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Presentation Type
Presentation
Full Name of Faculty Mentor
Joseph Fitsanakis, Politics
Major
Intelligence & National Security Studies
Presentation Abstract
Pakistan is the second largest predominantly Muslim country in the world and the only Muslim-majority country possessing and manufacturing nuclear weapons. Nuclear experts debate on the degree of safety of Pakistan's 160 nuclear warheads that lay in control by its military. It is predicted that by 2030, that Pakistan could possess the world's third largest nuclear arsenal, leaving many Western countries, especially the United States, on edge. Reports claim the existence of insider sympathies towards the many Islamic extremist groups in the region. These include the Taliban, Al-Qaeda, Lashkar-e-Taiba, and Jaish-e-Mohammad. Slowly, Pakistani nuclear facilities have been and are being discovered and targeted by Islamic extremist groups. Namely, the Taliban and Al-Qaeda have stated their intents of use, if they possessed nuclear weapons. Although if operationalized, questions arise around the Qur'anic justifications these groups believe allow them to use nuclear weapons against their enemies, especially their enemies in the West.
Location
Virtual Session Room 3
Start Date
22-4-2021 3:00 PM
End Date
22-4-2021 3:20 PM
Recommended Citation
Joyce, Kevin, "Nuclear Islam: Pakistan and the Bomb" (2021). Undergraduate Research Competition. 27.
https://digitalcommons.coastal.edu/ugrc/2021/fullconference/27
Nuclear Islam: Pakistan and the Bomb
Virtual Session Room 3
Pakistan is the second largest predominantly Muslim country in the world and the only Muslim-majority country possessing and manufacturing nuclear weapons. Nuclear experts debate on the degree of safety of Pakistan's 160 nuclear warheads that lay in control by its military. It is predicted that by 2030, that Pakistan could possess the world's third largest nuclear arsenal, leaving many Western countries, especially the United States, on edge. Reports claim the existence of insider sympathies towards the many Islamic extremist groups in the region. These include the Taliban, Al-Qaeda, Lashkar-e-Taiba, and Jaish-e-Mohammad. Slowly, Pakistani nuclear facilities have been and are being discovered and targeted by Islamic extremist groups. Namely, the Taliban and Al-Qaeda have stated their intents of use, if they possessed nuclear weapons. Although if operationalized, questions arise around the Qur'anic justifications these groups believe allow them to use nuclear weapons against their enemies, especially their enemies in the West.