Tiffany Huet Class of 2008 Justifying Violence: A ... - Stetson University

More documents

Recommendations

Info

Much like Bray, bin Laden approaches the Qur’an with his conclusion already in mind. Most Western scholars have acknowledged that the wide range of Qur’anic verses pertaining to war ultimately contradict each other. The conclusion by Muslim scholars, however, has been on the side of war for centuries. 107 John Kelsay provides a salient assessment of bin Laden’s justification for jihad in his Declaration of 1998. The document raises three issues of controversy: religious authority, the use of force, and the call to indiscriminant killing or total war. There are five known authors—one of whom is Osama bin Laden—however, none of whom is recognized or qualified as a scholar of Islam. Kelsay argues that there are two possibilities as to how the authors maintain the notion that they have the authority to make such declarations. One reason could be that the authors of the Declaration assume authority because of the emergency state in which they find themselves. Kelsay reminds the reader “that in the emergency situation, the ordinary lines of authority are suspended.” 108 The other possible reason stems from the fact that there is no clergy in Islam. The implication of the authors, Kelsay suggests, is that authority comes from nearness to God, which is not limited to any one group of people. He notes that actually very few restrictions or criteria exist for making such pronouncements: “One can argue that bin Laden and his colleagues ‘ought not’ make pronouncements like this, but one would be hard-pressed to say that they ‘cannot’ do so.” 109 He concludes that, on the issue of authority, there is no direct violation of Shari’a. The manner of armed struggle encouraged in the Declaration, Kelsay continues, also does not directly contradict Islamic norms, but it is unusual. Typically, the point of emergency is when Islamic territories are under attack and any means of fighting is employed to defend them. 107 Firestone, 108, 109. 108 Kelsay, “Islam and the Problem of Violence,” 45. 109 Kelsay, 46. 28
Deceit is even encouraged in order for a “desperate soldier” to protect Islamic lands. 110 The authors of the Declaration, however, take the stance that force abroad must be employed to prevent oppression at home. Osama bin Laden, along with members of Hamas, Egyptian Islamic Jihad, and the Islamic Group, have reached far beyond their borders to defend Islamic territories. Still, Kelsay maintains that this is not a violation but merely a peculiarity. The major violation bin Laden and his colleagues commit in the Declaration is regarding the targeting of civilians in acts of indiscriminant violence. Mark Juergensmeyer interviewed Mahmud Abouhalima, who was tried and convicted for his role in the 1993 bombing of the World Trade Center. Abouhalima and others filled a rented truck with explosives and parked it in the basement parking area of one of the towers. The explosion did not cause the damage Abouhalima had wished. Had there been more explosives and better positioning of the truck, the tower would have been damaged enough to fall and cause destruction to the second tower, killing up to two hundred thousand people. 111 Abouhalima viewed his act as avenging the deaths and oppression the United States has caused worldwide. He specifically discussed the United States’ bombings in Japan where more than two hundred thousand people were killed. Juergensmeyer reiterates that this same number of people would have been killed had the 1993 bombing transpired as planned. Abouhalima declared to Juergensmeyer that his job as a Muslim is “to go wherever there is oppression and injustice and fight it.” 112 This is a very different calling than what is seen in the Islamic tradition of qital. These deliberate attacks on civilians are, in fact, in direct violation of Shari’a precedent: “Islam is very clear on the matter. The Prophet said: ‘Do no cheat or commit treachery, do not mutilate or kill women, children, or old men.’” While 110 Juergensmeyer, 82. 111 Juergensmeyer, 62-63. 112 Juergensmeyer, 67. 29
Page 1 and 2: Tiffany Huet Class of 2008 Justifyi
Page 3 and 4: Introduction This paper is about th
Page 5 and 6: enowned instances of religious resi
Page 7 and 8: God’s command for us is the order
Page 9 and 10: and, therefore, that he must condem
Page 11 and 12: unborn. This, he says, completely o
Page 13 and 14: that there are certain offenses tha
Page 15 and 16: examples that are held as bases for
Page 17 and 18: Bray feels that, as an example, Jes
Page 19 and 20: therefore, must be meant figurative
Page 21 and 22: Bray also tends to contradict himse
Page 23 and 24: of eleven large U.S passenger airpl
Page 25 and 26: suffering and death in the face of
Page 27: defend themselves and others throug
Page 31 and 32: These criticisms most likely evoked
Page 33 and 34: on the spectators. They are meant t
Page 35: Bibliography Bin Laden, Osama. “L

Tiffany Huet Class of 2008 Justifying Violence: A ... - Stetson University

You also want an ePaper? Increase the reach of your titles

Delete template?

Save as template?