Arguing the Just War in Islam

by Kelsay

Jihad, with its many terrifying associations, is a term widely used today, though its meaning is poorly grasped. Few people understand the circumstances requiring a jihad, or "holy" war, or how Islamic militants justify their violent actions within the framework of the religious tradition of Islam. How Islam, with more than one billion followers, interprets jihad and establishes its precepts has become a critical issue for both the Muslim and the non-Muslim world.

John Kelsay's timely and important work focuses on jihad of the sword in Islamic thought, history, and culture. Making use of original sources, Kelsay delves into the tradition of shari'a--Islamic jurisprudence and reasoning--and shows how it defines jihad as the Islamic analogue of the Western "just" war. He traces the arguments of thinkers over the centuries who have debated the legitimacy of war through appeals to shari'a reasoning. He brings us up to the present and demonstrates how contemporary Muslims across the political spectrum continue this quest for a realistic ethics of war within the Islamic tradition.

Arguing the Just War in Islam provides a systematic account of how Islam's central texts interpret jihad, guiding us through the historical precedents and Qur'anic sources upon which today's claims to doctrinal truth and legitimate authority are made. In illuminating the broad spectrum of Islam's moral considerations of the just war, Kelsay helps Muslims and non-Muslims alike make sense of the possibilities for future war and peace.

Genres: Islam, Religion, Politics, Middle East, History, Nonfiction, College

263 pages, Paperback

First published November 1, 2007

Reviews

[Captain063 · Rating 3 out of 5]

ربط التسلسل التاريخي مع الأفكار وتطور الفقه كان أميز ما في الكتاب، اما التعقيد في شرح الأفكار الحديثة فكان هو السمة الابرز للكتاب في اغلب نصفه المتأخر.

سواء تعارضت مع أفكاره او وافقته ، سيبقى مفيد جدا معرفة وجهة نظر الطرف الاخر في مسائلك الداخلية وتاريخك الخاص. الهدف ليس اتباع آراء الأجنبي بل بمعرفة كيف يفكر الكتّاب وكيف يبنون استدلالاتهم.

[Osama · Rating 4 out of 5]

يركز هذا الكتاب المهم على التحليل الغربي لموضوع جهاد السيف في الفكر والتاريخ والثقافة الإسلامية. وبالاستفادة من المصادر الأصلية، يتعمق المؤلف جون كيلساي في تقاليد الشريعة – الفقه الإسلامي والمنطق – ويبين كيف يعرف الجهاد باعتباره النظير الإسلامي للحرب الغربية "العادلة".

[Amanda J · Rating 5 out of 5]

John Kelsay does a terrific job of relating modern struggles of the Western world with the realm of Islam in terms of terrorism, radicalism, and anti-democratic dialogue. He posits that the radical Islamists consistently violate Islamic precedence of fair and honorable combat, and provides scriptural and historical references to back his argument.

By intertwining the historical and religious precedence with the modern struggle against radical ideologies, Kelsay explores the reasoning behind the radical ideologies in relation to the history of Islam. In doing so, he also presents the struggle of democratically minded Muslims in the face of these wide-spread anti-democratic ideologies.

In the conclusion, Kelsay delves into an explanation of the most recent explanations of the United States' violations of the Islamic principles of virtue, as well as accusations against the United States by power figures such as Iran's president, Ahmadinejad.

Overall a well-written and intriguing exploration of modern religio-political issues. Kelsay does a wonderful job at presenting facts in an objective way with thorough explanation.

This book definitely wins my recommendation to anyone interested in world politics.

[Dr. Phoenix · Rating 4 out of 5]

John Kelsay has presented well written account in consideration of the principles of just war in the Islamic tradition. Unfortunately the argument is very generalized and the sources of support are relatively weak. In other words seeking the just war tradition in Shari'a, as Kelsay attempts to do, is largely an exercise in futility. The concept in just war theory was a codified set of values that are particular to Western society. While there are certainly some central humanitarian threads that are common to society comes as no surprise. However, to extrapolate codes of Shari'a reasoning and behavior of behavior, meant to fit the Western cultural paradigm simply does not work. It was an informative and thoughtfully presented piece and the author provides some sound research and information. At the end of the day the concept of an Islamic just war theory simply is an academic fabrication lacking any real basis in reality. If, indeed the Shari'a principles as outlined and presented functioned then there would be no Islamism or theoterrorism.

[Anthony · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good introduction to the rationale of "shari'a reasoning." Islamists will never be convinced by rational, secular argument but there is plenty of material in the Islamic tradition to prove the radicals wrong and to undercut their shrinking support

[Jolie Hawthorne · Rating 3 out of 5]

Read for Islamic Law class — good start to answering questions about the democratizing of Shari’a reasoning