scholar and human unexpected common ground
rights activist AnNa'im has in one of the most inflamma
written extensively on law tory issues of the twentyfirst
and human rights in the century: the deepening con
Islamic world Here he turns flict between the Islamic
to the subject of the state's world and the United States
coercive enforcement of Moving beyond simplistic
ShariaKoranbased Islamic answers Anouar Majid
lawin predominantly argues that the Islamic world and the United
States are both in precipitous states of decline
www.islam21.net
www.islam21.net
; NYLS Legal Studies Research Paper No
A G Noorani
pages Zed Books ISBN
/
some later classical jurists permitted it in at
least certain circumstances The permission This book provides a sys
some jurists gave the practice in Islamic tematic analysis of the
Issue 48 - 49
jurisprudence (fiqh) was matched and aug Qur’anic reference and the
mented by a broader license jurists gave execu prophetic traditions on peace
tive actors in the realm of governance or and war Examines the views
administration (siyasa) a realm seen as neces
of classical and modern
sarily less constrained by jurisprudential limita
Islamic scholars in light of the
tions Historical evidence indicates that inves
original intent of the Shar’ah
tigative torture was indeed practiced by execu 29
With God on Our Side: Politics and Arkoun Fethullah Gülen Fatima Mernissi
Theology of the War on Terror Ed By Aftab Chandra Muzaffar Tariq Ramadan
Ahmad Malik Amal Press Pp
ISBN Abdolkarim Soroush and others
www.islam21.net
similar problems over the centuries Various
ture dungeons aroudn the world to reveal the
academics reflect how the GraecoRoaman
strategies and tactics secretly used to break
world Byzantium the Christian just war
reflection Islam Judaism Hinduism and human will A vital book for anyone wanting to
Geneva Convention have addressed recurrent understand the whys and hows of torture
ethical problems of war According to the pub being practised today’
lisher ’cuttingedgeessays by prominent mod Philip Zimbrdo author of The Lucifer Effect
ern theorists address vital contemporary issues Darius Rejali is professor of poltiical science
including asymmetric war preventive war at Reed College and an internatioanlly recog
human rights and humantarian intervention’ nized expert on modern torture He iss the
author of Torture and Modernity: Self Society
Humanitarian Imperialism: Using Human and State in Modern Iran
Rights to Sell War By Jean Bricmont Monthly
Review Press New York
Pp ISBN Torture and the Twilight of Empire: From
Algiers to Baghdad By Marina Lazreg
Princton University Press Pp ISBN
Jean Bricmont’s book is
both a historical account of
this development and a pow This study looks at ‘the inti
erful political and moral cri mate relationship between
tique It seeks to restore the torture and colonial domina
critique of imperialism to its tion through a close examina
rightful place in the defence of tion of the French army’s
Issue 48 - 49