Islam: Religion, Peace and Conflict

What Islam: Religion, Peace and Conflict covers

Islam: Religion, Peace and Conflict is examined in Component Group 2, religion, philosophy and ethics in the modern world from a Muslim perspective (J625/07), if this is the perspective studied. That perspective must be one of the student's two Group 1 religions. It covers Muslim teachings on violence and conflict, Muslim responses to terrorism, holy War, the Just War theory and Muslim conduct in war, Muslim attitudes to conventional, technological and nuclear warfare, pacifism, non-violence and Muslim peacemaking, forgiveness and reconciliation in Islam and justice and social justice in Islam.

The 7 subtopics

Each one has its own page.

• Muslim teachings on violence and conflictSurah 6:151 on taking life, when violence may be justified, Surah 2:256 on religion, readings of Surah 2:244, Surahs 8:17–18 and 3:166 on victory and loss, and Muslim communities in conflicts.Open →
• Muslim responses to terrorismSurah 5:32, Tahir-ul-Qadri's fatwa of 2010, why terrorism cannot be lesser jihad, British Muslim responses to attacks, Islamophobia, justice against terrorism, and a utilitarian view of torture.Open →
• Holy War, the Just War theory and Muslim conduct in warLesser jihad compared with the Just War theory, Surah 22:39–40, prisoners of war, the ban on torture and mutilation, proportion in Surah 2:194, keeping treaties, Muslims in the British Army, and revenge.Open →
• Muslim attitudes to conventional, technological and nuclear warfareWar between armies, drone strikes and Muslim communities, precise weapons, nuclear warfare and the khalifah principle, owning nuclear weapons, a senior Shi'a scholar's ruling, and the principle of proportion.Open →
• Pacifism, non-violence and Muslim peacemakingWhy most Muslims reject absolute pacifism, Khan Abdul Ghaffar Khan, the Prophet's non-violent resistance in Makkah, Surahs 17:33 and 8:61, Nisa-Nashim in Britain, and violence as a route to peace.Open →
• Forgiveness and reconciliation in IslamThe Prophet's forgiveness of Makkah and his response at Ta'if, Surahs 42:40 and 2:109, forgiveness within qisas, Farid Ahmed after Christchurch, its limits, its effect on communities, and Allah's forgiveness.Open →
• Justice and social justice in IslamSurah 4:135, injustice, peace in a just society, social justice in practice, the ban on riba, racism, Malcolm X after Hajj, differing Muslim views, and common ground with Humanists.Open →

What you need to know

Answer each one before you reveal it.

Take Islam: Religion, Peace and Conflict further

The same content, four other ways.

Commonly confused

Pairs that lose marks when they are blurred together.

• Qisas vs Diyah

  Qisas: equal retribution for a crime against a person. Diyah: compensation paid to a victim's family instead of retribution.

• Adl vs Zulm

  Adl: giving every person their rights fairly. Zulm: wronging others or depriving them of their rights.

• Hirabah vs Lesser jihad

  Hirabah: violent crime that spreads terror against the public. Lesser jihad: a defensive struggle under proper authority and strict conditions.

Questions from this topic

Each one with the model answer underneath.

1. 1

   What forms of violence do Muslim teachings address?

   Model answer

   Muslim teachings address physical violence such as assault and war, and psychological violence such as bullying and threats. Islam also condemns violence within families.

2. 2

   What does Surah 6:151 teach about taking life?

   Model answer

   Surah 6:151 forbids killing any soul that Allah has made sacred, except by legal right. Muslims read it as a strict limit on all violence.

3. 3

   How do Muslims justify violence in some circumstances?

   Model answer

   Most Muslims accept violence only in self-defence, to protect the innocent or to resist oppression. Violence must be proportionate and a last resort.

4. 4

   What does Surah 2:256 imply about using violence in matters of religion?

   Model answer

   Surah 2:256 says there is no compulsion in religion. Violence can never be used to force anyone to become a Muslim.

5. 5

   How do Muslims interpret Surah 2:244?

   Model answer

   Surah 2:244 tells believers to fight in the cause of Allah, who hears and knows all. Mainstream scholars read it in its setting of defending the early Muslim community.

6. 6

   What does Surah 8:17–18 teach about victory in battle?

   Model answer

   Surah 8:17 tells the Muslims at Badr that it was Allah, not they, who killed the enemy. Victory belongs to Allah, so fighters must not boast or act from pride.

What is inside Levo

Six ways to work the same material.

Islam: Religion, Peace and Conflict revision questions

What does Islam: Religion, Peace and Conflict cover in OCR GCSE Religious Studies?

7 subtopics: muslim teachings on violence and conflict, muslim responses to terrorism, holy war, the just war theory and muslim conduct in war, muslim attitudes to conventional, technological and nuclear warfare, pacifism, non-violence and muslim peacemaking, forgiveness and reconciliation in islam and justice and social justice in islam. Each one has its own page with questions and model answers.

How is Islam: Religion, Peace and Conflict organised?

By the OCR J625 specification, subtopic by subtopic, so it matches the order you are taught it in.