Islam's Challenge

In the contemporary environment of Global War on Terror, there is a growing perception of a linkage between Islamic teachings and terrorism. The purpose of this thesis is to examine the vulnerability of Islamic doctrine and teachings to exploitation by terrorists. It addresses the primary question, whether Islam is vulnerable to being exploited by terrorists. It focuses on various concepts of the Islamic doctrine that seems to be used by various terrorist groups to justify their cause, motivate their cadres, garner support, and achieve their end state. To answer the primary question, this thesis focuses on three secondary questions: (1) What are the aspects of Islam which seem relevant to terrorism perpetrated in its name? (2) What are the historical aspects of Islamic revivalism, and is there a link between Qur'anic interpretations and modern terrorism? (3) Is terrorism perpetrated in the name of religion alone or are there other causes? While analyzing the data for these questions, this thesis considers multiple perspectives including those of Western scholars, Islamic scholars, Muslim community, international organizations, and terrorists themselves.