Islam: Is it a religion of violence or of peace
Ramabriga
There is no consensus on the nature of Islam.
Some state that Islam is a religion of peace and moderation, "which is tolerant and encourages
inter-religious dialogue for the benefit of humanity:"
1 For example:
The President of the United States, George W. Bush, has emphasized that "Islam is Peace" on a
number of occasions.
2 A sizeable percentage of North Americans view Islam in a positive light. The Pew Research
Center for the People & the Press conducted a public opinion poll among 1,500 adults on
2001-NOV-13 to 19. Americans, particularly "conservative Republicans" repudiated an unfavorable
view of Islam. The survey found that:
bullet The percentage of Americans with a favorable view of Muslims rose from 45% in May to 59%
in November.
bullet The percentage of conservative Republicans with a favorable view of Muslims rose from
35% to 64%!
3 John L. Esposito, one of America's foremost authorities and interpreters of Islam, rejects as
far too simplistic the concept that Islam is a militant, expansionist, and rabidly
anti-American religion. In his book: "The Islamic Threat: Myth or Reality," he demonstrates the
diversity of the Islamic resurgence--and the mistakes our analysts make in assuming a hostile,
monolithic Islam. 4
Others, particularly Fundamentalist Christians, believe that Islam is a religion of hatred and
warfare:
Jerry Falwell said that "...Muhammad was a terrorist. I've read enough of the history of his
life written by both Muslims and non-Muslims, that he was a violent man, a man of war." 6,7
That particular comment triggered a riot in India which killed at least 14 people.
The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) singled out Evangelical Christian "Franklin
Graham who has claimed that terrorism is part of 'mainstream' Islam and that the Quran, Islam's
revealed text, 'preaches violence.' Graham also called Islam an 'evil and wicked religion.' "
CAIR listed two additional leading conservative Christian pastors -- Pat Robertson and Chuck
Colson -- who, they say, "have echoed Graham's Islamophobic smears."
The CAIR listed a number of socially conservative commentators such as William Lind, who
suggests that American Muslims “...should be encouraged to leave [the U.S.]. They are a fifth
column in this country.” Also listed were Ann Coulter, Jerry Vines, and Paul Weyrich.
Conservative Christian author and radio pastor Dave Hunt claims: "...there are more than 100
verses in the Qur'an advocating the use of violence to spread Islam. In the Qur'an, Allah
commands Muslims, 'Take not the Jews and Christians as friends....Slay the idolaters
[non-Muslims] wherever ye find them.... Fight against such...as believe not in Allah...' (Surah
5:51; 9:5,29,41, etc..). Though most Muslims would shrink from obeying such commands, this is
official Islam and it cannot change without admitting that Muhammad was a false prophet and
murderer." 5
Which point of view is right?
They both are.
Islam is not a homogenous religion. It is divided into many subgroups, including Sunni,
Shi'ite, and Sufi. A very small, radical, hate-filled, extremist, Fundamentalist, terrorist
wing does exist. So too does a much larger peaceful, moderate wing. Unfortunately, the former
seem to capture all the media's attention, while the latter is rarely heard from.
It obvious that no one individual speaks for all Muslims. Islam has no single central human
authority, comparable to the pope and Vatican for the Roman Catholic Church, or to various
General Assemblies and the Lambeth Conferences for the Anglican Communion. Rather, it is
divided into many traditions and schools.
This phenomenon is true of most religions. Consider the over 1,000 Christian groups in North
America. They include some hate-filled groups as well:
The Christian Identity movement.
Various white supremacist organizations which usually consider themselves to be Christians.
bullet The terrorists who blew up the Murrah Federal Building in Oklahoma City.
The spread of terrorism within Islam appears to be due to the presence and interaction of a
number of factors:
A general renaissance of the religion of Islam throughout North Africa, the Middle East and
parts of Asia.
The after-effects of previous colonial oppression of Muslim countries
Authoritarian dictatorships in the Middle East -- many of which are artificially propped up
with American foreign policy -- with their depressing record of corruption, civil rights
violations, and low standard of living. This results in a loss of hope among their public.
The lack of separation between religion and the state in Muslim countries.
Two main conflicts: One of overwhelming importance in Palestine between Jews and Muslims; one
in Kashmir between Hindus and Muslims.
1. "UN 1st Millennium Peace Summit: Uzbek President Islam Karimov honors Shaykh Muhammad
Nazim & Shaykh Hisham Kabbani," 2000-SEP-8, at: http://www.naqshbandi.org/events/
2. " 'Islam is Peace' Says President: Remarks by the President at Islamic Center of
Washington, D.C. Washington, D.C.," 2002-SEP-17, at: http://www.whitehouse.gov/
3. "U.S. Muslims' Image Gains, Poll Finds," Associated Press, 2001-DEC-7, at:
http://www.latimes.com/news/ The poll's margin of error is within 3 percentage points.
4. From a review of the book by John L. Esposito, "The Islamic Threat: Myth or Reality, 3rd
Edition," Oxford University Press, (1999). Read reviews or order this book safely from
Amazon.com online book store
5. Dave Hunt, "A Moment for Truth," The Berean Call, 2002-SEP, at:
http://www.thebereancall.org/newsletters/
6. Program "60 Minutes," CBS-TV, 2002-OCT-6. Jerry Falwell was interviewed by Bob Simon.
7. Jan Russell, "Falwell is America's hate machine," Seattle Post-Intelligencer, at:
http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/opinion/90667_russell11.shtml
Source
http://www.religioustolerance.org/isl_war.htm
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