Islamic Law of Armed Intervention for Peace and Humanitarian Purposes
Islamic Law of Armed Intervention for Peace and Humanitarian Purposes
Shahzeb Shahid
 
Abstract: This article examines the scope of humanitarian intervention under Islamic and modern international law. The term ‘humanitarian intervention’ in the context of this article means the right of states to use military force within the sovereignty of another state. In contemporary international law, Muslim states, individually as well as collectively, cannot conduct armed intervention within the sovereignty of another state without the permission of the UN Security Council. The article first analyses issues in contemporary international law such as the legality of humanitarian intervention, conditions that must be fulfilled before intervening within the sovereignty of a state, and the procedure required to be followed before an armed intervention. The article then turns to Islamic international law dealing with the situations in which Muslim states are obliged to intervene and use force for peace and humanitarian purposes. The article also examines if Islamic law allows non-Muslim states to intervene militarily in conflict-ridden Muslim states for peace and humanitarian purposes. The article concludes that contemporary and Islamic international laws of armed intervention are mutually compatible and can be followed simultaneously, and both these laws provide Muslim states with the tools necessary to maintain peace and security within Muslim states and globally.

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