Posts tagged with "war"



01. June 2006
When it comes to the issue of Islam and violence, I must confess that, as a Muslim intellectual, I find myself in a bit of a bind. Islam, as expounded in the classical books of theology and law, does not bear a message of violence. In fact, salam (peace and tranquility) is a central tenet of Islamic belief, and safety and security are considered profound divine blessings to be cherished and vigilantly pursued. The absence of peace is identified in the Qur'an as a largely negative condition; it...
01. May 1999
This paper focuses on the balance between functionalism and moralism in the pre-modern juristic discourses on the rules which apply to killing at war. Classical Muslim jurists distinguish between what they call harb al-bugha and harb al-kufar (war against Muslims and war against unbelievers). The rules which apply to fighting Muslims are different from the limitations set upon the conduct of warfare against non-Muslims.