Ijtihad Network Being Wise and Faithful Muslim in the Contemporary World
While various peace studies programs have been produced with religious, legal, international relations, historical, and other approaches, this paper suggests the development of Islamic peace studies as an integral part of Islamic peace building.
In this paper I review some of the causes of violence and terrorism against which measures can be taken by Islamic States. Since the breadth of the topic is too wide to be treated intelligently in a short paper, I focus on the ways in which understanding can be promoted by Islamic states to reduce violence. In particular, it is recommended that Islamic states promote education about peace in the universities and at a more popular level through the media, promote cooperation between religious institutions at both national and international levels for the sake of peace building and peace education, arrange to strengthen or establish both governmental institutions and NGO’s dedicated to peace studies and peace building. While various peace studies
programs have been produced with religious, legal, international relations, historical, and other approaches, this paper suggests the development of Islamic peace studies as an integral part of Islamic peace building. These educational and practical initiatives should supplement the more obvious means of preventing conflict through mechanisms for addressing grievances, for international security and cooperation, and by the strengthening of international instruments for arbitration and national and international judicial institutions. To this end it is proposed, finally, that an international Islamic Peace Organization be established.
