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Religion and Non-Violence
Or of spreading disorder in the land,
shall be as though he had slain all mankind;
But that he who saveth a life
shall be as though he has saved all mankind alive."
The Koran explicitly teaches that only defensive war is permissible; but there are also passages clearly implying that it is a duty to make war upon disbelievers until they submit to Moslem rule and pay tribute or even (in the case of idolators) until they become converted to Islam. This belief has, unfortunately led to many battles and wars over the centuries.
The Koran, generally speaking, rejects asceticism or mysticism; yet only two centuries after Mohammed, a school of Moslem mystics, 'Sufis, a term originally meaning 'wool' and referring to the coarse garb worn by them, made their appearance. According to the Sufis, salvation consists in the realization of union with God, rather than in submission to His authority. They teach that love of God and of others in God, is the supreme mark of spiritual perfection. 'Love," according to Jelal-al-Din Sufi, "is the remedy of our pride, and self-conceit the physician of all our infirmities. Only he whose garment is rent by love becomes entirely unselfish. He who loves God supremely, sees God in all His creatures, and expresses this divine love in all his dealings with them."
The Sufi form of Islam even transcends all sectarian distrust and recognizes spiritual unity with sincere seekers of God in other religions. Ibn Arabi is quoted as saying, "There was a time when I took it amiss in my companion if his religion was not like mine, but now my heart admits every form. It is a pasture for gazelles, a cloister for monks, a temple for idols, a Ka'ba for the pilgrims, the tables of the Law, and the sacred book of the Koran. Love alone is my religion, and whithersoever men's camels turn, it is my religion and my faith."2
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Judaism
Judaism upholds social justice rather than non-violence: good for good, evil for evil. The God of the Jews, Yehweh, is the
1 Koran, 5.35.
2Moore, G.F., The History of Religions, New York, 1919, p. 450.
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