Islam and the Bomb - Belfer Center for Science and International ...

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14 The Allure of Nuclear Weapons The stability of nuclear stalemate is predicated on an assumption that no rational actor will use nuclear weapons against an adversary who has the capacity to retaliate in kind. The resulting doctrine of “mutually assured destruction” might seem like madness, but it has lowered the risks of making serious miscalculations that could unleash a nuclear holocaust. States are not deterred from using nuclear weapons because of moral or ethical concerns; decision-makers make cold, hard calculations of self interest and have concluded that they cannot achieve their goals by using nuclear arsenals. The nuclear play book needs to be re-written to take into account the emerging features of nuclear threats resulting from such broader trends as globalization, extremism, and energy demands. Calculations based on national interest will no longer constitute a sufficient basis for sustaining a viable nuclear order. Some measure of moral and ethical standards must enter into the equation, in order for a consensus to emerge among nations that must increas- ingly work together to mitigate nuclear-related risks. In a world brimming with the stuff of a nuclear Armageddon, can we assign different moral standards in assessing the behavior of states and sub-state actors? What does nuclear ac- countability and responsibility mean in the event a state were to wittingly or unwittingly provide nuclear capabilities to terrorists? Does deterrence have any meaning in influencing the nuclear ambitions of a terrorist group? If, as President Truman suggested, the bomb is just another weapon, and its use is deemed to be the best means of achieving victory, then however unpalatable as it may sound, we must be prepared for others to use the same reasoning against us. Al-Qaeda has offered a detailed argument that the use of nuclear weapons is justifiable to win a war they declared with the “Pearl Harbor” attack on 9/11. 7 They have challenged the world to refute them, on moral and ethical terms. Based on their statements, the al-Qaeda core is hoping they will not be joined on this field of battle, because they are convinced their enemies are reluctant to defend their moral position. Religion, Ideology and Secularity “There has always been a sensitivity that we do no want to do or say anything that will allow our efforts to be mischaracterized credibly as a war against Islam…. People in the administration should be making a clear distinction between Islam, which is a religion and which is not our enemy, and extremist Islam, which is a political ideology and our enemy…The fact is our enemies fly the banner of Islam and the Bomb: Religious Justification For and Against Nuclear Weapons
Estimated Global Nuclear Weapons Inventory in 2009: ~23,360 8 United States: 9,400 Britain: 180 France: 300 Israel: 80–100 India: 60–80 Pakistan: 70–90 Russia: 13,000 North Korea: ? China: 240 In mid-2009, the global stockpile of highly enriched uranium (HEU) was about 1,600,000 kg, enough for more than 60,000 nuclear weapons. 9 HEU In 2009, the global stockpile of separated plutonium(Pu) was about 500,000 kg, Since the critical mass of plutonium is about one third that of HEU, however, the global stockpile of plutonium also is sufficient for more than 60,000 first-generation nuclear weapons. 10 Pu Only 25 kg of HEU or 8 kg of Pu are required to create one crude nuclear bomb. 11 = 500 Nuclear Weapons There are currently 1,131 nuclear facilities worldwide under IAEA Safeguards. 12 Worldwide there are hundreds of locations holding nuclear weapons or weapons-usable material, 13 but due to the secret nature of these facilities the exact number is unknown. Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs | Harvard Kennedy School 15
Page 1: Islam Islam and the Bomb Religious
Page 4 and 5: Belfer Center for Science and Inter
Page 6 and 7: AUTHOR’S NOTE Threats cannot be f
Page 8 and 9: CONTENTS Foreword 9 Living in an Ag
Page 10 and 11: 8 Islam and the Bomb: Religious Jus
Page 12 and 13: 10 ing nuclear weapons? Has a decis
Page 14 and 15: NUCLEAR WEAPONS IN THE 21 ST CENTUR
Page 18 and 19: 16 Islam. They claim to represent t
Page 20 and 21: 18 In applying this hierarchy of mo
Page 22 and 23: 20 The Court of Public Opinion “C
Page 24 and 25: THE QURAN AND WEAPONS OF MASS DESTR
Page 26 and 27: 24 The first Caliph (successor to t
Page 28 and 29: 26 both Saudi radical cleric Nasir
Page 30 and 31: AL-QAEDA’S RELIGIOUS JUSTIFICATIO
Page 32 and 33: 30 On that basis, and in compliance
Page 34 and 35: 32 ings of US and Saudi targets in
Page 36 and 37: 34 In November, 2007, Sayid Imam Ab
Page 38 and 39: 36 He offers a meticulously researc
Page 40 and 41: 38 Zawahiri’s Three Operational M
Page 42 and 43: 40 they have done good for their re
Page 44 and 45: 42 Because the document was written
Page 46 and 47: SUNNI VOICES REJECTION OF TERRORIST
Page 48 and 49: Chronology of Sunni Voices Against
Page 50 and 51: Reactions to the anti-WMD Fatwa Dr
Page 52 and 53: SHIA VOICES IRAN AND THE BOMB Follo
Page 54 and 55: 52 “The decree by Khamenei “pro
Page 56 and 57: 54 “From all I can see, it’s no
Page 58 and 59: president of the Kayhan chain of ne
Page 60 and 61: Ayatollah Mohammad Taghi Mesbah-Yaz
Page 62 and 63: you can do whatever you want to def
Page 64 and 65: Comment: For additional information
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APPENDICES Appendix A - Background
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66 Early Muslim scholars developed
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68 located in Yemen, Iraq, and part
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70 Appendix B: Al-Qaeda Nuclear Pla
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Appendix C: Events from 2003-2010 -
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In his book “Cosmology and Human
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76 and hidden matters, the conseque
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78 pressed. Thus, this prohibition
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80 Appendix E: Sunni Biographies Dr
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82 despite our strong oppositions t
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84 to the United Nations. He presen
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86 losophy and in particular Sadra
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88 nied him food and drink until he
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90 Zawahiri: Page 5, 8, 25, 26, 50,
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92 “As everyone knows, whoever at
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94 fought with fire, and Khalid ibn
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96 Sa’id reported to us that al-L
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98 “The Prophet, may God bless hi
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100 and to refrain from them if the
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102 permissible, and one may setup
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104 “Al-‘Ayni said in ‘Umdat
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106 C. The third position on the is
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108 the prophet (may God bless him
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110 facilitate victory over them. T
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112 “In this Hadith there is perm
Page 116 and 117:
114 The Imam al-Nawawi (may God hav
Page 118 and 119:
116 Referencing Al-Ayni Al-Fahd: Pa
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118 board with them. Malik said tha
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120 “They said that this is a gen
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122 that a tradition from the proph
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124 “Similarly, if an non-believe
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126 The second aspect: Muslim leade
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128 beginning of the verse, God giv
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130 book “Consensus on Matters of
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132 Ibn Qudamah also said: “Chapt
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134 Referencing Muhammad Ibn Isma
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136 in the Name of God and in God
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138 Ibn Taymiyyah (may God have mer
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140 a martyr. Anyone undeserving of
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142 Zawahiri: Page 35, 80, 82, 83,
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144 Similar to this is what Muhamma
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146 ENDNOTES 1. Tzu, Sun. The Art o
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148 Times. 29 May 2003. http://www.
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150 115. Intelligence and Terrorism
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152 163. Gomaa, Ali. “Biography.
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154 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS This report wo
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156 Islam and the Bomb: Religious J
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