Religion of peace


The term religion of peace has been applied to different religions including Islam and Christianity and Hindu to describe their allegedly peaceful nature. After the September 11, 2001 attacks, it was prominently used as a political neologism for Islam in an effort of some politicians to differentiate between Islamic terrorists, Islamism, and non-violent Muslims. Subsequently, some critics of Islam have adopted the phrase, using the term "Religion of Peace" in a sarcastic manner as a pejorative synonym for Islam.

Usage of the term

In the past the epithet "religion of peace and good will towards men" has been applied to Christianity.
In the 1960s, Malcolm X, acting as a spokesman for the Nation of Islam, said on multiple occasions that Islam was a "religion of peace".
In 1996, the Organisation of The Islamic Conference agreed to call for "pragmatic and constructive steps to counter the negative propaganda against Islam; to remove and rectify misunderstandings; and to present the true image of Islam: the religion of peace and tolerance."
In September 2001, in the wake of the September 11 attacks, U.S. President George W. Bush said: "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." Some have pointed out that the word "Islam" is etymologically related to the Arabic word salām meaning "peace". This prompted criticism from some quarters and a poll of United States Evangelical Protestant leaders taken in 2002 revealed that only 10% agreed with Bush that Islam was synonymous with peace.
Mahathir bin Mohamad, the former Prime Minister of Malaysia said in 2002, "Islam, as I said, is a religion of peace. However through the centuries, deviations from the true teachings of Islam take place. And so "Muslims" kill despite the injunction of their religion against killing especially of innocent people.
Dalil Boubakeur, mufti of the Paris Mosque, said in 2006, "The prophet did not found a terrorist religion, but a religion of peace."
Following the 2015 San Bernardino attack, US President Barack Obama used the term, as part of his efforts to counter a perceived anti-Muslim bias, in an address following the attack, and in his first visit to a US mosque.
On March 18, 2016, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi called Islam a religion of peace and called terrorism a dividing force, lauding the peaceful message of Sufism, at World Sufi Conference.

Criticism

says that the expression does not imply a rejection of the laws of Jihad, but rather the idea that Islam desires "a state of permanent, peaceful coexistence with other nations and peoples who are not Muslims".
The term "The Religion of Peace" is used mockingly by critics of Islam, such as right-wing commentator Ann Coulter. Philosopher and New Atheist writer Sam Harris wrote, "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."
When asked by reporters in 2005 if Islam was a religion of peace, Pope Benedict XVI stated that some elements of Islam can favor peace, but it also has other elements.
Islamist Sayyid Qutb wrote that Islam is the religion of peace in the sense of submitting all of mankind to Allah.
On May 13, 2015, ISIL released an audio message by Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, who asserted that Islam is not a religion of peace, but rather the religion of fighting.
Following the 2017 Barcelona attacks, the cover of Charlie Hebdo ran with an image of a van driving away from bloodied victims with the caption "Islam, religion of peace... Eternal".