Islam And Conflict Resolution

Islam and Conflict Resolution investigates and analyzes those aspects of Islam that deal with international law and peaceful resolution of conflict in an attempt to bridge the gap between the Western and Islamic worlds. The authors seek to expose the common ground that exists between the beliefs of Islam and those of the Judeo-Christian religions that influence action in the modern world. Most importantly, they seek to clarify the Muslim belief that conflict is not permanent or unavoidable, pointing out that Islam offers many recommendations for reducing conflict at various levels of personal and interstate relations. The book encourages an intellectual effort on both sides for education that will lead to a definite understanding of each other's world so as to lead to fair treatment in policymaking and journalism as well as an end to hostility between the Muslim and Judeo-Christian worlds.

Peace and Conflict Resolution in Islam steps beyond the limitations of the traditional scholarly framework used to evaluate the politics of Islamic societies, and assembles a selection from the best available English-language writings on a matter of central importance in Islamic precepts: peace (salam) and conflict resolution. The writings present diverse Muslim views on the nature of peace and the processes of conflict resolution, giving expression to a range of syntheses or "paradigms" of Islamic precept and practice, including power politics, world order, nonviolence, and transformation of consciousness and character (Sufism). Attention is given to both the diversity and the underlying points of unity among Islamic perspectives on peace, which accentuate, variously, an absence of war, a presence of justice, and ecological harmony.

Crescent and Dove looks at the relationship between contemporary Islam and peacemaking by tackling the diverse interpretations, concepts, and problems in the field of Islamic peacemaking. It addresses both theory and practice by delving into the intellectual heritage of Islam to discuss historical examples of addressing conflict in Islam and exploring the practical challenges of contemporary peacemaking in Arab countries, Turkey, Iran, Pakistan, and Indonesia.

The meanings and contexts of Shari'a are the subject of both curiosity and misunderstanding by non-Muslims. Shari'a is sometimes crudely characterised by outsiders as a punitive legal system operating broadly outside, and separate from, national laws and customs. This groundbreaking book shows that Shari'a and its 'fiqh' (laws set forward by various Islamic legal schools) comprise a far more nuanced matrix of interpretations than is often assumed to be the case. Far from being monolithic or impervious to change from without, Muslim legal tradition has - since its beginnings in the early Islamic period - placed an emphasis on equity and non-adversarial conflict-resolution. Mohamed Keshavjee examines both Sunni and Shi'a applications of Islamic law, demonstrating how political, cultural and other factors have influenced the practice of fiqh and Shari'a in the West. Exploring in particular the modern development of Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR), the author shows that this process can revitalise some of the essential principles that underlie Muslim teachings and jurispudence, delivering not only formal remedies but also perceived justice, even to non-Muslims.

Inter- and intra-clan conflicts in Northern Israel pit hundreds against each other in revenge cycles that take years to resolve and impact the entire community. The Sulha is a Shari’a-based traditional conflict resolution process that works independently of formal legal systems and is widely practiced to manage such conflicts in the north of Israel, as well as throughout the Muslim and Arab worlds. The Sulha process works by effecting a gradual attitudinal transformation, from a desire for revenge to a willingness to forgive, through restoration of the victim’s clan sense of honour. Muslim/Arab Mediation and Conflict Resolution examines the process of Sulha, as practiced by the Arab population of northern Israel, where it plays a central role in the maintenance of peace among Muslims, Christians, and Druze alike. It presents detailed analysis of every stage of this at times protracted process. It uses interviews with victims, perpetrators, Sulha practitioners, community leaders and lawyers, along with statistical analysis to examine how Sulha affects people’s lives, how various sectors of society impact the practice, and how it coexists with Israel’s formal legal system. Furthermore, it examines how Sulha compares to Western dispute resolution processes. This book offers the first comprehensive exploration of the entire Sulha process, and is a valuable resource for students and scholars of Middle East studies, Islamic studies and conflict resolution.

"Islamic Law and International Law is a comprehensive examination of differences and similarities between the Islamic legal tradition and international law, especially in the context of dispute settlement. Sharia embraces a unique logic and culture of justice--based on nonconfrontational dispute resolution--as taught by the Quran and the Prophet Muhammad. This book explains how the creeds of Islamic dispute resolution shape the Islamic milieu's views of international law. Is the Islamic legal tradition ab initio incompatible with international law, and how do states of the Islamic milieu view international courts, mediation, and arbitration? Islamic law constitutes an important part of the domestic legal system in many states of the Islamic milieu--Islamic law states--displacing secular law in state governance and affecting these states' contemporary international dealings. The book analyzes constitutional and subconstitutional laws in Islamic law states. The answer to the "Islamic law-international law nexus puzzle" lies in the diversity of how secular laws and religious laws fuse in domestic legal systems across the Islamic milieu. These states are not Islamic to the same degree or in the same way. Thus, different international conflict management methods appeal to different states, depending on each one's domestic legal system. The main claim of the book is that in many instances the Islamic legal tradition points in one direction while Western-based, secularized international law points in another direction. This conflict is partially softened by the reality that the Islamic legal tradition itself has elements fundamentally compatible with modern international law. Islamic legal tradition, international law, sharia settlement, peaceful dispute resolution"--

Within the Muslim community, the call for peace has manifested and will undoubtedly continue to manifest itself in diverse ways. This reflects continuous efforts to interpret and apply foundational Islamic values in specific historical, social, and cultural situations. Islamic concepts of peace have been misrepresented, misunderstood, or simply ignored. There are indeed differences between prevailing Western and Islamic conceptions of peace. These differences constitute a basis for an ongoing dialogue on the topic. Beneath different interpretations of Islam, there is an underlying unity of intention that gives coherence to various approaches to peace. These in Islam can be categorized in five paradigms. Many Muslims have, at one time or another, subscribed to views that incorporate aspects of more than one paradigm. The model of power politics exalts state authority, views peace simply as the absence of war, and emphasizes the political necessities created by threatening environments. The Islamic world order approach sees peace as a condition defined by the presence of such core Islamic values as order, justice, equity, cultural coexistence (as in the Iranian Dialogue of Civilizations initiative), and ecological stability. Practitioners of Islamic approaches to conflict resolution adhere to a restorative conception of peace that encompasses notions of just compensation for losses, renunciation of retribution, and forgiveness. Though it is not widely recognized, an Islamic paradigm for nonviolence does in fact exist, and some of the most notable recent applications of it have occurred in South and Southeast Asia. Peace is understood as the presence of social justice, which must be sought by a just means. The last approach to peace, the Islamic equivalent of a transformational, spiritually centered paradigm, defines peace as a condition of harmony attained through the transformation of human consciousness. The dominant Western approach to peace finds its substance in political pluralism, individual rights, and, in practice - if not in precept - consumerism. In contrast, Islamic precepts permit a view of peace based on communal solidarity, social justice, faith and cultural pluralism. The differences between Western and Islamic approaches to conflict resolution reflect some of the differences between these two respective perspectives on peace. While the strongest Western approach to conflict resolution is to conceptualize and solve problems, the Islamic approach emphasizes the mending and maintenance of social relationships. Muslims see conflict and competition between individuals and groups as a threat to social unity, stability, and welfare, and are often somewhat less optimistic about conflict than the advocates of new Western approaches. Research and dialogue on conceptions of peace and peacemaking provide and alternative to the solipsism of culture - bound thinking. The can promote a deeper understanding of cross - cultural differences and a greater appreciation of the shared values and goals that will be needed if true coexistence - and perhaps even intercultural complementarity - is to be achieved.

In this ground-breaking volume, the authors analyze the role of religion in conflict and conflict resolution. They do so from the perspectives of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam, while bringing different disciplines into play, including peace and conflict studies, religious studies, theology, and ethics. With much of current academic, political, and public attention focusing on the conflictive dimensions of religion, this book also explores the constructive resources of religion for conflict resolution and reconciliation. Analyzing the specific contributions of religious actors in this field, their potentials and possible problems connected with them, this book sheds light on the concrete contours of the oftentimes vague “religious factor” in processes of social change. Case studies in current and former settings of violent conflict such as Israel, post-genocide Rwanda, and Pakistan provide “real-life” contexts for discussion. Combining cutting-edge research with case studies and concrete implications for academics, policy makers, and practitioners, this concise and easily accessible volume helps to build bridges between these oftentimes separated spheres of engagement. The Open Access version of this book, available at: http://doi.org/10.4324/9781003002888, has been made available under a Creative Commons Attribution-Non Commercial-No Derivatives 4.0 license.