Holy War

Paper Summary:

This paper discusses why 'holy wars are fought, examines some examples of such wars in history, and reviews the concept of "jihad", Muslim holy war, in Islam.

Contents:
Introduction
What are Holy Wars?
Holy Wars in History
Jihad
Conclusion

From the Paper:

"It is indeed ironic and a great contradiction that most religious teachings are based on the principles of peace, kindness and magnanimity towards fellow men, and yet religions have also been responsible for savage killings and cruelty throughout human history. Armies and religious leaders, fired by their faiths and the belief that spreading of their religion "by the sword" had divine sanction, have perpetrated countless "holy wars" on fellow men. As a matter of fact, the concept of such divinely sanctioned killings is still popular among many people as is evidenced in the unending incidents of terrorist attacks linked to religious extremists around the world."

More papers on Holy War:

• Book Review # 134601 : "Peter Bergen's "Holy War, Inc."
• Book Review # 105129 : "Holy War and Osama bin Laden"
• Analytical Essay # 134526 : "Peter Bergen: Holy War, Inc., A Critique"

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