|| Islām is not a Religion of Peace || We often see from all | Theology bites

|| Islām is not a Religion of Peace ||


We often see from all groups of people, whether they be genuinely curious about Islām, people who hate Islām, and even Muslims themselves that they all have this question:
“If Islam is a religion of peace, then why are there extremists like ISIS?”
How is it possible that a religion of peace could produce terrorists?

The answer is quite simple, but first we need to understand that the proposition 'Islām is religion of peace' is actually false. Islām is not a religion of peace nor a religion of war. In his dialogue with the late New Atheist icon, Christopher Hitchens, Tariq Ramadan, Professor of Contemporary Islāmic Studies at St. Anthony's college, University of Oxford rightly puts it, “Islam is a religion for human beings, and if you deal with human beings, you deal with violence…You must ask, ‘Is my religion helping us towards peace?'” Islam is as complex [as any other religion]…the problem is not the book, the problem is the reader. Peace is what you achieve after self-education.”[1]

Islām is a religion of peacemakers and a religion of warriors. Islām is about the reality of existence -- one where both good and evil co-exists -- where peace and war both need to be taught and practiced in balance. Does Islām lead to peace? Yes. And sometimes, it leads to war for making peace. But neither of these things are good when they are taken to extremes.

An absolute pacifist is just as immoral as a war monger. The former refuses to defend themselves and even other people from the latter, and the latter takes advantage of the former so that they can murder in the pursuit of power. The perfect practitioner of one affirms the other.

But Islām is neither. Islām is a warrior's religion meant for peaceful goals. It has a strict code of ethics, not only during times of peace, but also times of war.[2] Jihād is an ever present reality in the life of a Muslim, whether they be battling against their own egos or a physical foe willing to destroy them. And those struggles lead to a better world, both within and external to the believer.

So why are there extremists who claim Islām as their ideology? Because the most beautiful things attract even the lowliest of people; those who would do anything to have it for themselves.

Thankfully, we do not judge the value of gold based on the thieves who steal it.


References:
[1] - Tariq Ramadan & Christopher Hitchens: Is Islam a Religion of Peace?, Oxford University Press Blog
[2] - Hasan Shibly, War, Islam, and the Sanctity of Life: Non-Aggression in the Islamic Code of Combat, Yaqeen Institute


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Tags: #Terrorism #Islam