Intercultural Struggle and the Targeting of Noncombatants: The Case of the Islamic State

Ross Moret,Simone Burgin

doi:10.3390/rel9080230

Abstract

The prohibition against targeting noncombatants is a long-held commitment in both Muslim and Western military ethics. Nevertheless, some militant Muslim groups, and particularly the Islamic State, have created ever-widening space for attacking those traditionally considered immune from targeting in military operations. Our essay uses two theoretical apparatuses developed in social psychology—cultural cognition and moral foundations theory—to explain how certain aspects of post-9/11 tactics on the part of the United States and its allies have contributed to this phenomenon. We also use these same tools to show that similar dynamics work to contribute to the rightwing backlash against Muslims in the United States.

Highlights

If the Islamic State (ISIS) group is known for one thing among the general public in the West, it is its brutality
The level of coverage has shrunk with the size of its geographical holdings, but ISIS continues to inspire and encourage attacks against civilian populations and they continue to justify these attacks by appealing to traditional Islamic sources
While case would require much than one stretch one essay, we suggest that two psychological paradigms, moral foundations theory andcognition, cultural norms of Islamic tradition, such that to understand

Summary

Background

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Case Study

Muslim

Analysis

Conclusions

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