Holy Wars and Jihads Compared to Just War Theory

The idea of a Jihad, or a Muslim Holy War, can be seen in conflict with the Western world's idea of a just war. This is an interesting area to see how just war theory applies to other cultures.

The Institute of Islamic Information and Education goes into detail about the criteria of a jihad. To Arabic speakers, the word "jihad" literally means "struggle." For example, a student may struggle to get an education or pass a test; this would be considered a jihad. This institute asserts that westerners incorrectly equate a jihad with a holy war, although there is a great deal of overlap between jihad and holy war.

There are several applications of jihad in the Qur'an. One example of jihad is putting Allah before all other loved ones in your life. Another application of jihad is striving for righteous deeds. There are also other examples of jihad that are more applicable to the idea of jihad as a holy war. The Qur'an talks about having courage to convey the message of Islam to non-believers. The Qur'an says, "The (true) believers are only those who believe in Allah and his messenger and afterward doubt not, but strive with their wealth and their selves for the cause of Allah. Such are the truthful." 49:15. This is one example of how jihad can be used by Islamic terrorists to "justify" their actions. This is also a point that differs from the classical western views of just war. None of the ancient writers that I have discussed in my blog thus far have used spreading of religion as a just cause of going to war.

Defending Islam and the community is one way that jihad is similar to ancient western just war theory. There are many instances in the texts that I have discussed in the past where waging a defensive war is considered to be just. Allah declares in the Qur'an, "To those against whom war is made, permission is given (to defend themselves), because they are wronged - and verily, Allah is Most Powerful to give them victory - (they are) those who have been expelled from their homes in defiance of right - (for no cause) except that they say, 'Our Lord is Allah'.... " 22:39-40.

There are also passages in the Qur'an that allow for jihad in cases of helping allied peoples, removing treacherous rulers from power, defending through preemptive strikes. All of these reasons are consistent with western just war theory.

It is very interesting to note the similarities between the justifications for jihad and the classical western just war theory that I have studies this semester. It seems as though the same rationale is used for Islamic holy war as western war, however, it differs because it uses vague religious texts to justify violence. Islamic terrorists view western society as a threat to Islamic teachings, and therefore believe that they are justified in attacking the west. The passages in the Qur'an referring to jihad are vague and to not outline in detail what is considered a just war like the western theories do. This is most likely a major reason why Islamic holy wars are fought so differently than western wars.