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Abstract

The idea of a ‘just war’ has long occupied a central position in legal, ethical, and philosophical discussions. The body of thought on the topic goes beyond the contradiction of the act of war itself and how to conduct war in a just manner.

This work asks to what extent the Arabic-Islamic term jihad (jihad) can be use­fully understood within the context of just war theory, if at all. The text begins with a linguistic and conceptual analysis of jihad, including its occurrence in classical and modern Islamic literature. The work concludes with the following points: within the framework of legal-sharia interpretations, the term jihad has strongly combative connotations. Modern interpretations of the term have tended to be defensive, although many scholars continue to define it as an offensive act of war. With regard to internationally recognised human rights legislation how­ever, an offensive interpretation of jihad is increasingly untenable. Islam’s rich theoretical discourse surrounding the term however, can make meaningful con­tributions to today’s controversial just war debates, if jihad is understood as an act of defence against aggression.

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Source: Poya Abbas (ed.). Sharia and Justice. De Gruyter,2018. — 189 p.. 2018
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