Thesis (Ph.D.) - Cairo University - Faculty of Economics and Political Science - Department of Political Science

Identity is a pivotal concept in international relations from the Islamic perspective. It is also considered as an essential tool in conflict management and resolution. Therefore, the study aims at proving that peace could be achieved through it as long as it helps in realizing integration, equilibrium, and cooperation between all universe components within the concept of ummah in quran and hadith. Integration as a prerequisite for peace based on differences in terms of identity is proved through the reinterpretation of some quranic verses in order to clarify the relationship between war and peace on one hand, and the analysis of medina charter as the first civil constitution in the world, and the search for common values that are related to building and maintaining peace, between the Islamic and the Western perspectives, on the other. In this regard, ummah is an inclusive entity that does not aim at eliminating or replacing any other political or social entity, especially that it is based on the recognition and the acknowledgement of the 2other3. Ummah -in Islam- represents a theoretical framework that is able to be applied and to create a sort of consistency and harmony between all existing ideas and institutions, such as; the nation-state, and the state in general. At the end of the study, a new equation of peace has been explored. It is related to the acknowledgement of difference in terms of identity, based on a revision of the Western theories, especially Galtung theory on peace, and reflected in the emphasis of diversity, peacebuilding, and collective identity

Issued also as CD