Peacebuilding in Islam

Journal on Peacebuilding in Islam (2^nd chosen topic) – November 3^rd, 2011

Thesis:

Islamic teaching contains many valuable and powerful messages which motivate all people to involve proactively as a peacebuilding agent.

Mainly after 9/11-2001 terrorist attacked on World Trade Center and Pentagon headquarter, followed by declaration of war against terrorism by George W. Bush, the president of USA at the time, immediately the face of Islam changed into horrible one. Framing by Western media which constructed stereotype about Islam and widely it was consumed by almost entire global community, most people consciously or unconsciously look at Islam as the “dangerous religion” and must be suspected in its all aspects. No good side in Islam at all.

            The stereotype which strongly perpetuated by Western media had been extending the gap between Islamic world and Western world. We are seeing as if there is no hope to promote peacebuilding between these two imagined worlds. It becomes worse when religion misuses as one of triggering issue to keep the tensions. The Western media invented the myth of Islam intolerance and mostly people all over the world internalized the myth.

            Mohammed Abu-Nimer’s book entitles Nonviolence and Peace Building in Islam: Theory and Practice, I think, is trying to demythologize such stereotype. This is one profoundly book by which he digs Islamic values concerning to peacebuilding issue. It is very fascinating that Abu-Nimer describes in detail seventeen values and principles found in Qur’an and Hadith that clearly demonstrate an affinity between Islam and peacebuilding. I would not mention them entirely but only take “peace making” value in associate to peacebuilding issue.

However, it is important prior to look at the basic foundation of Islamic perspective on peacebuilding. Abu-Nimer states that a major call of Islamic religion is to establish a just social reality. The true concept of justice is derives from divine justice as the only source of Islamic values and principles. The Islamic tradition calls for resistance to injustice through activism, third-party intervention, and divine intervention. The interconnection and interdependence of peacebuilding and justice are thus never far from the surface in Islam. Peace is the product of order and justice, Abu-Nimer notes.

In terms of peacebuilding, Abu-Nimer says, Islam encourages such active intervention, particularly among Muslims themselves: “If two parties among the believers fall into quarrel, make ye peace between them: but if one of them transgresses beyond bounds against the other, then fight ye (all) against the one that transgresses until it complies with the command of Allah; but if it complies then make peace between them with justice, and be fair: for Allah loves those who are fair (and just). The believers are but a single Brotherhood: so make peace and reconciliation between your two (contending) brothers; and fear Allah, that ye may receive Mercy” (49:9-10). Despite these are always cited by scholars as a legitimate basis for using violence in Islam but the passage clearly supports the concept of mediation and fair and just third-party intervention.

What most important thing I found in Abu-Nimer’s book is an invitation to understand Islam through the so-called emic perspective (from the heart of Islamic core teaching and values), not merely by visible performance. By doing so we can get a comprehensive wise understanding that Islam has many powerful messages for peacebuilding of humankind. [steve gaspersz - ICRS]

Peacebuilding in Christianity

Journal on Peacebuilding in Christianity (3^rd chosen topic) – November 10^th, 2011

Thesis:

Christian theologies had been evolving contextually for centuries and results on different theological understandings about peace by virtue of various interpretations of the biblical texts.

There is no a single absolute interpretation of the biblical texts within Christian traditions. It implies that one can see variety of theological interpretation on the basis of biblical reading through ages. That is the reason why one also definitely discovers many theologies, not only one theology. It is an important starting point to understand certain term in the biblical text, especially in speaking about peace, violence, and peacebuilding in Christianity.

In his book Revelation, the Religions, and Violence, especially in chapter 5, Leo Lefebure observes the development of understanding of violence in relation to the concept of revelation during Early and Medieval Church. He elaborates carefully how Christians since the early church interpreted the biblical texts contextually. What I mean with “contextually” is an effort to link the text with actual situation of life, and at the same time also reflecting actual situation of life accordingly to the message of Gospel. Only by such dialectical way of understanding, Christian able to get the meaning of the Gospel for his/her concrete life.

Lefebure demonstrates that Christian particular theological notion mostly evolved as responses toward or against certain social, political, and cultural circumstances. That is the reason why throughout the history of Christianity one can find many methods for interpreting the Bible. Consequently, he or she then gets different theological notion for answering his or her concrete problems. Regarding some provocative biblical texts, Lefebure puts Origen who advocated allegorical approach. According to Origen, “even the events in the life of Jesus were not simply historical events but also symbols of other realities in the lives of believers… What happened to Jesus is the paradigm for what happens to Christians in a different way age after age.” [114] By using this approach, Origen able to reconcile conflicting statements in the biblical texts. Further, different approaches had been developing by different individuals and groups in order to comprehend problems in specific space and time.

In terms of peacebuilding, Lefebure helps us to see critically how Christian from age to age constructing theological notions primarily on the interrelation of ecclesia (church) and mundus (world). Hence one can observe sort of theological creativity that must not necessary seen as threat for the absolute “truth”. Christian can only get the absolute true of God’s message through what Paul Tillich called as “co-relational faith”.

Actually, as it shown by Paulus Wijaya, the biblical text itself cannot be separated from its real context both of the author[s] and of the reader[s]. In his article “Peace”, Wijaya sharply explains the concept of peace in Old Testament (shalom) and New Testament (eirene). He explores the etymology of “peace” in the context of Hebrew and Greek languages using by Christians at the certain space and time. Eventually Wijaya strongly remarks that “biblical peace is thus related to the spiritual, moral, physical and relational dimensions of human beings. It is a comprehensive understanding that integrates the material and the spiritual, the individual and the communal, the religious and the social-political.” [280]

            By reading Leo Lefebure and Paulus Wijaya, I am coming to my reflection that Christian must pay integrative attention on concept and practice of peacebuilding. Peacebuilding is not merely an abstract concept but should be treated as Christian praxis as exemplified by Christ. In that point, Christian can get comprehensive insight about Church’s mission for peacebuilding. [steve gaspersz – ICRS]