Islamic ethics Of War & peace

1. Islamic ethics Of War & peace Islamic Ethics of Peace

2. Islamic Ethics ofWar and Peace Calligraphy courtesy of Wikimedia Commons . Photo by Michael Porebiak. Some rights reserved.

3. Three Muslim Approaches • War and Jihad • Just War and Peace • Nonviolence &Peacebuilding

4. Critical Questions • How does one account for the elusive nature of peace in many Muslim majority societies? • What concrete strategies and practices could Muslim activists adopt in pursuit of a more just and humane world? Photo by piu sen. Some rights reserved.

5. What is Violence? Direct/Physical Violence vs. Structural Violence

6. What is Peace? Negative vs. Positive Peace

7. “If you want peace, work for justice”-- Pope Paul VI The Glorious Qur’an Chapter 5, Verse 8 “O Believers! Stand out firmly for God as witnesses to justice, and let not your enmity for others make you depart from justice. Be just, that is the closest thing to pious faith. And remain conscious of God, for God is well-acquainted with all that you do”.

8. In the Name of Allah, The Most Compassionate, The Most Merciful

9. Islamic Concept of Peace Compassion and Justice Photo by piu sen. Some rights reserved.

10. Islamic Concept of Peace Islam contends that positive peace, the establishment of conditions of just relationships and non-exploitative social structures, is more conducive to the attainment of sustainable peace and upholding the principle of non-violence Photo by piu sen, Some rights reserved.

11. Surah Hujurat: 49 Verse 13 • O Humankind! • We created you from a male and a female, • And fashioned you into peoples and tribes, • So that you might come to know and recognize each other • [li ta’arufu] (not despise each other). • Surely, the most noble and honored of you in the sight of God is the most righteous of you (i.e. the best in conduct). • Lo! God is All-Knowing, All-Aware.

12. Jihad Beyond Holy War

13. Jihad • Literal Meaning-Exertion of Effort for Commendable Aim • Holy War- Al-Harb Al-Muqaddasah • The Greater Jihad al-Nafs-Self Purification • Jihad al-Qital-Just War Theory • Gender Jihad-Economic Jihad etc.

14. Rumi (13th century) “The prophets and saints do not avoid spiritual struggle. The first spiritual struggle they undertake is the killing of the ego and the abandonment of personal wishes and sensual desires. This is the greater jihad.” Picture of Rumi derived from an Afghanistan stamp, courtesy of Wikimedia Commons.

15. Religion State Relation: A Typology of Constitutional Models • Theocracy • A partly religious, partly secular state • A secular state in which religious organizations are invited to play a role in the public sphere. • A secular state in which religious organizations have a tolerated, private sphere of action. • A secular, atheistic state in which religion is suppressed.

16. Prophetic Role of Religion Photo courtesy of Wikimedia Commons.

17. Concrete Proposals • Muslim Condemnation of Violence • Research on Islam and Nonviolence • Educating Progressive Imams • Debate US Foreign Policy in the ME

18. Muslim Theologies of Nonviolence

19. Islamic Theology of Nonviolence Shaykh Jawdat Sa`id “Break your bows, sever your strings, beat stones on your swords to break blades); and when infringed upon by one of the perpetrators, be as the best of Adam’s two sons” Photo by Kal Sawa, courtesy of  Wikimedia Commons.

20. Mawlana Wahiduddin Khan • Modern weapons of war renders discrimination between combatants and non-combatants virtually impossible, therefore, war is unacceptable and unethical Photo courtesy of Wikimedia Commons. 

21. “The Khudai Khidmatgars affects all our life…and must be what our name implies-- pure servants of God and humanity--by laying down our lives and never taking any life.” -- Abdul Ghaffar Khan Photo in the public domain, available at Wikimedia Commons.