ISLAM & PEACE BUILDING

ISLAM & PEACE BUILDING Inseparable I N our closely interlinked world, peace and prosperity for everyone crucially depends on harmonious relations between communities and countries. Today, countries and communities can no longer afford to live in isolation from each other. Because we are all now so closely interdependent, peaceful and mutually-beneficial relations between different religious communities have become indispensable. We simply cannot afford to resort to conflict in order to resolve disputes. Today, the world is crying out for peace. Islam positively encourages Muslims to work for peace and for harmonious relations between them and people belonging to other communities. Given the serious threat to peace posed by terrorism perpetrated in the name of Islam, it is very important to articulate and promote a positive, meaningful approach to conflict-prevention, conflict-resolution and peace-building. After all, if conflicts are prevented at the very outset, violence can be done away with. Amicably negotiating differences before they degenerate into a conflict is the most sensible way for us to handle conflicts. An important point in the above context is to know that one should differentiate between Islam and Muslims: one should judge Muslims in the light of Islamic teachings and not vice versa. Islam, as per the, Quranic teachings and examples from the life of the Prophet Muhammad, provides inspiration and appropriate guidance for peaceful relations between Muslims and other communities and for non-violent conflict-prevention and conflict-resolution and peace-building methods and approaches. Contemporary instances of Muslims resorting to violence in the name of their religion is, in complete contrast to Islamic teachings. According to the Creation plan of God, everyone is free. But when an individual is free, he can also misuse his freedom. As a rule, whenever people find themselves in problematic situations—and life is full of such contingencies—there is a tendency to make an immediate response. Whenever a difficult situation arises, the right course is not to take immediate action but to stop and reflect patiently on the possible consequences of one’s response