ISLAM & PEACE BUILDING

This kind of instant reaction, however, serves only to add new problems to the existing ones. Reaction unleashes an unending chain of action and reaction. The results of following this path are disastrous. 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. Those who choose to react by making an immediate emotional response can only cause an exacerbation of their difficulties. On the other hand, those who adopt a well-considered approach will certainly find ways and means of converting problems into opportunities for improving the situation that they are faced with. There is great wisdom in engaging in this sort of result-oriented planning. o A Human Weakness A general weakness of us humans is that we think that the good things that we have are because of our own efforts, and we blame others for us not having the things that we do not have, but want. A disastrous consequence of this is we fall prey to false pride in our abilities, on the one hand, and to false complaints against others, on the other. Actually we should consider the good things that we have as gifts from God, and should attribute the lack of the things that we do not have but want, to our own shortcomings. In this way we can really help ourselves in character-development. It can make us positive-thinking people. Islam positively encourages Muslims to work for peace and for harmonious relations between them and people belonging to other communities.