Peaceful Coexistence

PEACEFUL COEXISTENCE among people from diverse social, including religious, backgrounds is to accept their differences and to show proper respect for one another’s rights and feelings. This is also the correct Islamic viewpoint in this matter. However, unfortunately, many misunderstandings on this subject have been created by taking certain verses from the Quran out of their context to wrongly claim that the Quran commands the waging of war on, and the subjugation of, the whole world. Based on this erroneous claim, it is contended that the adherents of Islam cannot live peacefully with the followers of other religions. However, this is a sheer misunderstanding. Wherever the Quran has indicated that warfare is in order, it is solely based on self-defense. Possibly all the nations of the world have it enshrined in their Constitutions that if any country or group attacks them, they will fight to defend themselves. These nations are nevertheless living peacefully under the umbrella of the United Nations. The same is the case with Islam. Islam issues no injunction for war except in case of self-defense, and that too under very clearly specified conditions. In the absence of aggression, no fighting is permissible. The general rule in Islam is peaceful coexistence, with fighting only as a last resort when circumstances might make it completely unavoidable. Differences are a part of life. Psychological and biological studies have proved that no two human beings think alike. It is so marked a feature of the human psyche that each of the trillions of cells of the human body bears its stamp. Hence, any formula that seeks to eradicate differences to