Myth-building: The [open quotes]Islamic[close quotes] bomb
- Quadi-e-Azam Univ., Islamabad (Pakistan)
The [open quotes]Islamic Bomb[close quotes] is roughly understood to be a nuclear weapon aquired for broad ideological reasons--a weapon that supposedly belongs to the Muslim [ital ummah] or community and, as such, is the ultimate expression of Islamic solidarity. Concern about the Islamic bomb is at the heart of the intense effort to prevent the spread of nuclear weapons to Muslim countries. The official justification is a general one: proliferation must be curbed globally. But unofficially, the Islamic bomb gets special attention. The reasons behind this special attention are described in this article. The reasons include fear of terrorism, of a [ital jihad] willing to indiscriminately use nuclear weapons in hope of a reward in the Hereafter, and of the transfer of nuclear arms from nuclear to non-nuclear Muslim countries in times of crisis. Possibilities for controlling the proliferation of nuclear weapons in Muslim countries are addressed. Reasons are cited as to why various Muslim countries wish to acquire nuclear weapons.
- OSTI ID:
- 6274677
- Journal Information:
- Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists; (United States), Vol. 49:5; ISSN 0096-5243
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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29 ENERGY PLANNING
POLICY AND ECONOMY
MIDDLE EAST
ARMS CONTROL
SOCIOLOGY
NUCLEAR WEAPONS
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TERRORISM
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350200* - Arms Control- Proliferation- (1987-)
290600 - Energy Planning & Policy- Nuclear Energy
290202 - Energy Planning & Policy- Sociology- (1992-)