ABSTRACT
Although Islam is sometimes disparaged as a culture and religion of violence, there are deep resources within Islam for understanding and developing peace and nonviolence. This chapter considers concepts such as salam and jihad. It explains how Islamic sources tend to view violence as a violation of the order of the universe. The chapter considers how the Qur’an sees violence as a harmful interaction among human beings that violates the state of balance, peace and order created by God. It also considers Islamic traditions of peaceful civil society and toleration in places such as Andalusia/Cordoba and under Akbar in India. The internal diversity of Islam includes Sufism, which tends to emphasize peace. The chapter explains how contemporary Islamic justifications of violence are often influenced by Western sources, including reaction to colonialism.
