Just wars

First of all, I hate he terms "Jihad" (which just means "struggle") and "Holy war" (as no war is holy). I'll use the term "Just war" for those armed conflicts that God commands us or encourege us to fight.

These are the only verses of holy war that apply to all mankind I found so far. (I'll make an entry about why I think that many verces of The Recitation doesn't apply to us soon, God willing).

2:190) Everyone can wage just wars defensively.

2:191) Reconquest is lawful

2:192) When waging just war, sign peace.

2:194) Retaliate aggression

2:195) When you volunteer for an army for a just war, don't ruin yourself economically.

2:216) Warfare is mandatory (could mean that God is talking just about just wars or that all men should conscript for the army of their county if they can, I think the first interpratation makes much more sense)

2:217) Fighting in holy months is ok, don't abandon your faith even if you are defeated.

VERY IMPORTANT! Note that just war doesn't care about the religion of the soldiers nor the enemy. As you can see, not expelling people from their homes is a universal value so a just war can perfectly have people of all religions. Also, we know that there were opresors of all religions too.

Examples of just wars throw history:

War	Time	Place	Just	Agressor
Persian conquest of Mesopotamia	Antiquety	Mesopotamia	Persia	Babylon and Assyria
Macabbean revolt	Classical period	Roman Judea	The Jews	Romans
Muhammad's wars	7th century	Arabia	Muminun	Mushrikin
3rd Crusade	Middle ages	The Levant	Saladin	The Crusaders
Spanish conquest of Mexico	Age of exploration	Mexico	Cortez and the rebels	The Mexica (Aztecs)
French wars of religion	Age of exploration	France	Hugonets	Catholics
WWII	Industrial age	Europe and Pacific ocean	The Allies	Germany and Japan

As you see, holy wars are not holy, in nearly all of these examples the good side made immoral things too. Cortez was a criminal, Macabbeans killed eachother, the allies innocent raped german and japanese girls and women, etc.

What "just war" means is that all affected men have the Moral obligation to join the army of the good side if they can.

 

Neutrality, in a moment of moral conflict, is the same as approving injustice

- Niccolò Machiavelli