A Religion of Peace?: Why Christianity Is and Islam Isn't

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Pacifism is the opposition or resistance to war, militarism (including conscription and mandatory military service) or violence. The word pacifism was coined by the French peace campaigner Émile Arnaud and adopted by other peace activists at the tenth Universal Peace Congress in Glasgow in 1901. [1] A related term is ahimsa (to do no harm), which is a core philosophy in Indian religions such as Hinduism, Buddhism, and Jainism. While modern connotations are recent, having been explicated since the 19th century, ancient references abound. An absolute pacifist is generally described by the BBC as one who believes that human life is so valuable, that a human should never be killed and war should never be conducted, even in self-defense (except for non-violence type). The principle is described as difficult to abide by consistently, due to violence not being available as a tool to aid a person who is being harmed or killed. It is further claimed that such a pacifist could logically argue that violence leads to more undesirable results than non-violence. [9] Conditional pacifism [ edit ] Daoist Philosophy – 10. "Celestial Masters Daoism" ". Archived from the original on 29 January 2009 . Retrieved 13 February 2009. a b Benjamin Ziemann, "Pacifism" in World Fascism:An Encyclopedia, edited by Cyprian P. Blamires. ABC-CLIO Ltd, 2006. ISBN 1576079406 (pp.495–496)

After the immense loss of nearly ten million men to trench warfare, [52] a sweeping change of attitude toward militarism crashed over Europe, particularly in nations such as Great Britain, where many questioned its involvement in the war. After World War I's official end in 1918, peace movements across the continent and the United States renewed, gradually gaining popularity among young Europeans who grew up in the shadow of Europe's trauma over the Great War. Organizations formed in this period included the War Resisters' International, [53] the Women's International League for Peace and Freedom, the No More War Movement, the Service Civil International and the Peace Pledge Union (PPU). The League of Nations also convened several disarmament conferences in the interbellum period such as the Geneva Conference, though the support that pacifist policy and idealism received varied across European nations. These organizations and movements attracted tens of thousands of Europeans, spanning most professions including "scientists, artists, musicians, politicians, clerks, students, activists and thinkers." [54] Great Britain [ edit ] People might fight because they feel that their rights, their identities, their religions or their countries are under threat. Sometimes they fight because they're scared. Sometimes they fight to get revenge. Peace movements became active in the Western world after 1900, often focusing on treaties that would settle disputes through arbitration, and efforts to support the Hague conventions. [46]War and the Iliad". The New York Review of books. Archived from the original on 1 May 2008 . Retrieved 29 September 2009. There were conscientious objectors and war tax resisters in both World War I and World War II. The United States government allowed sincere objectors to serve in noncombatant military roles. However, those draft resisters who refused any cooperation with the war effort often spent much of the wars in federal prisons. During World War II, pacifist leaders such as Dorothy Day and Ammon Hennacy of the Catholic Worker Movement urged young Americans not to enlist in military service.

In this article we will start by examining the meaning of ‘Islam’ and ‘Jihad’ and move on to the teaching of the Qur’an, and the example of Muhammad. We will briefly discuss the teaching of religious leaders and the history of Islam. I will conclude that Islam cannot be described as a ‘religion of peace’ in terms of its teaching, the example of its founder, or its history. The meaning of ‘Islam’ Hafez, Kai (2010). Radicalism and Political Reform in the Islamic and Western Worlds. Cambridge University Press. p.208. ISBN 978-1139489041. Coates, B. E. (2008). Modern India's Strategic Advantage to the United States: Her Twin Strengths in Himsa and Ahimsa. Comparative Strategy, 27(2), pp. 133–147In addition to the traditional peace churches, some of the many groups that protested against the war were the Woman's Peace Party (which was organized in 1915 and led by noted reformer Jane Addams), the International Committee of Women for Permanent Peace (ICWPP) (also organized in 1915), [50] the American Union Against Militarism, the Fellowship of Reconciliation and the American Friends Service Committee. [51] Jeannette Rankin, the first woman elected to Congress, was another fierce advocate of pacifism, the only person to vote against American entrance into both wars. Mahatma Gandhi was a major political and spiritual leader of India, instrumental in the Indian independence movement. The Nobel prize winning great poet Rabindranath Tagore, who was also an Indian, gave him the honorific " Mahatma", usually translated "Great Soul". He was the pioneer of a brand of nonviolence (or ahimsa) which he called satyagraha–translated literally as "truth force". This was the resistance of tyranny through civil disobedience that was not only nonviolent but also sought to change the heart of the opponent. He contrasted this with duragraha, "resistant force", which sought only to change behaviour with stubborn protest. During his 30 years of work (1917–1947) for the independence of his country from British colonial rule, Gandhi led dozens of nonviolent campaigns, spent over seven years in prison, and fasted nearly to the death on several occasions to obtain British compliance with a demand or to stop inter-communal violence. His efforts helped lead India to independence in 1947, and inspired movements for civil rights and freedom worldwide. Still more pacifists would argue that a nonviolent reaction may not save lives immediately but would in the long run. The acceptance of violence for any reason makes it easier to use in other situations. Learning and committing to pacifism helps to send a message that violence is, in fact, not the most effective way. It can also help people to think more creatively and find more effective ways to stop violence without more violence. Adam Roberts, in Roberts and Garton Ash (ed.), Civil Resistance and Power Politics, Introduction, p. 12. Eller, Cynthia (1990). "Oral History as Moral Discourse: Conscientious Objectors and the Second World War". The Oral History Review. 18 (1): 45–75. doi: 10.1093/ohr/18.1.45. JSTOR 3674738.