Meaning
The cited passage explicitly restricts the justification of violence to the aim of lifting oppression, while denying its justification when the purpose is to impose a belief or opinion on people.
Shahrur’s Text
“Violence is justified only to lift oppression, not to impose a belief or opinion.”
What the Citation Establishes and What It Does Not Settle
The citation establishes two limits: an end for which the justification of violence is accepted, namely lifting oppression; and an end for which that justification is denied, namely imposing a belief or opinion. The citation does not define oppression, nor does it detail the conditions for establishing its existence or the scope of acts included under violence. Nor does it, by itself, establish that oppression and injustice are synonymous.
Reading Links
- Muhammad Shahrur: State and Society
- Jihad, Fighting, and the Critique of Violence
- Injustice
- Falsehood and Despotism Corrupt Morality, While Morality Remains Constant Above Politics
Documentation Limit
The quotation is recorded as a verified citation, but the raw text is unavailable in the evidence data; therefore, no page number or unverified context is added.