Pearson Edexcel Level 3 Advanced GCE in Religious Studies – Anthology
214Here, we note that monasteries, synagogues and oratories are mentioned
before mosques. It is c learly a quest ion of t he expression of t heir inviolabilit y and,
at the same time, of the respect due to the adherents of different religions. The
formulat ion c annot be more explic it :
And if t hy Lord had willed, whoever is in t he eart h would have believed, all
of them, all together. Wouldst thou then c onstrain the people, until they
are believers? (Qur'ān, 10:99)Differenc e of belief, as of c olour and language, are fac ts whic h we must live
with. Although we have already expressed this, it is appropriate to forcefully repeat
it here. T he first princ iple of c oexist enc e in diversit y is t hat of respec t and just ic e.
Onc e again, the Qur’ān is c lear:
0 believers, be you securers of justice, witness for God. Let not
detestation for a people move you not to be equitable; be equitable that is
nearer to godfearing. (Qur’ān, 5:8)In the fac e of inevitable c onflic ts of interest and power, true testimony of faith
lies in respec t for the rights of eac h individual. If the latter is suppressed and if
injust ic e is widespread, t hen it is t he responsibilit y of men t o oppose suc h a st at e of
affairs. It is exac t ly in t hese c ondit ions t hat t he first verse c alling for jihād and
ar med resistance was revealed:
Leave is given to those who fight because they were wronged – surely
God is able t o help t hem – who were expelled from their habit at ions
without right, except that they say 'Our Lord is God.' (Qur'ān, 22:39-40)Aft er 13 years of living in Makka, aft er almost an equivalent period of violent
persec ut ion and aft er being exiled t o Madina, t his verse allowed t he Muslims t o
defend themselves in the name of justice and in respect of their faith. Abū Bakr
understood straightaway the sc ope of this message and maintained that with the
revelation of this verse: "We understood that it was going to be about armed
struggle." One finds here an explic it expression of what jihād c overs on the inter-
c ommunity or inter-national planes. As we have pointed out with regard to the
inward plane, where it is a question of struggling against the forc es of aggression
and violenc e whic h are inherent in all human beings, it is similarly appropriat e t o
oppose every aggressor, power and exploitation which are nat urally manifest in all
human c ommunities, and whic h snap at our fundamental rights.
Everything, in the message of Islam, calls for peace and coexistence between
men and nations. In all circumstances, dialogue must be preferred over silence and
peace over war. That is to the exc eption of one situation, whic h makes of struggle a
duty, and of opposition a testimony of faithfulness to the meaning of faith. Jihād is
the expression of a rejection of all injustice, as also the necessary assertion of
balance and harmony in equity. One hopes for a non-violent struggle, far removed
from the horrors of armed c onflic t. One loves that men will have this maturity of
spirit , whic h allows for a less bloody management of world affairs. However, hist ory
has proven that the human being is bellic ose by nature and that war is but one
means by which he expresses himself. Resisting the very violent expression of this