Why Jihad?: Religious Violence in Islamic History, Theology, and Jurisprudence - Paperback

by Howard Shin (Author)

Time and time again people are compelled to ask whether Islam truly is a religion of peace, as Muslims all over the world claim it to be. Muslim scholars such as Aysha Jalal argues that "it is paradoxical that Islam, whose very meaning is salam, or peace, has come to be seen as a belligerent religion with fanatical adherents determined to wage perpetual war against unbelievers." If Islam were a religion of peace, then why is it that in the long stretch of time, since the life of Muhammad, there hasn't been a single year in which Muslims, in some part of the world, have not been fighting against the infidels or against each other? Why are fourteen hundred years of Islamic conquests stained with the blood of millions of innocent lives? Why is that that a significant minority of Muslims around the world believe militant Jihad to be a duty incumbent upon all the Muslims? These are some of the questions addressed in this book. This book will show the relationship between militant Jihad and Islam through the lens of the Islamic history, theology, and jurisprudence and how this perennial ideology has shaped the Islamic world of intolerance and egalitarianism. About the AuthorHoward Shin was born and raised in an Islamic country, where he studied Islam extensively and earned a Master in Islamic Culture and History. He also has earned a Master in Christian Education, a Master of Divinity and a doctoral degree in Mission studies with concentration on Islam. He currently lives in Korea, where he teaches Islam and apologetics and holds seminars and workshops.