Religion and Terrorism: An Interfaith Perspective

Religion and terrorism: an interfaith perspective. Aref M Al Khattar, Vincent Moore Published in in Westport (Conn.) by Greenwood press. Services.
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Sri Dhammananda has stated:. Buddhism is a religion which teaches people to 'live and let live'. In the history of the world, there is no evidence to show that Buddhists have interfered or done any damage to any other religion in any part of the world for the purpose of introducing their religion. Buddhists do not regard the existence of other religions as a hindrance to worldly progress and peace.

Hum Log: Why is terrorism associated with Islam?

The fourteenth century Zen master Gasan Joseki indicated that the Gospels were written by an enlightened being:. The 14th Dalai Lama has done a great deal of interfaith work throughout his life. He believes that the "common aim of all religions, an aim that everyone must try to find, is to foster tolerance, altruism and love".

During , he met in Dharamsala with a delegation of Jewish teachers for an extensive interfaith dialogue. He has also met the late Archbishop of Canterbury Dr. In , the Dalai Lama was joined by Rev. Traditional Christian doctrine is Christocentric , meaning that Christ is held to be the sole full and true revelation of the will of God for humanity. In a Christocentric view, the elements of truth in other religions are understood in relation to the fullness of truth found in Christ. God is nevertheless understood to be free of human constructions.

While the conciliar document Nostra aetate has fostered widespread dialogue, the declaration Dominus Iesus nevertheless reaffirms the centrality of the person of Jesus Christ in the spiritual and cultural identity of Christians, rejecting various forms of syncretism. Pope John Paul II was a major advocate of interfaith dialogue, promoting meetings in Assisi in the s. In traditional Christian doctrine, the value of inter-religious dialogue had been confined to acts of love and understanding toward others either as anonymous Christians or as potential converts.

In mainline liberal Protestant traditions, however, as well as in the emerging church , these doctrinal constraints have largely been cast off. Many theologians, pastors, and lay people from these traditions do not hold to uniquely Christocentric understandings of how God was in Christ. They engage deeply in interfaith dialogue as learners, not converters, and desire to celebrate as fully as possible the many paths to God. Much focus in Christian interfaith dialogue has been put on Christian—Jewish reconciliation. It began in the wake of the call of the Second Vatican Council — of the Roman Catholic Church for increased understanding between Christians and Jews.

The Modern Orthodox movement allows narrow exchanges on social issues, while warning to be cautious in discussion of doctrine.


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Building positive relations between Jews and members of other religious communities has been an integral component of Reform Judaism's "DNA" since the movement was founded in Germany during the early 19th century, according to Rabbi A. It began with Israel Jacobson, a layman and pioneer in the development of what emerged as Reform Judaism, who established an innovative religious school in Sessen, Germany in that initially had 40 Jewish and 20 Christian students. To that end, he published a series of lectures in entitled "Judaism and Christianity: Their Agreements and Disagreements".

Wise emphasized what he believed linked the two religions in an inextricable theological and human bond: There is the great hope that Judaism can thus become the builder of a bridge, the 'pontifex' between East and West.

Interfaith dialogue

In the s and 60s, as interfaith civic partnerships between Jews and Christians in the United States became more numerous, especially in the suburbs, [ citation needed ] the Union of American Hebrew Congregations now the Union for Reform Judaism , URJ created a department mainly to promote positive Christian-Jewish relations and civic partnerships. Interfaith relations have since been expanded to include Muslims, Hindus, Buddhists, and members of other faith communities.

Based on their experience, Schneier and Ali believe that other "Jews and Muslims can realize that they are actually more united than divided in their core beliefs". Interests in interfaith relations require an awareness of the range of Jewish views on such subjects as mission [99] and the holy land. Islam has long encouraged dialogue to reach truth. Dialogue is particularly encouraged amongst the People of the Book Jews, Christians and Muslims as Qur'an states, "Say, "O People of the Scripture, come to a word that is equitable between us and you — that we will not worship except Allah and not associate anything with Him and not take one another as lords instead of Allah.

Many traditional and religious texts and customs of the faith have encouraged this, including specific verses in the Quran , such as: Behold, we have created you from a male and a female and have made you into nations and tribes so that you might come to know one another. Verily, the noblest of you in the sight of God is the one who is most deeply conscious of Him. Behold, God is all-knowing, all-aware" [Qur'an In recent times, Muslim theologians have advocated inter-faith dialogue on a large scale, something which is new in a political sense.

This common ground was stated as "part of the very foundational principles of both faiths: The declaration asserted that "these principles are found over and over again in the sacred texts of Islam and Christianity". Relations between Muslims and Jews remain quite difficult, exacerbated by the Israeli—Palestinian conflict. There are inter-Muslim issues in between Sunnis and Shiites that are very much unresolved in the Middle East.

Also, relations between Muslims and Hindus in India and Pakistan have included tension. A book called Progressive Muslims: On Justice, Gender, and Pluralism contains a chapter by Amir Hussain on "Muslims, Pluralism, and Interfaith Dialogue" in which he shows how interfaith dialogue has been an integral part of Islam from its beginning. Hussain writes that "Islam would not have developed if it had not been for interfaith dialogue".

From his "first revelation" for the rest of his life, Muhammad was "engaged in interfaith dialogue" and "pluralism and interfaith dialogue" have always been important to Islam. For example, when some of Muhammad's followers suffered "physical persecution" in Mecca , he sent them to Abyssinia , a Christian nation, where they were "welcomed and accepted" by the Christian king. In it, "Christians and Jews were involved in the Royal Court and the intellectual life of the city".

Thus, there is "a history of Muslims, Jews, Christians, and other religious traditions living together in a pluralistic society". In the address he spoke about "the rapport between Islam and Christianity" that has existed throughout the history of Islam as one of "friendship, respect and mutual understanding". As Rabbi Marc Schneier and Imam Shamsi Ali show, "by reaching a fuller understanding of one another's faith traditions, Jews and Muslims can realize that they are actually more united than divided in their core beliefs".

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By their fuller understanding, they became "defenders of each other's religion, denouncing the twin threats of anti-Semitism and Islamophobia and promoting interfaith cooperation". The Ahmadiyya Muslim Community was founded in Its members "exceeding tens of millions" live in countries. It rejects "terrorism in any form". It broadcasts its "message of peace and tolerance" over a satellite television channel MTA International Live Streaming, [] on its internet website, [] and by its Islam International Publications. According to the Ahmadiyya understanding, interfaith dialogues are an integral part of developing inter-religious peace and the establishment of peace.

The Ahmadiyya Community has been organising interfaith events locally and nationally in various parts of the world in order to develop a better atmosphere of love and understanding between faiths. Various speakers are invited to deliver a talk on how peace can be established from their own or religious perspectives. Zoroastrianism has long encouraged interfaith, all the way from Cyrus the Great 's speech in Babylon , which permitted the population to keep following their own religion and keep speaking their own language. Cyrus did not enforce the state religion unto the people.

As well, Cyrus freed all the Jewish slaves from Babylon, which earned him a place in the Jewish scriptures. Zoroastrians believe that all religions are equal, and that their religion is not superior to other religions. They believed that the Prophet Zoroaster implied the religion unto them, and did not convert each of them.

Therefore, they do not even accept converts into their religion. This work is a must for any collection, public or private, where readers seek a succinct and authoritative overview of the religious undertones associated with the contemporary terrorist threat.? Enter your mobile number or email address below and we'll send you a link to download the free Kindle App.

Then you can start reading Kindle books on your smartphone, tablet, or computer - no Kindle device required. Would you like to tell us about a lower price? If you are a seller for this product, would you like to suggest updates through seller support? Although religion-based terrorism was certainly not uncommon before the events of September 11, , there is now a greater call for an explanation of these actions. In this new study, Al-Khattar seeks to define religion-based terrorism as seen by the followers of different religious traditions in order to facilitate understanding of this international problem.

He discusses religion-based terrorism from three perspectives Judaism, Christianity, and Islam and offers a theoretical analysis from a criminological perspective of the justifications for such acts. Interviews with leaders from the three major religions provide background from their holy books to contextualize the arguments that terrorists use to rationalize their actions. As the first researcher to apply the Techniques of Neutralization Theory, a traditional criminological theory, to explain such religion-terrorism, Al-Khattar examines the primary data to understand the motivations beyond the surface explanations offered by the perpetrators and adherents to their causes.

Terrorists are considered as traditional criminals, despite their claims of nobler callings. Through utilization of this theoretical approach, the study offers practical suggestions on how this criminal behavior might be dealt with by law enforcement, society, and religious institutions themselves. Read more Read less. Special offers and product promotions Rs cashback on Rs or more for purchases made through Amazon Assistant.

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