Scriptural justification for terror misrepresents Islam’s own jurisprudence on violence

Evidence

Religious terrorists use Hadīth and Qur’anic injunctions to explain and excuse their activities, yet their actions are motivated only by their own malevolent and terrifying intentions (Buerger 2009). Islam opposes all forms of violence, and a closer look at the notion of Jihād shows that it is more than just a righteous battle against unbelievers (Esposito and Ibrahim 2011). Islamic jurists of the past denounce the murder of defenseless, innocent individuals and classify all those who commit such crimes as the worst of the lot (Esposito 2014). — Muhammad Asad Latif, The Identity of Religion Always Comes Up, 19

Categorization

• XREF: Speaks directly to the recurring debate over whether scripture causes violence or is retrofitted to justify it — connect to critiques of the ‘religion is inherently violent’ thesis (Cavanaugh, Asad).
• SEED: Angle: ‘The Text as Alibi’ — how violent actors shop for proof-texts while the interpretive tradition they invoke condemns them.