Religion of Peace

The Religion of peace (sometimes abbreviated as ROP or RoP) is a political neologism used to describe Islam. After the September 11, 2001 attacks some politicians described Islam as a "religion of peace" in an effort to differentiate between Islamic terrorists and non-violent Muslims. Subsequently, some critics of Islam have adopted the phrase, using the term "The Religion of Peace" in a sarcastic manner as a synonym for Islam. e.g Craig Winn when [http://www.prophetofdoom.net/Jalal_Abualrub_Craig_Winn_Debate.Islam writing about] a debate with Jalal Abualrub said "For, how could a "religion of peace" have such an open-ended and encompassing edict to destroy anyone who chooses not to submit to it?" ]

History of the term

The Arabic term "Islam" (إسلام) is derived from "aslama", which means "to surrender" or "resign oneself".cite encyclopedia | title=Islam | encyclopedia=Encyclopaedia of Islam Online | author=L. Gardet | coauthors=J. Jomier | accessdate=2007-05-02] cite web|url=http://www.studyquran.org/LaneLexicon/Volume4/00000137.pdf|title=Lane's lexicon] The word "salaam" (سلام) ("peace") shares the same abstract consonantal root with the word "Islam". [cite web | title = Islam | publisher = Online Etymology Dictionary| url =http://www.etymonline.com/index.php?search=islam&searchmode=none | accessdate =2007-11-22 ] This has led to a widespread misinterpretation that the word Islam means peace. [cite journal | last = Simkins | first =Ronald A.| title =The Contexts of Religion and Violence | journal = Journal of Religion and Society| volume = Supplement Series 2 | date =2007| url =http://moses.creighton.edu/JRS/2007/2007-0.html | accessdate = 2007-11-22]

There are critics of Islam who have argued that the underlying cause and motivation of the September 11, 2001 attacks was the doctrines and beliefs of Islam, and that Islam is intrinsically violent.cite web| last = Till | first =Farrell| title =The Real Culprit | publisher = The Skeptical Review | date= 2001-11 | url =http://www.infidels.org/library/magazines/tsr/2001/6/016front.html | accessdate = 2007-11-22] ["Suicide bombing, in the Muslim world at least, is an explicitly religious phenomenon that is inextricable from notions of martyrdom and jihad, predictable on their basis, and sanctified by their logic. It is no more secular an activity than prayer is."cite book | last =Harris | first =Sam | authorlink =Sam Harris (author) | title =The End of Faith: Religion, Terror, and the Future of Reason | publisher =W.W. Norton & Company, Inc.| date =2004 | location =New York, NY | pages =251 | isbn = 0-393-03515-8 ] [cite news | last=Sperry | first=Paul | title=The Pentagon Breaks the Islam Taboo | date=2005-12-14 | publisher=FrontPageMagazine | url=http://www.frontpagemag.com/Articles/ReadArticle.asp?ID=20539] [cite news | last= | first= | title=Suicide bombers follow Quran, concludes Pentagon briefing | date=September 27, 2006 | publisher=worldnetdaily.com | work=World Net Daily News | url=http://www.worldnetdaily.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=52184] However, many notable Muslims have maintained that terrorism against civilians is motivated by a misunderstanding of Islamic doctrine. Mahathir bin Mohamed, the former Prime Minister of Malaysia said,

President Bush publicly adopted this latter view, stating that "Islam is peace":

This prompted criticism from some quarters and a poll of Evangelical Protestant leaders taken in 2002 revealed that only 10% agreed with President Bush that Islam was synonymous with peace. [cite web| last = Green | first =John | title =Evangelical Views of Islam | publisher = EPPC and beliefnet| date = 2003-04-07| url =http://www.beliefnet.com/story/124/story_12447_1.html | accessdate = 2007-11-22 ]

Muslims who are keen to emphasise their rejection of violence have used the term "a religion of peace” as a description of Islam, like Dalil Boubakeur, "mufti" of the Paris Mosque, who said, "The prophet did not found a terrorist religion, but a religion of peace." [cite web | title =Prophet cartoons enraging Muslims | publisher = International Herald Tribune | date =2006-02-02| url =http://www.iht.com/articles/2006/02/02/news/toon.php | accessdate = 2007-11-22 ] The web site [http://www.religionofpeace.com religionofpeace.com] also strongly advocates this view. After the 7/7 London bombings, some Muslims in the West increased their efforts to present Islam as a peaceful religion. [cite web| last =Nickel | first =Gordon| title =Islam: A religion of peace?| publisher = National Post| date =2006-06-13| url =http://www.canada.com/nationalpost/news/issuesideas/story.html?id=c53fc4cd-528a-42a9-b092-2b7b0ccce158&p=1| accessdate =2007-11-22 ]

Controversy

The description of Islam as a "religion of peace" has created controversy:
*Some have perceived the comments of Western politicians about Islam being a "religion of peace" as a manifestation of "political correctness." [cite journal| last = Jackson | first = Sherman | title =Jihad and the Modern World | journal =Journal of Islamic Law and Culture| date = Spring / Summer 2002 | url =http://users.tpg.com.au/dezhen/jihad_and_the_modern_world.html | accessdate = 2007-11-22 ]
*The term has been criticised by both Islamists such as Sayyid Qutb ["The defeatists should fear Allaah lest they distort this religion and cause it to become weak on the basis of the claim that it is a religion of peace. Yes, it is the religion of peace but in the sense of saving all of mankind from worshipping anything other than Allaah and submitting all of mankind to the rule of Allaah" cite book| last =Qutb | first =Sayyid| authorlink =Sayyid Qutb | title = Fiqh al-Da’wah | work =Fiqh al-Da’wah | publisher = IslamQA| url =http://web.archive.org/web/20061017053855/http://www.islamqa.com/index.php?ref=43087&ln=eng| pages =217-222 | accessdate = 2007-11-22 ] , and former Islamists such as Hassan Butt, who said, cquote|"Only when Muslims admit that 9/11 and 7/7 were the work of Muslim terrorists can we move forward to the next juncture: which is recognising the hard truth that Islam does permit the use of violence. Muslims who deny this, preferring instead to mouth easy platitudes about how Islam is nothing but a religion of peace, make the job easier for the radicals who can point to passages in the Koran, set down in black and white, that instruct on the killing of unbelievers." [cite web | last =Butt | first =Hassan | authorlink =Hassan Butt | title =Muslim heads stuck firmly in the sand | publisher =The Times | date =2007-07-14 | url =http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/comment/columnists/guest_contributors/article2072587.ece | accessdate =2007-11-22 ]
*The term "The Religion of Peace" is used sarcastically as a synonym for Islam:
**By critics of Islam, such as Ann Coulter.cite web| last =Siddiqi| first =Imraan | title =Ann Coulter's Foul Mouth: The Blond Hate Machine | publisher =Counterpunch | date =2003-06-05 | url =http://www.counterpunch.org/siddiqi06052003.html | accessdate =2007-11-22 ]
** On anti-Islamic web sites and blogs, such as the web site [http://www.TheReligionofPeace.com TheReligionofPeace.com] , which counts Islamic terrorist attacks. [cite journal | last =Mitchell | first =W. J. T. | title =Picturing Terror: Derrida's Autoimmunity | journal =Critical Inquiry| volume =33 | issue =2 | pages =277–290 | publisher =University of Chicago Press | location = Chicago, IL | date = Winter 2007 | url =http://www.journals.uchicago.edu/cgi-bin/resolve?doi=10.1086/511494 | accessdate =2007-11-22 | doi =10.1086/511494 | format =dead link|date=June 2008 – ^{[http://scholar.google.co.uk/scholar?hl=en&lr=&q=author%3A+intitle%3APicturing+Terror%3A+Derrida%27s+Autoimmunity&as_publication=Critical+Inquiry&as_ylo=&as_yhi=&btnG=Search Scholar search]} ] [cite news | title = Homeland Security: So Far, So Good | publisher =Investor's Business Daily | date =2007-05-11 | url =http://www.ibdeditorials.com/IBDArticles.aspx?id=263777324918594| accessdate = 2007-11-22 ]

* Pope Benedict XVI refused to agree that Islam was a religion of peace. However he stated: Cquote|It certainly contains elements that can favor peace, it also has other elements: We must always seek the best elements. [cite news | title =Pope won't call Islam religion of peace | publisher =Word Net Daily | date =2005-07-26 | url =http://web.archive.org/web/20051220012306/http://www.worldnetdaily.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=45449 | accessdate = 2007-11-22]

References

External links

List of sites using the term "Religion of Peace" in a sarcastic manner

* [http://www.TheReligionOfPeace.com TheReligionOfPeace.com] A site highly critical of Islam containing a database of Islamic terrorist attacks since 9/11.
* [http://www.religion-of-peace.com religion-of-peace.com] A site containing articles highly critical of Islam.

List of web pages discussing if Islam is a "religion of peace"

* [http://www.canada.com/nationalpost/news/issuesideas/story.html?id=c53fc4cd-528a-42a9-b092-2b7b0ccce158&p=1 Islam: A religion of peace?] by Gordon Nickel, National Post Published: Tuesday, June 13, 2006
* [http://p4h.humanists.net/Islam%20peace/QuranPeace.html Islam ‘A Religion of Peace’?] at the [http://www.humanists.freeserve.co.uk/ UK humanist] site.
* [http://www.al-islami.com/islam/religion_of_peace.php al-islami] web page on "Islam: The Religion of Peace" argues Islam to be a peaceful religion.
* [http://www.telegraph.co.uk/opinion/main.jhtml?xml=/opinion/2001/09/17/do02.xml A religion that sanctions violence] by Patrick Sookhdeo Daily Telegraph 19 Sept 2001

Books

*"Religion of Peace?: Islam's War Against the World" by Gregory M. Davis ( ISBN 097789844X )
*"Islam: Religion of Peace and Justice" by Muhammad Nawaz ( ISBN 1410767868 )
*"" by Robert Spencer ( ISBN 1596985151 )