Islamic Ethics of War A Solution to the Rising Human Rights Violations in Global Conflicts

Abstract

The increasing human rights abuses in modern global conflicts have brought into sharp focus the failure of existing international legal regimes to prevent atrocities and protect civilian populations. Islamic ethics of war, based on the Qur'an, Hadith, and classical jurisprudence, develop a coherent moral and legal regime that affirms the values of justice, proportionality, protection of non-combatants, and humane treatment of prisoners. This article discusses how Islamic ethics provide principles that should guide war and evaluates its potential to be considered as part of the solution to some of the challenges posed by modern armed conflict. It demonstrates, through a comparative review of Islamic ethical teachings and current human rights standards and international humanitarian law, that Islamic precepts provide effective and moral means of restraining violence, protecting vulnerable groups, and ensuring accountability. This paper thus concludes that the application of Islamic ethical interpretations to global governance over conflict will contribute toward advanced human rights protection and a reduction in human rights violations during hostilities.