Weapons of Mass Destruction and Islam: Applying the Šarīʿa in Saudi Arabia

This is a study of a legal treatise by ʿĀdil ʿAwaḍ, published by Umm al-Qurā University in Mecca, a scholarly attempt to deal with the legality and ethics of Weapons of Mass Destruction (wmd) from the perspective of the šarīʿa. Saudi Arabia offers a relevant real-world case study, given the continuing importance of Islam in its socio-political system and the indications that Riyadh is considering the acquisition of nuclear weapons. ʿAwaḍ addresses the moral and legal – and essentially religiously-based, although mingled with Realpolitik – considerations pertinent to acquiring and potentially using wmd, especially nuclear weapons, and he addresses issues such as deterrence, first-strike capability, the parameters of targeting, and proportionality. This study engages an actual player, rather than limiting the approach to a theoretical perspective and to positing how Muslims could or should think, and concludes that the findings in ʿAwaḍ’s treatise legitimize and contribute to the proliferation and use of wmd.