Islam and Peace

This article will discuss various Islamic perspectives of peace, and within this umbrella, support for Islam and reconciliation. Islam has within it a strong and rich tradition of support for notions of peace, as well as reconciliation. In this article, we shall discuss Islam and peace, as well as Islam and reconciliation, all the while within the context within international relations.

While Islam has often been portrayed by some in the media as a violent faith that has no support for human rights and peace, those sorts of statements could not be further from the truth. Islam has within its tradition various sorts of support for peace, and for reconciliation. Now, this is not to say that the religion has not been abused by some (Jafari & Said: 2011); there have been cases of terrorism carried out by those who seem driven by their interpretation of religion. Furthermore, there are many that claim that there exists a “clash of civilizations” between Muslim and non-Muslim societies, which leads to further concerns about the Islamic faith. However, many point out that Islam indeed has much to offer with regards to peace and reconciliation, and that instead of thinking of the world as a “clash” between different religions, cultures, or civilizations, we should view it as one of common beliefs (Jafari & Said: 2011) such as peace and human rights.

As Jafari & Said (2011) state, “[i]n Islam, peace is not just an absence of war, but a presence of divine guidance and human responsibility. Lessons on peacemaking are among the most important within Islam, which—like all religions—is dynamic and reflective of people’s lived experiences. Therefore, it offers powerful resources for both Muslim and non-Muslim peacemaking practitioners. Indeed, one could say that peace and peacemaking is a fatwa, a holy edict” (2).

In addition, others such as Professor Mohammed Abu Nimer (2008) have argued that “First, the full potential of Islam to address social and political conflicts is yet to be fully realized. Both Islamic religion and tradition have a multitude of resources with which conflicts can be resolved peacefully and nonviolently. Islamic scripture and religious teachings are rich sources of values, beliefs, and strategies that promote the peaceful and nonviolent resolution of conflicts. Awareness of the Qur’an, the Prophetic tradition, and the early Islamic period is indispensable for understanding Islam, since these scriptures and traditions have continued to provide a paradigm for emulation by Muslims and Islamic movements in every age, and their influence can be traced in every philosophical, ideological, and scientific inquiry among Muslims” (3). 

However, Abu-Nimer (2008) argues that part of the problem with some people’s lack of understanding with regards to the relationship between Islam and peace or peacemaking has to do with the lack of understanding that some in the Muslim community have with regards to what Islam offers on the issue of peacemaking. With regards to this issue, he states that “[m]any Muslims themselves lack a comprehensive Islamic knowledge and hermeneutics relevant to nonviolent conflict transformation through its peaceful teachings. Most extant academic research and writing on Islam and conflict, not only by Orientalists, but even by Muslim scholars, is aimed at the study and interpretation of war, violence, power, political systems or legal arrangements. Approaching Islamic tradition and religion from these perspectives only perpetuates negative images and perceptions, particularly by Westerners” (3).

Thus, there have been tendencies to examine Islam from questions of war, instead of from the initial (and critically important) lens of peacemaking (Abu-Nimer, 2008). When one examines Islam and peace, one finds a strong relationship. For example, 

When looking at the evidence, there have been many explains of Islam and peace in practice. For example, throughout early Muslim history, various Muslim communities advocated protecting the rights of religious minorities (Jafari & Said: 2011). In addition, looking at current international relations, states can work to reconcile different actors. One example is the role of some Muslim states in international relations issues such as that related to Iran’s nuclear program (Jafari & Said). Other examples can include Muslim actors as mediators in brokering the ends to wars. In addition, Islam and peace also can involve local mediation in community settings, whether it is in relation to family disputes, or disputes over economic factors.

Scholars argue that it is important to study Islam and peace (Islam and peacemaking). When looking at the Islamic faith, there is a great deal of evidence that points to the importance of creating and promoting peace and peace outcomes. To begin, one can see the importance of the word “peace” within the name Islam itself. For example,