CEU Electronic Theses and Dissertations, 2021
| Author | Azizi, Hamid Ullah |
|---|---|
| Title | Does the End Justify the Means? An Assessment of ISIL's Justification of Violence through the Lens of Just War Theory |
| Summary | The purpose of this thesis is multifaceted. It first attempts to explain ISIL's justification for violence and further assesses if ISIL's use of violence can be justified with the Just War Theory. The thesis uses the following six standard principles of JWT: Just cause and intention, competent and legitimate authority, proportionality before war, the last resort, discrimination, and proportionality in war. Through these principles of the JWT, the thesis attempts to explain if ISIL's establishment of an Islamic Caliphate is a just cause and whether ISIL has the competent authority to wage war on behalf of the entire Islamic world. Furthermore, the thesis discusses the principles of proportionately and examines if war is the last resort for ISIL based on the Just War theoretical perspective. The primary argument of the thesis is that ISIL uses violence to establish an Islamic Caliphate and provides Islamic text and Quranic interpretation as the primary justification for its action. It is further arguing that the Just War Theory cannot entirely explain ISIL's actions since ISIL is a non-state actor, and the JWT best fits to justify the use of violence and war when a state is the actor. The findings of this thesis suggest that ISIL's use of violence to establish an Islamic Caliphate is supported partly by Islamic text and Quranic interpretation. Furthermore, the thesis highlights that religious terrorism in general and Islamic terrorism in particular, is based on the doctrine of religion, and military intervention is not sufficient to defeat this phenomenon; instead, more focus has to be made on the ideological foundation of religious terrorism. |
| Supervisor | Bogaards Matthijs |
| Department | Political Science MA |
| Full text | https://www.etd.ceu.edu/2021/azizi_hamid-ullah.pdf |
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