RS14Peace and Conflict: Peace, Violence, Terrorism and War

• Peace: the opposite of war; harmony between people. Many believers mean more than “no fighting”: the Hebrew shalom and Arabic salaam suggest wholeness and well-being.
• Justice: making a situation fair again. Many believers argue there can be no lasting peace without justice, because unfairness breeds conflict.
• Forgiveness: letting go of blame against someone for a wrong they have done, and moving on. Jesus taught his followers to love their enemies and pray for those who persecute them (Matthew 5:44).
• Reconciliation: restoring a relationship after it has broken down, so former enemies can live together.
• Christian teaching: “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called children of God” (Matthew 5:9, World English Bible). Christians call Jesus the Prince of Peace.
• Muslim teaching: the word Islam is linked to salaam, and Muslims greet each other with “Peace be upon you” (as-salamu alaykum). The Qur’an tells believers to make peace between those who fight (Qur’an 49:9) and to repel evil with what is better (Qur’an 41:34). God is described as just, and Muslims are to act justly (Qur’an 16:90).

Four ideas linked to lasting peace

Peace

The opposite of war; harmony between all people in society.

Justice

Bringing fairness back to a situation.

Forgiveness

Letting go of blame against someone for wrongs they have done; moving on.

Reconciliation

Restoring harmony after a relationship has broken down.

Violence is using force to hurt or damage. Protest is expressing disagreement, often by an organised public event. Violence is one of Theme D’s three named issues: you must know Christian views.

• UK law: people have a right to peaceful protest (the Human Rights Act 1998 protects freedom of assembly), but not to use violence. Violent protest can lead to arrest and prosecution.
• Most Christians reject violence. Jesus taught “turn to him the other also” when struck (Matthew 5:39), and told Peter to put away his sword, because “all those who take the sword will die by the sword” (Matthew 26:52, World English Bible).
• Some Christians accept violence in extreme cases: in self-defence, or against great evil. They point to Jesus driving the money-changers out of the Temple (John 2:15). The German pastor Dietrich Bonhoeffer joined a plot against Hitler and was executed in 1945.
• Martin Luther King, a Baptist minister, led the American civil rights movement by non-violent protest, such as marches and boycotts, and won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1964.
• Most Muslims believe violence is allowed only in self-defence and under strict rules. A hadith in Sahih al-Bukhari (6114) says the truly strong person is the one who controls themselves when angry. The Qur’an teaches repelling evil with good (41:34).
• Most religious believers support peaceful protest against injustice, and many have taken part in it.

Violence

Using force to hurt or damage people or property.

Protest

A statement or action expressing disagreement, often an organised public event.

Violent protest

Protest that uses force, such as rioting or damaging property; illegal in the UK.

Terrorism is the unlawful use of violence or threats, usually against ordinary people, to create fear and so push a government or society towards political aims.

• Terrorism is a serious crime in UK law. People who carry it out may claim political, national or religious motives.
• All the major religions condemn terrorism. When individuals claim to act in the name of a religion, leaders and members of that religion say they are misusing its teaching.
• Why most Christians oppose terrorism: it kills and injures innocent people, breaking “You shall not murder” (Exodus 20:13); Jesus taught love of enemies (Matthew 5:44); every person is made in God’s image (Genesis 1:27).
• Why most Muslims oppose terrorism: the Qur’an teaches that killing one innocent person is like killing all humanity (Qur’an 5:32). Islamic rules of war forbid harming civilians, women, children and the elderly. Muslim leaders in Britain have repeatedly condemned terrorist attacks.
• Lesser jihad is not terrorism in mainstream Muslim teaching: it is a defensive struggle under strict conditions, declared by a proper authority, that never targets civilians.
• Other reasons people give: terrorism rarely achieves its aims; it causes fear and suspicion between communities; peaceful ways of seeking change exist.

Terrorism

Unlawful use of violence or threats, usually against ordinary people, to create fear for political aims.

Extremism

Holding views far from the mainstream, sometimes including support for violence.

War is armed conflict between two or more sides. The spec names three reasons for war.

• Greed: wanting more land, power, oil, water or minerals. The Bible says “the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil” (1 Timothy 6:10, World English Bible), and James 4:1-2 links wars to selfish desires. The Qur’an condemns aggression: “begin not hostilities” (Qur’an 2:190, Pickthall).
• Self-defence: protecting your country, people or allies from attack. Most Christians and Muslims accept self-defence as a just reason. Qur’an 22:39 gives permission to fight to those who have been wronged.
• Retaliation: paying back an enemy for harm they have done. The Old Testament law set “eye for eye” as a limit (Exodus 21:24), but Jesus quoted it to reject revenge (Matthew 5:38-39). Paul wrote “Repay no one evil for evil” (Romans 12:17, World English Bible).
• Self-defence is not the same as retaliation. Self-defence stops an attack; retaliation punishes one that is over.
• Humanists judge war by its consequences: most accept defensive war as a last resort but reject wars of greed or revenge.

War

Armed conflict between two or more sides.

Greed

Selfish desire for more of something, such as land, power or resources.

Self-defence

Acting to protect yourself, your country or others from attack.

Retaliation

Paying someone back for the harm they have done.

Just war theory is a set of conditions for deciding when a war is right, and how it should be fought. It was developed by the Christian thinkers Augustine (4th–5th century) and Thomas Aquinas (13th century).

• Going to war: a just cause (such as defence against attack); declared by a legitimate authority; the right intention (to restore peace, not to gain land or take revenge); a last resort; a reasonable chance of success.
• Fighting the war: proportionality (no more force than needed, and the good done must outweigh the harm); discrimination (civilians must never be targeted).
• Why many Christians support it: governments have a duty to protect their people (Romans 13:4 says the ruler “doesn’t bear the sword in vain”); defending the weak can be an act of love; Jesus said there is no greater love than to lay down one’s life for one’s friends (John 15:13).
• Islam has similar conditions for lesser jihad: it must be defensive, declared by a proper authority, a last resort, and fought without harming civilians, crops or places of worship; it ends when the enemy wants peace (Qur’an 8:61).
• Criticisms: modern weapons make discrimination and proportionality very hard to keep; both sides often claim a just cause; pacifists say no war can be loving.

The conditions of just war theory

Just war

A war that meets set conditions, believed to make it justified and acceptable to God.

Proportionality

Using no more force than needed; the good achieved must outweigh the harm.

Discrimination (in war)

Telling soldiers and civilians apart, and never targeting civilians.

A holy war is a war believed to be approved, or commanded, by God for a religious cause.

• What makes a war “holy” rather than just: it is fought for God or a faith, often declared by a religious leader, to defend the religion or win back holy places, and those who fight may be promised a spiritual reward.
• Christian example: the Crusades (from 1095), wars called by popes to take control of Jerusalem and the Holy Land. Most Christians today regret them and reject the idea that war can be holy, because Jesus taught love and non-violence.
• Old Testament: some battles, such as the Israelites’ conquest of Canaan, are described as led by God. Christians interpret these in different ways.
• Islam: lesser jihad can be seen as a form of holy war, because it is a struggle in the way of God. But mainstream teaching says it must be defensive, declared by a proper authority, and fought by strict rules. It is not a war to force people to convert: “There is no compulsion in religion” (Qur’an 2:256, Pickthall’s translation).
• Most religious people today argue that no war can be called holy, because killing goes against God’s love and the sanctity of life.

Holy war

A war believed to be approved by God, fought for a religious cause.

Crusades

Wars from 1095 called by popes to take control of the Holy Land.

Lesser jihad

In Islam, a defensive struggle, including armed struggle under strict conditions, in the way of God.

AQA’s reports warn against the stereotype that Christians are peaceful and Muslims fight. Muslims, like Christians, hold a range of views.

• Greater jihad is the inner struggle to live as a good Muslim. Lesser jihad is the outward struggle to defend Islam, which may include armed struggle as a last resort.
• Self-defence only: “Fight in the way of Allah against those who fight against you, but begin not hostilities” (Qur’an 2:190, Pickthall’s translation).
• Protecting the oppressed: Qur’an 4:75 asks why believers would not fight for weak men, women and children who are being oppressed.
• Rules in fighting: no harm to civilians, women, children, the elderly, crops, animals or places of worship; prisoners must be treated well.
• Peace comes first: “if they incline to peace, incline thou also to it” (Qur’an 8:61, Pickthall’s translation).
• Some Muslims are pacifists, believing Islam is a religion of peace and that forgiveness is better than fighting.

Greater jihad

The personal, inner struggle to live a good Muslim life.

Ummah

The worldwide community of Muslims.

Pacifism is the belief that it is wrong to take part in war or any other kind of violence. It is one of Theme D’s three named issues: you must know Christian views.

• Quakers (the Religious Society of Friends) have held a Peace Testimony since 1660, when they declared to King Charles II that they would never fight with outward weapons: they refuse to fight and work actively for peace, because there is “that of God” in everyone.
• Other Christian pacifists follow Jesus’ teaching: turn the other cheek (Matthew 5:39), love your enemies (Matthew 5:44), those who take the sword will die by it (Matthew 26:52), and Isaiah’s vision of beating swords into ploughshares (Isaiah 2:4).
• Conscientious objectors refuse to fight on grounds of conscience. In both World Wars, many did other work instead, such as driving ambulances.
• Martin Luther King showed that non-violent action could bring change; Gandhi (a Hindu) led a non-violent campaign for India’s independence.
• Most Christians are not absolute pacifists: they accept just war as a last resort. Some Christians, like Bonhoeffer, decided that great evil had to be resisted by force.
• Islam: most Muslims believe lesser jihad can be a duty when Muslims or the oppressed are attacked (Qur’an 4:75). Some Muslims are pacifists, stressing that peace and forgiveness are better than fighting.
• Buddhists mostly reject violence because of the first precept and ahimsa (non-harm). Humanists differ: some are pacifists, most accept defensive war as a last resort.

Three religious attitudes to war

Pacifism

The belief that it is wrong to take part in war or any other kind of violence.

Peace Testimony

The Quaker commitment to refuse violence and work for peace.

Conscientious objector

Someone who refuses to fight in a war because of their conscience.

On Theme D’s three named issues, violence, weapons of mass destruction and pacifism, a 4-mark question may say: “In your answer you should refer to the main religious tradition of Great Britain and one or more other religious traditions.”

• The main religious tradition of Great Britain is Christianity, so at least one of your two beliefs must be clearly Christian. With no Christian belief, the most you can get is 2 out of 4.
• Your second belief can be another Christian view, or a view from Islam or another religion.
• A similar beliefs question needs two beliefs that agree, for example Quakers and some Muslims who both reject violence. A different beliefs question needs two that differ, for example Quaker pacifism and the Church of England’s acceptance of just war.
• Non-religious views score nothing in a question that asks for religious beliefs.