Islam, a Religion of Peace

Nora Hussain

Model description: It is a 3D model that emphasizes the fact that Islam is a religion of peace and justice. I used an A1 chart for the base with paint. The style I used is arabesque, which shows the continuity of peace. I choose this sentence because it was the response many Muslim’s had when they talked about Islam and terrorism.  The blue stones resemble the misconceptions about Islam. Moreover, the empty ones resemble the misconceptions that were deconstructed.

Misconceptions and controversies: When many Muslims say “Islam is a religion of peace”, critics define this sentence differently by arguing that "The position of the Muslim community in the face of all provocations seems to be: Islam is a religion of peace, and if you say that it isn't, we will kill you.” "Religion of peace" does not imply that Islam is a pacifist religion, that it rejects the use of violence altogether, as either a moral or a metaphysical evil. "Religion of peace" connotes, rather, that Islam can countenance a state of permanent, peaceful coexistence with other nations and peoples who are not Muslims. Sayyid Qutb once said :”The defeatists should fear Allah lest they distort this religion and cause it to become weak on the basis of the claim that it is a religion of peace. Yes, it is the religion of peace but in the sense of saving all of mankind from worshiping anything other than Allah and submitting all of mankind to the rule of Allah."

Religion of peace: Up until today, there are a few critics of Islam who argue that the main cause or motivation of the September 11, 2001 attack was the beliefs of Islam. Some critics state that Islam is a religion of violence and terrorism. “Two days before the September 11th attacks, Hamza Yusuf was outside the White House giving a speech in which he said that the U.S. “stands condemned,” and that “this country has a great, great tribulation coming to It.” Said Austin Cline in one of his online blogs.  Surely a few Muslims made some of the terrorist attacks that occurred, but what is the mistake that the other Muslims committed to be judged based on a group of minority. We live in a world that is dominated with mainstream media and specific stereotypes.  The forme prime minister of Malaysia once said : “Clearly Islam the religion is not the cause of terrorism. Islam, as I said, is a religion of peace. However, through the centuries, deviations from the true teachings of Islam take place. And so [people who call themselves] "Muslims" kill despite the injunction of their religion against killing especially of innocent people”.  In September 2001, U.S. President G.W. Bush publicly endorsed this stating "Islam is peace": “The face of terror is not the true faith of Islam. That's not what Islam is all about. Islam is peace. These terrorists don't represent peace. They represent evil and war”. 

Biography: Nora Hussain is a college student who is working towards becoming a future accountant and who will be graduating with her BBA in May of 2016 from the American University In Dubai (AUD). In her free time, she is interested in reading Nicholas Sparks novels and playing tennis.