Islam and peace
Richard Seebohm believes that Friends, given their commitment to pacifism, may have ‘missed a trick’
It has never seemed likely to me that Islamic militants can be brought into the civilised fold by bullets. We are people of the Book and so are they. Until 9/11 there was a Muslim Peace Federation website. I would like to quote the extracts I downloaded at the time:
‘We take the following Qur’anic principles as our guides:
“No compulsion in religion. Truth stands out clear from error. (2.256).” Coercion destroys the reality in faith, and creates only rebels or hypocrites. While it is our duty to keep the way of Islam open, Allah alone can guide hearts.
“To Allah belong the East and the West. Withersoever you turn, there is the Face of Allah. (2.115).” Truth is not limited, but is to be discovered and honoured everywhere. Both traditional and modern cultures have something important to contribute to the service and contemplation of Allah.
“We have created you as nations and tribes so that you may recognise each other. (49.13). If Allah had wished, He could have made you all one community, but His plan is to test you in what He has given you. So compete with each other in good works. (5.48).” Human diversity is a divinely ordained blessing. One of the reasons that cultures differ is so that, by mutual examination, we can learn more about the vastness of what it is to be human. Another reason is that outside perspectives help keep all of us honest. We are grateful to Allah for our differences, which save us all from complacency.’
A guide to how Islam on the ground has diverged from the teachings of the Qur’an, which I find convincing, is Reading the Qur’an by Ziauddin Sardar. Two of the many points he makes are that the Shari’a codification of universal law that Islamists seek to impose on the world diverges grossly from actual teaching in the Qur’an. Within this is the prohibition, in the Qur’an, of any warfare except in self-defence. But the poisonous doctrine of war on terror provides an excuse to abandon any such restraint.
A more controversial account of how Islam comes to have its present characteristics, both benign and pathological, is In the Shadow of the Sword by Tom Holland. Readers may like to compare its findings with the plausibility of the birth stories in the Christian gospels – even the present pope has raised questions.
If hearts and minds are thus the battleground, and not the oil-rich but arid landscapes now being contested, the public deconstruction of wayward strands of Islam needs to be a matter of words and not weapons. This means taking it out of the hands of academics alone and bringing it on to the political stage. I don’t know how this should be done, but it may be for Quakers to start the ball rolling.
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