Islamic Terrorism and the Misuse of Religious Principles and Dogmas
The title is a research paper by Klemen Kocjančič and Iztok Prezelj, published in “Varstvoslovje”, Journal of Criminal Justice and Security, University of Maribor, Faculty of Criminal Justice and Security, 2015-3. The following is an excerpt from its abstract.[1]
Purpose
Islamic terrorism has become a global security threat. The purpose of this paper is to study the use of Islamic religious dogmas and principles in the strategic justification of terrorism and in specific cases of terrorist attacks. The text is based on the hypothesis that Islamic terrorists selectively use Islamic principles and dogmas to achieve their goals.
Design/Methods/Approach
Key used methods are the hermeneutic method (explanation and interpretation of philosophical and religious literature) for addressing the Islamic holy texts and the method of case studies for analyzing four terrorist attacks (London in 2005, Beslan in 2004, Mumbai in 2008 and Nairobi in 2013). Generalized findings of the misuse of religious principles in the stated terrorist attacks were addressed by the comparative method.
Findings
The key to the success of the Islamic terrorism is to create an influential interpretation of Islam that will justify terrorism and motivate individuals and groups to carry out violent acts. This text confirms the hypothesis on the misuse of religious principles and dogmas for the purposes of Islamic terrorism. At the strategic-conceptual level, we observed selective and narrow interpretations of the Koran and hadiths. The terrorist use of religion has been based only on stressing the specific principles and verses, mostly promising salvation (most obvious in the case of suicide terrorism). The misuse of the context and the religious texts has been based on the creation of interpretation that Muslim society has been attacked by non-believers, leading to the need for Jihad (also narrowly understood as only the fight against the external evil). What follows is the creation of a simplified understanding of non-believers as complete enemies of Allah that deserve only death. Analysis of four terrorist attacks showed violations of attacking the civilian environment with civilian targets. Additionally, these attacks were not ordered by the official religious leaders, but by the terrorist leaders. One can also not claim that attacks were for the protection of the Islamic ummah (community), because Muslims were also among the attacked population.
Research Limitations / Implications
The key limitation can be found in the limited number of conceptual and practical cases of violation and misuse of Islam used in the paper.
Originality/Value
The topic is relevant due to its contribution to improving our understanding of Islamic terrorism and creating the conditions for improving the counter-terrorist activities. The topic is original because the exact points of misuse and violations were detected and properly put into a broader context.