ABSTRACT
The Christian tradition of war ethics contributes most directly to the secular just war theory and therefore better serves as a bridge from the religious to the secular heritage. The victory over Mecca at Badr was an Allah-sanctioned holy war of monotheistic righteousness over polytheistic barbarity. The exotic and ecologic stirrings of faith, that characterized early Islam were exploited and violated in both the Iran-Iraq war and in the Iraqi campaign against Kuwait. The Islamic demonization of the West is as theologically irresponsible as the West's demonization of Saddam Hussein, Iraq, or Arabs in general. The best outcome of this war may well be tripartite self-examination: Israel reviewing its holy way theology; the United States, just war theory; and Iraq, jihad. Jihad has become an internal intellectual and cultural struggle within Islam. The origins of Islam and Judaism ultimately coincide.
