Sep 16
Is Islam A Peaceful Religion?
Is Islam a peaceful religion? Is it a violent one? Does Quran teach violence? Does it teach love and peace? Are all Muslims violent? Are some of them violent while a majority of them just wants to live peaceful lives?
Questions like these and many more have been asked many times over, specially in the West and specially after the 9/11 attacks. President Bush has gone from emphasizing that Islam is a peaceful religion to using the term Islamo-fascists. So how do we make sense of what really is Islam? Or, for that matter, how do we make sense of any other religion? If we cannot answer this fundamental question, then we will never be able to answer the more obvious ones that I enumerate at the beginning.
To be able to answer that question, we first have to answer an even more basic question. Is religion a static entity, as defined in its holy books, or is it a living, breathing entity, as defined by the lives led by follower of that religion at a given period? I would assert that religion is a living, breathing entity as defined by the lives of its followers in the present. Going by that definition, one simply cannot assert or ask the question, “Is Islam a peaceful religion?” for that question is too absolute. The question that needs to be asked is, “Is Islam a peaceful religion today?”
If asking the right question was tricky, answering it is bound to be more so. What criterion does one use to quantify one’s answer? Should we find out the ratio of violent verses to non-violent verses in Quran? Should we find out the ratio of violent Muslims to non-violent Muslims (this criterion is often used when people assert that there are “millions of Muslims practicing their religion peacefully”)?
I think the answer can be found in one of the very basic observations that Mahatma Gandhi made about human nature - that if you want to find out the true nature of a person, find out how he treats a weaker person. Let us apply that simple test to present day Islam. We can say that Muslims are in “strength”, that is able to dictate political, social and religious decisions in countries or regions where they are in majority. Of course, in certain instances, they might be able to dictate terms even in regions where they are in minority but for now, we can simply focus on Muslim majority regions. Let us think of Muslim majority regions and nations like the Middle East, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Afghanistan, certain regions of Africa and Indonesia and see how the “weaker party” that is, non-Muslims have been treated in those regions? Is there freedom of religion? Is there freedom of speech? Can you openly practice your faith? What about civil laws?
In a nutshell, what kind of society have Muslims created in places where they had the power to create the kind of societies that they wanted to create?
Now compare those societies with the societies created by Christian majority states, like those of the Western Europe or in the US. Or the society created by the Hindu majority state of India.
There, you’ve answered the question that “Is Islam a peaceful religion today?” The real violence committed in the name of Islam was not committed when those planes hit the twin towers, not even when those bombs went off in the streets of London or in the trains of Mumbai. The real violence in the name of Islam is committed every single day in those Muslim majority countries like Saudi Arabia where you cannot freely practice any other religion, cannot have a free civic discourse and cannot have basic human rights. That is the real Islamic terrorism, Islamo-fascism or whatever other term that you fancy. The people ramming those planes into the twin towers were only the end result of that terrorism.
September 25th, 2006 at 2:35 am
It’s the State, stupid!…
A debate over matters of faith is drawing attention away from a very necessary debate over matters of international politics
Countries such as India, United States, Britain and continental Europe face two problems: first, the use of Islam as an ideolo…
September 26th, 2006 at 4:05 am
[...] So what’s the fuss all about? Bloggers are castigating Islam as a belligerent religion which has no respect for human rights. They base their claim on human rights violation in many Gulf countries. They argue that Hindus in Gulf, especially Saudi Arabia, don’t have the right to build temples. And that Middle East, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Afghanistan, certain regions of Africa and Indonesia and see how the “weaker party” that is, non-Muslims have been treated in those regions? Is there freedom of religion? Is there freedom of speech? Can you openly practice your faith? What about civil laws? [...]
September 26th, 2006 at 4:14 am
All these days I have been trying to dig in the ground realities regarding violation of human rights in Saudi Arabia. But then I wonder how do I justify my point when the Saudis and most of the Arab states don’t follow the Islamic guidelines. Fine I will try to argue rationally without being prejudiced or biased.
Here is my response When frivolous opinions buzzed
September 27th, 2006 at 8:44 am
[...] So what’s the fuss all about? Bloggers are castigating Islam as a belligerent religion which has no respect for human rights. They base their claim on human rights violation in many Gulf countries. They argue that Hindus in Gulf, especially Saudi Arabia, don’t have the right to build temples. And that Middle East, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Afghanistan, certain regions of Africa and Indonesia and see how the “weaker party” that is, non-Muslims have been treated in those regions? Is there freedom of religion? Is there freedom of speech? Can you openly practice your faith? What about civil laws? [...]
October 10th, 2006 at 11:31 am
[...] With the recent growth in terrorism and the terrorists claiming to be the flag bearers of the Islamic faith, a lot of questions are being raised about Islam as a religion. Vikas questions whether Islam is a peaceful religion. Confused asserts that Islam is not the real problem. And Nitin maintains that it is the state and not Islam per se and concludes that it is more of political issue than religious. There have been interesting comments on each of these posts. Though they all differ on what the problem is, they all acknowledge that there is a problem. Judging from the disagreements on issues it can be concluded that it is a fairly complex problem. But what is the problem? [...]
October 14th, 2006 at 10:21 am
[...] Recently I read few articles on the blog in which Muslims were criticized for perpetrating human rights violation on Hindus in Islamic Lands. http://retributions.nationalinterest.in/?p=289, http://www.arthshastra.com/archive/is-islam-a-peaceful-religion Before I address this issue I would like to know what have been the Human Rights records of Hindutva Ideology in India. How do proponents of Hindutva philosophy treat the minorities? What is their reaction towards Muslims and other communities? [...]
October 14th, 2006 at 8:52 pm
Is Hinduism a peaceful religion? Before commenting on others straighten your own house first.
http://yusufspeaks.com/2006/10/13/hindutva-exposed/
October 30th, 2006 at 5:24 pm
This sort of writing is what provokes wars. What do you think Gandhi fought so hard to promote, what he gave his life for? It was peace. Non-judgement.
In every religion, there is the concept of non-tolerance. In some religions, it is not immediately apparent, but generate enough symbiosis and it will become clear as day.
Christians believe all other religions (especially Islam) are false; for this, they have fought twelve Crusades (and lost all of them). However, ordinary Christian people will exhibit tolerance as long as the outsiders don’t segregate themselves.
Islam is slightly different. Throughout the ages, Muslims have shown tolerance towards other religious factions, as per the instructions of the Quran. However, certain Islamic political and religious leaders have encouraged segregation of faiths, which creates great social rifts, which can often lead to war. This was the case in India, and in the Middle East. This is not exemplary of the traditional Muslim faith.
Hinduism I cannot honestly judge. Listening to myself now, I sound hypocritical, as I am myself a Singh. I really wasn’t brought up around such beliefs. But history has not shown the Hindus to be particularly violent. In fact, India has often been the butt of agression rather than the agressor. Simply look at the powers of Alexander & Temujin, in ~300 B.C. and ~1200 A.D.
Just don’t judge a religion by the most infamous personas associated with such religions.
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February 8th, 2007 at 7:39 am
[...] an interesting write up Arthshashtra attempts to answer this.(link via DesiPundit) Let us think of Muslim majority regions and nations like the Middle East, [...]
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