Islam and Peace Leo R. Sandy The taking of one innocent life is like taking all of Mankind... and the saving of one life is like saving all of Mankind /Holy Qur'an, 5:33. Leo R. Sandy

Islam and Peace “Islam”: The root of the name is the same as that of the word for peace “salaam”. Islam is most recent of the three great monotheistic religions (the other two are Judaism and Christianity), founded by the prophet Mohammed (570?—632). Other Islamic prophets include Abraham and Jesus (although Jesus is not recognized as the divine son of God) Jews and Christians are seen as “people of the book” worshipping the same God as Muslims

Islam cont’d The main sources of Islamic doctrine come from the Koran (the holy book dictated by Allah to Mohammed) and the sunna (the way of the prophet , as expressed in his deeds and words) Both are of highest importance in determining man- made law (sharia) which has evolved over time and varies among Muslim states Islam religion is built on 5 pillars: 1. Profession of Faith 2. Prayer (five times a day facing Mecca)

Islam cont’d 3. Charity (a duty to share and to give generously to the less fortunate) 4. Annual Ramadan Fast (self-control and discipline of the passions are stressed) 5. Pilgrimage to Mecca (Hajj) (Mecca is usually called as HARAM – meaning peaceful and sacred place, and Mdina (Prophet Mohammed’s (BPUH) birthplace

Islam cont’d There are two main Muslim sects, Sunnites and Shiites, which have had a long history of rivalry (Shiites believe that Muhammed’s son-in-law (Ali) and his lineage had been ordained for leadership; Sunnites reject the idea of a divinely guided heir to the Prophet’s leadership) Roughly 85% of the Muslim world is Sunnite. Islam’s ideals include such virtues as faith, love, charity, mercy, compassion, forgiveness A person is not considered a Muslim unless they practice peace in their lives

Islam cont’d One famous Muslim nonviolent activist was Gaffar Khan who is known as the “frontier Gandhi” and a Pathan who led his people to independence with the establishment of Pakistan (the Khan’s Pathans were the first to use nonviolence successfully against the British) Another well-known Muslim driven by his faith is Muhammad Ali Jinnah, the founder of Pakistan, who worked closely with Gandhi to nonviolently oust the British from India Passages from the Koran and Hadith (sayings of the prophet) that support Islamic values on peace: * “There shall be no compulsion in religion” (2: 256)

Islam and Peace The (true) servants of (God), the Most Gracious, are those who walk on the earth in humility, and when the ignorant address them, reply with (words of) peace (25:63) Fight for the sake of Allah those who fight against you, but do not attack them first. Allah does not love aggressors (2:190) A man has sinned enough if he neglects to feed those in need” (Hadith)

Islam cont’d God has revealed to me that you should adopt humility so that no one oppresses another (Riyadh-us-Salaheen, Hadith 1589) The best Jihad [struggle in service to God] is to speak words of justice to an oppressive ruler (Hadith)

Islam cont’d Muslims for Peace is working for peace and social justice (http://www.muslimsforpeace.org/)

Islam cont’d Some claiming to follow Islam have twisted it and used it to justify heinous acts toward both Muslims and Westerners. They have interpreted the Koran wrongly and/or literally as some so- called Christians have done with the Bible. The vast majority of Muslims are peaceful and disassociate themselves from those who torture, rape, mutilate, and kill in the name of Allah. For the majority of Muslims, Jihad is service to others not engaging in killing civilians with vests strapped with explosives. Just as the Bible has its dark parts in the Old Testament such passages may also be found in the Koran. However, decent Muslims and Christians focus on that which is positive and beneficial to humanity in their holy books.

Video Islam is a Religion of Peace: A Debate

Reference Islam I a Religion of Peace: A Debate. Retrieved at https://video.search.yahoo.com/yhs/search?fr=yhs- mozilla-001&hsimp=yhs- 001&hspart=mozilla&p=YouTube+Isalam+and+Peace#i d=6&vid=4accc470a1f29ed17ec419d13be26c61&actio n=click Perkins, R., Sandy, L., & Green, A. (2017). PeaceTalk: Unpublished manuscript