Wednesday, 16 June 2010, 6.15pm

Campus Westend, Hörsaalzentrum HZ 3

Professor Emad Shahin (Kroc Institute for Peace Studies, University of Notre Dame)

Jihad, Combat, and Peace in Islam

CV

Emad Shahin is Henry Luce Associate Professor of Religion, Conflict and Peacebuilding at the Kroc Institute, University of Notre Dame (USA). Before coming to Notre Dame, Shahin was associate professor of political science at the American University in Cairo, visiting associate professor in the department of government at Harvard University (2006-2009), and visiting scholar in the Islamic Legal Studies Program at Harvard Law School (2006). Shahin is a comparativist who examines the foundation for democracy and political reform within Islamic law, philosophy, and political practices. His recent work includes „Political Ascent: Contemporary Islamic Movements in North Africa“ (Westview 1997), co-editorship of „Struggling over Democracy in the Middle East and North Africa“ and co-authorship of "Islam and Democracy," published in Arabic. He is the editor-in-chief of The Oxford Encyclopedia of Islam and Politics (Oxford University Press, forthcoming in 2011), and he is co-editing The Oxford Handbook of Islam and Politics (Oxford University Press, forthcoming in 2011) with John L. Esposito of Georgetown University.

Abstract

For centuries, the concept of jihad has been misunderstood and equated with “Holy War” and violence. In a post-September 11 world, Islam itself has increasingly become associated with intolerance, violence and terrorism. Pundits have coined the terms Jihadism and jihadists as a new ideological counterforce to the West, globalization, and democratic values. In his lecture, Professor Emad Shahin makes distinctions between jihad and fighting/war in Islam. He will examine the different theories of jihad in Islam, the theo-ries of war and combat, and the conditions and manner under which violence is conducted. He will ana-lyze the ideas of major contemporary Islamic thinkers who have influenced the perception and the use of jihad in modern times, how the concept has been applied by certain movements, and the structural caus-es behind violence.  Shahin will also address the ethics of peace in Islam and the major theories that focus on the principles of peace in Islam. He will analyze the factors that impede the spread and imple-mentation of these peaceful values.