I have something else to add to my commentary in the preceding post.
I admit that I know nothing about Buddhism and other “religions of peace”, but I would like to make another comment based on my general impression. To my impression, it is true that, albeit with certain exceptions, for instance Buddhist monks and scholars do abstain from violence more than our Muslim scholars have abstained in history. But this does not show that Islam or Muslim religious scholars encourage violence.
My inference is that Islam tries to channel the universal instinct of violence in all societies into its right channel, into more humane and ultimately more peace-creating ways, whereas religions like Buddhism refuse to guide people regarding war and instead tells them to stay away from war. But from the very situation in Buddhist societies throughout history, it can easily be inferred that this Buddhist attitude is not realistic. Look at the present day Burma and look at the history of Japan. What happened when Buddhism told good Buddhists to stay away from war and violence? Did that eradicate war and violence? No, histories of such Buddhist societies are as violent and full of injustice as any other society’s.
If religion refuses to instruct people on war, people will not choose to abstain from war but will actually take their war instructions from sources that do not have the moral concerns of religion and religious scholars. This will cause only more trouble for humankind instead of real peace.
Islam and true Muslim scholars do not justify morally wrong violence. But regarding morally justified forms of violent resistance and retaliation, the true Islamic attitude is different. That’s why the Qur’an includes verses that command believers to slay the unjust aggressors who are ready to kill them in a situation of war.
However, please do not misunderstand me. The likes of Mr. Bin Ladin who are said to kill innocent or non-combatant people are not true scholars who justify only morally right actions at all. Their case is a clear one of misunderstanding Islam wittingly or unwittingly.
So, could we say that, in order to prevent the creation of such misunderstandings as those of Bin Ladin, Islam should have forbidden all forms of violent retaliation and military resistance? No, as I said above, that would not be realistic, for, as in the case of Buddhist societies, it would not actually obliterate the violence in society. Guiding people, from the most moral perspective of God Himself, on when to and when not to take part in a war and how to and how not to behave in a war would be the best attitude, hence the instructions of the Qur’an and the Sunnah of the Prophet (peace be unto him) concerning the needed moral conduct in war.
Inshallah the right path is to follow what Allah and His Messenger (peace be unto him) said about peace and war and not what Bin Ladin or the American government says. Let us pray for peace for all humankind.
mustahsin