ISLAMIST PERSPECTIVES ON ENERGY ISSUES Emmanuel Karagiannis Department of Defence Studies King’s College London Strand, London WC2R 2LS, United Kingdom Despite the centrality of oil and gas in the political life and economy of many Middle Eastern countries, scant attention has been paid to Islamist perspectives on energy issues [1]. <...> This article will first outline the general Islamic approach to energy based on the Sunnah of Prophet Muhammad, as well as the writings of prominent Muslim thinkers. <...> Then the article will describe the energy perspectives of three major Islamist groups: Hizb ut-Tahrir, the Muslim Brotherhood, and al Qaeda. <...> Key words: Energy, The Middle East, Hizb ut-Tahrir, the Muslim Brotherhood, al Qaeda. <...> Islam and energy At first glance, the Quran does not discuss energy issues. <...> However, a famous Hadith [2], reported by Abu Dawud, states that “Muslims are partners in three things, in water, green pastures and fire” [3]. <...> Islamic scholars have interpreted the word fire (al-Naar) as any resource that can generate energy, but principally hydrocarbons. <...> Within Sunni Islam, schools of religious jurisprudence (madhab) have different views on the ownership of energy resources. <...> Moreover, the importance of oil and gas in the economy of many Muslim states has compelled Islamic thinkers to address energy issues. <...> Taqiuddin an-Nabhani, the founder of the Islamist group Hizb ut-Tahrir, was probably the first Islamic scholar to draw attention to energy issues. <...> In The Economic System of Islam, published in 1953, argued that “the public properties of water, oil, iron, copper and the like, are properties which must be utilised in order to achieve economic progress for [the ummah], because these properties belong to the ummah [i.e. the community of believers], and the state is merely in charge of them for their administration and development” [5. <...> During an interview with a Qatari newspaper in September 2002, the Muslim Brotherhood-linked Egyptian theologian argued that Arab and Muslim countries could put pressure on the West to solve the Palestinian problem by stopping or reducing production of oil for a period of time [6]. <...> Qaradawi also argues that “it is imperative to spend [all the oil money] in the interests of Muslims, including the interests of the poor and other needy <...>