Political Islam and Violence

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Abstract
What is the connection-if any-between Islam and violence? Islam is neither violent nor pacifist. Some adherents of the Islamic movements use and believe in violence as a legitimate means to pursue their political goals while others do not. It is political and socioeconomic conditions that dictate the use or the renunciation of violence. The political environment of repression and dictatorship, coupled with the use of coercion by most regimes in the Middle East, is conducive to violence and counter-violence by the disenfranchised and the marginalized groups in the society. The economic disparity and rising unemployment among the semi-educated and young people is the base from which the extremist groups recruit their members. Both those who use violence and those who reject it find support for their arguments in Islamic texts. Hence, the prospect for reducing violence lies in addressing the political and economic grievances of those who resort to violence.

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