Peace in Islam

Posted by T-Steel in Religion or Las Vegas on 01 7th, 2006 | one response


A good friend of mine is a Muslim (born and raised in Egypt). We were having a general discussion about Iraq at my house when he just stops, gets a thoughtful look on his face and says:

How can a keep believing in the peace in Islam when many of my fellow Muslims obviously don’t? Am I not a Muslim then?

WOW! How could I answer that? I’m a weak agnostic with a intermediate knowledge of Islam. Yet here was my good friend looking at me for an answer. And in his look, I could see pain. He was clearly struggling with himself. So I took a swig of my iced tea, took a deep breath, and said:

I’ve always felt that when your at peace, your faith becomes much stronger and purer. You keep believing in the peace in Islam and to heck with the rest of them.

My friend brightened up a little and smiled. We talked about sports and some other stuff afterwards before he left. I was left thinking about the peace in Islam for awhile. My friend hates the Taliban and Al-Qaeda, believes in a democratic Iraq, thinks Sha’ria Law is twisted and barbaric, and loves America deeply. Is he part of the “Islamic scourge” as some people believe? A sizable number of bloggers (some I respect deeply) have said that Islam should be fought and not allowed to flourish in the Western world. Then what should we do about the Muslims like my friend? They find peace and solace in Islam. They are no threat to this nation. Or is my firend just a liar ready at any point to go after America and Americans?

I find it interesting how the quest for a democratic Iraq will not involve the conversion of Iraqis from Muslims to “peaceful” Christians but hinges on Iraqi Muslims being peaceful toward each other. If Islam is incapable of peace, Iraq was doomed from the jump and our involvement means nothing. I say that Islam is just a capable of peace as any religion. If a people really want it, they’ll get it.




One Response to “Peace in Islam”

  1. Phelps says:
    January 14, 2006 at 12:59 am

    No, he’s just a bad muslim. And a bad muslim is a good muslim.