Order, justice and inequality: the curious case of jihadist divine justice

Abstract

Abstract Many calls for a just world order discussed in this special section emphasize demands for equality in the name of an underprivileged group. The focus on these equality claims and claimants could create a false impression that justice is an objective term and that justice is necessarily made in the name of equality. In reality, the equation of justice with equality is a very recent development. Throughout history, numerous actors viewed order and justice in regimes of unequal entitlement. Even the weak and disadvantaged often envisioned justice not in equality, but in an order that would place them in a position of superiority. Using evidence from the views of al-Qaeda and the Islamic State on the relation between order, justice and equality, this article shows that for some a just order does not have to be based on equality, and in fact, depends on inequalities. Those who take for granted the idea that a just order requires equality should, thus, recognize that who is deserving and deprived of equality is not the only contested question; the disagreement over whether justice requires equality, or is manifest in inequality, has yet to be settled.