Islam & Pacifism (Edexcel GCSE Religious Studies B): Revision Note

The Nature of Pacifism

• Pacifism is the belief that all instances of violence and war are wrong and should be avoided

• A person who believes in this is called a pacifist

  • Pacifists believe that disagreements and conflicts should be resolved without the use of force

• Pacifism promotes the principle of the sanctity of life, but not all pacifists are religious

• There are different types of pacifists

  • Absolute pacifists believe that it is wrong to participate in war in all circumstances, even in self-defence

  • Conditional pacifists think that although war is wrong, it is sometimes necessary as a last resort

  • Selective pacifists believe that any war involving the use of chemical, biological and nuclear weapons is always wrong because of the devastating impact they bring to innocent lives and to the environment

  • Active pacifists are those involved in non-violent political action to condemn war and promote peace, for example demonstrators. Groups such as CND (Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament) organise these pacifists to try to bring about social change

Muslim Attitudes Towards Pacifism and Passive Resistance

• Some scholars have interpreted the story of Qabil (Cain) and Habil (Abel) in the Qur’an as an argument in favour of pacifism

  • Adam’s two sons believed to be Qabil (Cain) and Habil (Abel) had a disagreement

  • Both offered a sacrifice to God, but only Habil’s was accepted because of his righteousness

  • Qabil killed Habil out of jealousy

• After relating this incident the Qur’an teaches 

• This teaching has been interpreted as being in favour of pacifism because it states that killing is only acceptable due to murder and treason

• Because the Qur’an encourages Muslims to “struggle in the way of Islam”, there is no tradition of pacifism or “turning the other cheek” in Islam

• If Muslims are attacked, they should fight back

• However, some Muslims adopt a stance of passive resistance which means they will take a non-violent opposition to authority which may include acts of civil disobedience

  • The Qur’an teaches

• This means that although Muslims should always obey authority, they should do so in the following order:

  • God

  • The Prophet Muhammad (pbuh)

  • Others in authority

• In practice, although Muslims should obey those in authority in the government, they are prepared to disobey that authority if it forces them to act against their beliefs, for example, by removing their freedom to worship

  • In these situations, passive resistance can be adopted, as the authority of Allah and the Prophet come first

Examples of Passive Resistance Within Islam

The Arab Spring

• The Arab Spring protests in North African and Middle Eastern countries that began at the end of 2010 were based on pacifism and passive resistance

• The aim was to protest against the lack of democracy

  • For example, the demonstrations in Tahir Square, Cairo, led to the overthrow of President Mubarak in Egypt

  • Although both sides did use violence, in the main they succeeded by passive resistance

  • Some involved in this process were nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize

Other examples of passive resistance

• Khan Abdul Ghaffar Khan (1890-1988), a famous pacifist who was a friend of Gandhi, campaigned non-violently against British rule in India

  • He also wanted a united independent India rather than Pakistan and Bangladesh being separate states.

• The famous American boxing champion Muhammad Ali refused to fight in the Vietnam War

• The Ahmadiyya Muslim Community, founded in 1889, is an example of a Muslim pacifist group

  • They organise rallies and non-violent protests to highlight issues

  • One of their slogans is “love for all, hatred for none” to show how jihad is misunderstood by non-Muslims as well as Muslims

• Moses and Aaron provide a historical tradition of passive resistance in Islam, as the Qur'an describes how they refused to fight the Israelites who rebelled against God (Qur'an 5:28)

Non-religious Attitudes to Pacifism

• Humanists are opposed to war because they believe that this life is the only life and there is no afterlife. Therefore this life is even more precious and worthy of protection

• Most Humanists are pacifists and many were conscientious objectors during the two World Wars

  • After the Second World War, humanists helped to set up the United Nations 

  • After the development of nuclear weapons, they formed groups like CND (Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament)

• Humanists who are not pacifists would still think very carefully before supporting a war, because of the loss of life involved and the destruction caused

• Humanists think wars fought over religion do not make sense. They criticise any role that any organised religion might play in encouraging or supporting wars