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Original Article | Peace and Conflict Studies | Volume 15 Issue 3, March 2026 | Pages: 589 - 592 | Saudi Arabia
Reassessing the Islam-Terrorism Nexus: Political Instrumentalization, Structural Drivers, and the Philippine Case
Abstract: This study critically reassesses the alleged doctrinal link between Islam and terrorism by integrating theological analysis, structural-political theory, and empirical trends from the Global Terrorism Database (GTD), with focused examination of the Philippine case. Drawing on classical Islamic jurisprudence, cross-national terrorism research, and conflict analysis of Mindanao, the study evaluates whether terrorism is inherently rooted in Islamic doctrine. The findings demonstrate that mainstream Islamic legal traditions prohibit violence against non-combatants and that terrorism correlates more strongly with structural conditions such as political exclusion, civil conflict, and institutional fragility than with religious identity. Evidence from Mindanao further illustrates that historical marginalization and governance dynamics better explain extremist mobilization than theological causation. The study concludes that terrorism is best conceptualized as a strategic form of political violence that may employ religious rhetoric but is not doctrinally determined.
Keywords: Islam-terrorism nexus, structural conflict, Global Terrorism Database (GTD), radicalization, Islamophobia
How to Cite?: Emil Arca, "Reassessing the Islam-Terrorism Nexus: Political Instrumentalization, Structural Drivers, and the Philippine Case", Volume 15 Issue 3, March 2026, International Journal of Science and Research (IJSR), Pages: 589-592, https://www.ijsr.net/getabstract.php?paperid=SR26306073513, DOI: https://dx.dx.doi.org/10.21275/SR26306073513