ISLAM PAPER 2 Flashcards
how is Islam a religion of peace?
- word islam is derived from peace in arabic
- quran tells muslims that an amicable settlement is best
- bukhari says that when the PM had 2 choices of actions he always chose the non-confrontational one
why is peace important for muslims?
- islam teaches that accepting islam brings inner peace through submitting to the will of Allah
- quran calls islam “Dar as salaam” the house of peace
- when muslims have inner peace they are more likely to be peaceful with others
why is forgiveness and reconciliation important in peace making?
- god is compassionate to sinners so muslims should be too
- muslims cannot ask for forgiveness on the day of Judgement if they are not prepared to forgive
- quran says that muslims should forgives people’s sins against them as the quran is the word of god
how are muslims working for peace today?
the Muslim Peace Fellowship (MPF) was the first organisation specifically devoted to the theory and practice of non-violence, they speak out on terrorist activity on the name of Islam and have meetings with other religious leaders to work for better integration of the 2 religions
what are the problems caused by conflict?
- casualties
- displacement
- expenses
what are the causes of conflict?
- religion
- politics, culture, history
- resources
what are some muslim responses to the causes of war?
the quran says that muslims should fight in a just war
but they cannot engage in way over these:
- war to take resources
- forcing people/ country to be muslim
- changing the culture of a country
what are the atheist and humanist responses to the causes of war?
- good way to end wars is to get rid of religion
- way of peace making is to challenge religious leaders and try to show their believes where their religion is wrong
- make the UN stronger so it can end wars with a peace making force
what is pacifism?
the opposition to war, militarism or violence
what do muslims think about pacifism?
- most do not agree with passive resistance as the quran encourages jihad which is often translated to holy war
- if muslims are attacked they are expected to fight back
- there is a tradition of passive resistance when muslims protested in a non-violent way against the lack of democracy in the Arab Spring of 2011
what do humanists think about pacifism?
- they are opposed to war and help set up the UN
- some are pacifists as human life is more valuable when you don’t believe in an afterlife
- those who aren’t are careful supporting wars due to loss of life
what is a Just War?
a war fought for the right reasons in the right way
What is the criteria for a war to be a Just War?
- cause of war must be just e.g. genocide, suicide
- fought by authority of UN
- fought with the intention of restoring peace
- begun as a last resort
- reasonable chance of success
- methods used avoid killing civilians
- only proportionate methods of response are used
what does situation ethics say about just war?
its almost impossible to fight a just war as the modern warfare has made is very hard for civilians not to be hurt
what is the situation criteria for fighting a just war?
- the cause of war is just
- attempts to solve peacefully have been tried
- chance of success
- military try and avoid humans casualties as far as possible
