The concept of a just war according to the teachings of. In the catholic tradition, there has always been a concept of a just war. This idea was developed by roman author cicero 10643 bc, who presented the notion that there are just causes for war. Just war theory sets forth standards, both jus ad bellum rules governing if a war may be fought and jus in bello rules governing how a war is fought, standards which must be met if a war is to be considered just christian philosophers have posed numerous notions designed to restrain. For the muslim, this must be the khalifa, or ruler of the muslim community umma. A main differences that emerges between christian and prechristian just war theory are the beliefs relating to the interaction with, and rights of the enemy. The catholic churchs teaching on just war developed very early. Christianity and islam have more in common than most people know they are both monotheistic abrahamic religions, and jesus christ is an important, revered figure in both religions followers of christianity called christians believe in the holy trinity, and that christ, the son of god, walked the earth as the incarnate form of god the father. For example, jean elshtain argued after the 1991 gulf war that despite. Jul 20, 2006 the just war theory specifies conditions for judging if it is just to go to war, and conditions for how the war should be fought.
The theory of just war began in the service of the powers. Jihad, jizya, and just war theory christian research. If at times i find myself disagreeing with the christians, it is not over the religion of jesus, but over the altered shape and, features that it developed after the departure of christ. But some have a long life in this world, a history most often of service to the powersthatbe, but also, sometimes, an oppositionist history. The christian tradition of just war does not have a new testament foundation but is a tradition that developed after the conversion of. Thomas aquinas formulated his theory of just war along lines similar to the islamic doctrine of the jihad, resulting in numerous similarities. Russell, the just war in the middle ages cambridge. Occasionally, skeptics of just war theory will also, for satirical effect, cite instances from the classical literature of causes for war that are now rejected but were once widely accepted as just, such as the punishment of wrongdoing and the spread of the christian religion. Thomas aquinas provided the most celebrated and still discussed the main outlines of just war theory just war theory traditionally has two sets of criteria. The christian tradition of just war does not have a new testament foundation but is a tradition that developed after the conversion of constantine and christianitys emergence as the state. Just war theory and christianity the bible and comparative.
Under western ideals, a war waged by a nonstate actor is violative of the requirement for failure to establish just cause. As the winds of the arab spring grow stronger, as political and financial pressures force the united states to draw down its mideast military presence and as islam becomes a more prominent force throughout the world, many. Despite the title, kelsays book is less an analysis of arguments between muslims about just war in islam and more a survey of how muslim scholars have reasoned about war in different political circumstances. One of the magnitude effect of the horrific 911 terrorist attacks on the united states and the subsequent war against terror campaign is a political rhetoric that. A comparison between islam, christianity and judaism, according to modern science. The discussion of just war in islam narrowed to the following. May 20, 2011 the essays in this special issue engage these questions in the context of islam, using john kelsays arguing the just war in islam as their point of departure. This idea of a just war only being fought as a last resort is a central belief that persists throughout the adoption of just war theory in christianity.
The goal of the just war theory is to identify when it is morally acceptable to support a particular conflict. The western theory of just war finds genesis in augustines deliberations on christianity and warfare. Muslims are forbidden from attacking wounded soldiers unless the. The just war theory specifies conditions for judging if it is just to go to war, and conditions for how the war should be fought. It holds that a state can only engage in war in its own defense or, rather, in response to aggression from another state. Oct 08, 20 describe what evolutionary psychologists mean when they employ the term. The war on islam is based upon the articles i wrote for the wisdom fund. Pdf on jan 1, 2004, abdul karim bangura and others published islam and just war theory find, read and cite all the research you need on researchgate. Augustine commented on the morality of war from a christian perspective, as did several arabic commentators from the 9th to the 12th centuries.
In illuminating the broad spectrum of islams moral considerations of the just war, kelsay. Christians have held diverse views towards violence and nonviolence through time. Jihad, jizya, and just war theory christian research institute. Augustine of hippo 354430 was the first christian writer to describe the four conditions that must be met in order for a war to be just, but the roots of justwar theory go back even to nonchristian romans, particularly the roman orator cicero. Just war theory can get rather murky and difficult to apply, particularly when a nation is whipped up into an emotional fervor. The development of christian theory of just war, beginning with. The first chapter introduces classical concepts of just war in christianity and islam as a lens through which to examine the phenomenon of religiously justified violence in the historical and contemporary case studies. Arguing the just war in islam pdf book best seller directories. This article on just war and terrorism first appeared in the summer 2016 issue of providences print edition last august. Islamic just war theory and the challenge of sacred space in iraq quran and the sunnah as transmitted through the hadith have, in turn, provided the basis for islamic jurisprudence, or fiqh. Ibn abbas explains that this ayah is in reference to the battle of badr, and is a further reiteration of the realm of islam as well as the actions that allah is capable of. Selfdefense theory is a branch of just war doctrine. Based on the bible, the just war position states that some wars are justified, and christians may and often should bear arms in such circumstances. The difference in just war theory between christian and muslim lies not so much in the conditions for a just war as in the political, and ultimately theological, theory that gives rise to the conditions for a just war.
Rather, the unbelievers are only fought on the condition that they wage war, as is practiced by the majority of scholars and as is evident in the book and sunnah. Islam is unique among world religions in that it explicitly calls for the violent subjugation of unbelievers. On such occasions, we sometimes hear pronouncements that just war theory is hopelessly flawed. However, just war theory also acts to remind contenders that war is a last resort and that its essential aim is always peace, so if peace is forthcoming in any guise, it is morally critical for all parties to seek a return to a permanent peace rather than a momentary lapse of war. Mar 01, 2015 islam is unique among world religions in that it explicitly calls for the violent subjugation of unbelievers. The triumph of just war theory and the dangers of success. The main focus lies on the monotheistic religions, i. Arguing the just war in islam pdf book best seller. Be certain that you reach your decisions based on careful, sober, biblical analysis and not on media hype or political party affiliation. The theory of just war is known in variant forms since antiquity and several versions exist within both religious and philosophical contexts. List of books and articles about just war doctrine online. Journal of religious ethics, inc the elements of st.
From its inception, islam has been a conquering religion, and sharia law has become established as the code under which all aspects of conquered societies must submit. Just war theory internet encyclopedia of philosophy. For instance, as early medieval christian wars were against the pagans, the carolingian and ottonian expansionism was accompanied by the conversion of conquered populations to christianity. International justwar theory crystalized after the second world war with. Describe what evolutionary psychologists mean when they employ the term. It is wellknown that christianity has a just war theory, most famously articulated by augustine. Just war theory has a long history in the western intellectual tradition. One branch of this jurisprudence, dealing with appropriate and inappropriate behavior at times of war, is islamic just. In summary, the just war tradition, by the time of vittoria, included both jus ad bellum and jus in belli. Oct 15, 2018 in the catholic tradition, there has always been a concept of a just war.
In islam, however, just war has been an issue since its foundational period, because while christianity did not get involved in statecraft until. List of books and articles about just war doctrine. Just war theory and orthodox christianity to be active participants in military campaigns. Under islamic just war theory, just cause is generally recognized as selfdefense or a battle for the expansion of the faith.
Daryl charles and timothy demy, war, peace, and christianity crossway, wheaton, 2010. The book examines sharia reasoning about political jihad and the islamic analogues to western just war theory, beginning with classical islamic sources e. Use examples and research studies from book 1, chapter 2 to show why this theory is important in evolutionary psychology. Sep 21, 2007 the difference in just war theory between christian and muslim lies not so much in the conditions for a just war as in the political, and ultimately theological, theory that gives rise to the conditions for a just war. Cambridge university press, 1975 and james turner johnson, the just war tradition and the restraint of war princeton. The just war position has been advocated throughout history by the vast majority of christian ethicists in all branches of the church. Arguing the just war in islam provides a systematic account of how islams central texts interpret jihad, guiding us through the historical precedents and quranic sources upon which todays claims to doctrinal truth and legitimate authority are made. The purpose of the doctrine is to ensure war is morally justifiable through a series of criteria, all of which must be met for a war to be considered just. Christianity and the just war theory essay many essays. The early church in the roman empire adopted a nonviolent stance when it came to war since imitating. The war on terrorism, the wars in iraq and afghanistan, the seemingly interminable and intractable religiousethnicnationalist conflicts in the middle east and. Moreover, it is primarily about sunni reasoning, since he gives little attention to the shia. To put islamic war in the context of modern theories of war, it bears a good deal of similarity to just war theory and selfdefense theory. Islam and just war theory by hajj muhammad legenhausen the imam khomeini education and research institute, qom, iran 7.
In order to investigate how orthodox christianity reconciled the pacifist principle of the gospel with its duty to protect the weak and the vulnerable in face of violent abuse, one must start by looking into the nature of churchstate relations, byzantine canon law, as well as into factors of theological, historical, liturgical, and ecclesiological nature. The quran and sunnah permit muslims to defend themselves from aggression, while also limiting warfare to the purpose of preserving security, freedom, and human rights. The justification and limitation of war in western and islamic tradition greenwood, 1990, emanated from conferences held at rutgers university. From a christian standpoint, this means applying biblical ideas to create those practical standards. When just war theory is properly understood, one is led to the. The essays in this special issue engage these questions in the context of islam, using john kelsays arguing the just war in islam as their point of departure. A history by orlando figes, a source book in chinese philosophy by wingtsit chan, franklin an. Western theorists insist that islam can be reformed, bringing it in line with universal standards of just war theory. As such, while some repetition is inevitable, the individual chapterswhich serve as an antidote to the less than balanced coverage of events by u. As such, spreading morally superior ideals as a just cause for war, a nonwestern concept in just war scholarship, can be considered a unique addition to international relations theory due to its difference from western theory and the fact that western theory, within its established framework, is unlikely to theorize it as a just cause of war. The just war theory is an attempt to distill moral principles into guidelines relevant to warfare. However, islam does not allow muslims to question or reinterpret the commands of allah or muhammad see quran 33. While the conditions are similar, we shall see that their justification are worlds apart.
As with these two theories, war may only be waged when. Arguing the just war in islam provides a systematic account of how islam s central texts interpret jihad, guiding us through the historical precedents and quranic sources upon which todays claims to doctrinal truth and legitimate authority are made. Just like christian just war theory, muslim scholars have formulated three very similar conditions under which a just war may be waged. The rights and duties of the state is not the subject under examination here, and a discussion of them has filled books, rather i want to simply point out that the christian conception of just war is closely connected to a particular notion of nature of the state. Thomas aquinas provided the most celebrated and still discussed the main outlines of just war theory. Come to a word that is just between us and you 508 choosing between islam christianity and judaism. This article enshrines a concept of jus ad bellum justice to war, or the principle of war as a last resort, that all nonviolent means of conflict resolution must be. Just war theory sets forth standards, both jus ad bellum rules governing if a war may be fought and jus in bello rules governing how a war is fought, standards which must be met if a war is to be considered just. Christianity vs islam difference and comparison diffen.
In his introduction to arguing the just war in islam, john kelsay asserts that 911 and the insurgent violence in iraq have something to do with islam because the militants involved justify their actions with reference to islamic jurisprudence. Today, there is an international regime which governs war based on a constitution the geneva convention, a legislative body international meetings and regular sessions of the united nations security. Although it was extensively developed by christian theologians, it. Between these two extremes lies the just war position. Currently and historically there have been four views and practices within christianity toward violence and war. In illuminating the broad spectrum of islam s moral considerations of the just war, kelsay. Oct 22, 2017 the western theory of just war finds genesis in augustines deliberations on christianity and warfare.
Judaism, christianity and islam, all of which have recently been reproached for potentially fostering the. In the words of lord headley, islam and christianity. Earlier this week we saw that the first condition for just war is that it be prosecuted by a legitimate authority. This collection of papers on the roots of just or holy war in western christian and islamic cultures, along with its companion volume, cross, crescent, and sword.