FAQs

Questions and Answers on Jihad

20. What are Islam’s views with regards to acts of armed rebellion against governments that are unjust, corrupt and authoritarian?
Organizing an armed rebellion against an authoritarian regime known for its cruelty and injustice is not encouraged by Islam as there is a high likelihood of bloodshed and the killing of innocents, all of which are sinful acts. Furthermore, in certain situations, armed rebellion may be counter-productive, that is, it may serve to strengthen the position of the authoritarian government. This does not mean to say that Islam asks of its followers to endure the injustices inflicted by such regime. Instead, Muslims must strive to improve the situation by dispensing advice or using other options besides armed rebellion. History has witnessed many examples of authoritarian governments who were successfully replaced without the process of armed rebellion.

21. Does Islam permit attacking enemies wherever they are?
No, this is prohibited in Islam. Armed operations should be conducted only in the conflict zones or areas recognised as such under international law.

22. What is Islam’s stand on suicide operations, which are becoming more rampant these days?
Suicide operations are not allowed in Islam as the act of taking our own lives are against the teachings of Islam. In addition, suicide operations often compromise innocent civilians. Furthermore, Islam has been linked strongly with violence because of suicide bombings. The efforts by certain parties to draw analogies between contemporary suicide operation and the acts of the companions of the Prophet (pbuh) and Muslim army as recorded in historical texts are not acceptable because of the following differences:

a. Those who perform daring acts in the past are destroyed by the weapons owned by their enemies while the current suicide operators are killed by detonating their own weapons.
b. The acts in the past occurred during battle but suicide operators of today explode themselves at random and not during battle as evident in incidents like 9/11 and train bombings in London and Madrid. They also destroy infrastructure, which is a very clear prohibition in Islam.
Based on the above, it can be concluded that the legitimacy of suicide operation as claimed by some parties is syubhat (dubious).