Jihad and Justice: Pluralism and Western Values

Both Christianity and Islam are large and powerful religious forces in today’s world—forces powerful enough that they have caught the attention of the current ruling class, Western society. Both Christianity and Islam have certain ideals and goals, both have an end towards which they are striving, and both have serious implications for political and military theory. Ever since the attack on the World Trade Center in 2001, the Western eye has been turned towards Islam, looking for an explanation for the attack and any hints of future possibilities. Debate has raged over the true nature of Islam, whether or not it is a peaceful religion at its core, and what can be expected in the coming days, months, and years from the community of Muslim believers.

I’ve spent the last few weeks examining the similarities and differences between Christian and Islamic theories of just war. I’ve attempted to trace out the connection between theology and politics, as well as each religions conception of justice as applied to temporal or worldly affairs. It remains to be seen if and how these two religions relate to current Western political views. I set out, at the beginning of this series, to show that Christian just war theory still has, while Islamic just war theory does not have, the possibility of influencing the West as it makes decisions regarding its policy with Muslim nations. The reason for this has to do with each of these religions conceptions of the relationship between religious and political authority, and the compatibility of these conceptions with the Western value of religious pluralism.