Events
Jihad and Islamic History
JONATHAN BROCKOPP
Associate Professor of History and Religious Studies, Penn State University
Jonathan E. Brockopp is associate professor of Religious Studies and History at the Pennsylvania State University. A specialist in Islamic law and ethics, he has published numerous articles and books, includingIslamic Ethics of Life: Abortion, War, and Euthanasia (University of South Carolina Press). In recent articles and interviews, he has actively addressed the challenge of interpreting Islam in the post-9/11 world.
Department of History and Religious Studies, Penn State University
Jihad and Islamic History
This talk analyzes four constructions of the "lesser jihad," that is jihad as warfare, in an attempt to provide some context for the concept of jihad within the Islamic religious tradition. After an initial overview of the key events and persons from the Prophet's lifetime, I will explore two classical and two modern interpretations of war in more detail, including Osama bin Laden's use of traditional texts to justify terrorist acts.