Osama bin Laden: Legitimate within Islamic Legal Thought?

Rebecca Kinyon, Rebecca Kinyon

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Osama bin Laden: Legitimate within Islamic Legal Thought?

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• Arts

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• Publié par: ycyzadom
• Nombre de lectures: 49
• Langue: Français

Extrait

The Fletcher School Online Journal for issues related to Southwest Asia and Islamic Civilization Spring 2004, Article 4 Osama bin Laden: Legitimate within Islamic Legal Thought? By Rebecca Kinyon The Arab world is rife with frictionparadigm in which a child is viewed as a between secular reformists and Sharialegitimate target for a war against the United  ‐ minded traditionalists. The significance of thisStates. This article aims to understand the struggle cannot be underestimated. A way ofcontext within which Osama bin Laden is life is at stake, and the intensity of the conflictoperating, concluding that our tactic of has sparked a revolution against the West.discrediting bin Laden’s authority, instead of Osama bin Laden, Saudi billionaire andunderstanding from where it is derived and mastermind behind terrorist attacks, puts ahow it is sustained, will not halt its influence. face to this elusive, and increasingly violent, backlash being waged on U.S. soil. Authority There is a willful lack of motivation Authority can be legitimized in two ways within the United States to understand the within the Islamic tradition: through the reasons behind the violence, as policymakers ‘ulama (the scholarly religious establishment), choose to condemn the means of aggression or through the sword. Osama bin Laden’s instead of understanding their roots. The authority is granted through the latter. The reasons behind this reaction may parallel precedent for claiming authority by the sword those regarding the spread of communism. is, ironically, found within the Quran. One theory regarding why George Kennan’s Although subjects under Islamic states are theory of containment was so heartily commanded to obey the ruler, orimam, this adopted by administrations throughout the duty of obedience is null and void if rulers fail Cold War, was that it did not require the to uphold the word of Allah. Within the text it United States to modify its own actions— is written, “If any (rulers) do fail to judge by simply to contain the actions of other nations. what Allah has revealed, they are (no better 1 The same may be true of terrorist networks than) unbelievers.”Bin Laden’s support rests today. It is far more compelling—for reasons on his claim that he is a selfdeclaredamir  ‐ of maintaining status quo, clear conscience, (commander), who is willing to do what no and straightforward policy—to focus upon other Arab leaders are doing. In the absence de legitimizingbin Laden and his followers ‐ of true leadership, he is a de facto military instead of examining their demands. commander, the only one willing to stand up However, whether legitimate or not, bin against the western infidels and occupiers. In Laden is being granted authority within the Islam, there is no obligation for the military Islamic world. No amount of rhetoric within leader to be a religious man as well, and bin the United States can undo that fact, and no Laden makes no claim on being one. amount of homeland security can dismantle a Nonetheless, his quiet and assured demeanor,

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