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[Islam its Law and Society] Islamic Laws on War and Peace
Hashmi, Sohail
Hashmi, Sohail
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Abstract
"The words “terrorism” and “terrorist” have become commonplace in the media and in the speeches of politicians since 11 September 2001. Frequently these words are preceded by the adjective “Islamic”. The uninformed reader might believe that terrorism is something new and something which is essentially and exclusively associated with Islam. Terrorism is as old as human history. One of the first recorded terrorist groups were the Jewish Zealots-Sicarii who used terrorist attacks to try to undermine the Roman Empire.1 So, terrorism is nothing new, and neither is it peculiarly Islamic. The people of Chile remember 11 September, not as the anniversary of the terrorist attack on New York, but as the day in 1973 on which General Pinochet, with the support of the United States, overthrew their elected government and unleashed a reign of terror which resulted in 50,000 deaths. Timothy McVeigh, a white, apparently Christian, US citizen was convicted of the Oklahoma bombing in 1995. There are countless other examples of terrorist acts carried out by disaffected individuals and groups, and by states using terror against their own citizens or the people of other countries. What of terrorism associated with Islam? Is there something in the teachings of Islam which encourages Muslims to go out and kill other people? Examining the sources of Islamic law to see what is contained in the Quran and Sunnah and how the laws and principles contained in these have been put into effect by Muslims over the years will address this question."(pg 198)
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Book chapter
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1996
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1862874 99 4
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With permission of the license/copyright holder