Most wars across the world are taking place in majority-Muslim countries, with Muslims mainly fighting each other, says The Washington Post.
In 2012, there were six civil wars worldwide. All took place within Muslim countries: Afghanistan, Pakistan, Sudan, Somalia, Syria and Yemen. Of the nine rebel groups in these conflicts, seven had an Islamist ideology.
Citing the Human Security Report, it says war around the world has been declining both within and between countries, especially since the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989 effectively ended the Cold War.
The reasons given for persistent violent conflict among Muslims include border disputes, the Middle East’s strategic importance between East and West, and oil – the latter two sometimes inviting major powers to get involved for good or ill.
Islam, the report says, includes elements of violence, as with other religions (e.g. the “just war” theory), but what varies over time is how prominent people — both religious and political — emphasise different parts of the message.