But then shouldn't there be some Sunnis preaching tolerance and understanding? Maybe there are, but why don't we hear them?
do you follow Islamic media sources or public debates? i don't hear very much debate myself, but i also don't hear much Christian debate first-hand. but i believe it's out there. for example, i found a Q&A board on IslamOnline.net, and there was one interesting Q&A i thought i'd paste here:
Question
Hi Dr. Badawi. One of the famous quotation that Muslims use when talking about violence and peace is that Islam is a religion of peace and war in Islam is only for self-defense. However, you one day claimed: "Actual armed jihad is permissible under two conditions alone: one is for self-defense, and the other is for fighting against oppression." (cited in Diana Eck, A New Religious America, HarperSanFrancisco, 2001, p. 238).
Although, Dr. Badawi, you are quite accurate in describing the conditions of armed jihad in Islam, what you fail to say is that the definitions of "self-defense" and "fighting against oppression" are much broader than usually understood. Many Orthodox Muslims believe that if a nation's leaders do not acknowledge the rule of Islam, then those rulers are "oppressors" and thus a legitimate target for war (see John Kelsay, Islam and War, Louisville: Westminster/John Knox Press, 1993, p. 35). Many Muslims argue that America is a cultural aggressor by exporting its Hollywood values all over the world, and thus any fight against Americans is done in self-defense (see the article by Mark Galli, "Now What? A Christian response to religious terrorism," Christianity Today, Oct 22, 2001). Therefore, there is no end to how a Muslim group can define "self-defense" and "oppression" and thus find an Islamic justification for violence.
Answer
One of the sensible rules of interpretation is not to stretch the meaning of terms the way some people do. The context of permissibility to fight against aggression or oppression has nothing to do with the argument in this question. For example, the Qur'an, in Chapter 60, verse, 8 and 9, gives an explanation of that oppression; that they drive Muslims out of their homes. Furthermore, the best interpreter of the Qur'an is Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) who fought against those who committed acts of murder against Muslims or were gathering to attack Muslims.
Moreover, the historical context clearly indicates that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) did not fight against non-Muslims who did not engage in hostilities against Muslims (for example, the Christians in Ethiopia). It should be noted, however, that two superpowers of his time (the Persians and the Romans) showed their aggressive attitudes towards Muslims and their request to peacefully communicate the message of Islam to others. Some even killed the envoys of the Prophet (an act of war in modern laws like deliberately killing an ambassador of another country). Some wrote to their local governors to kill the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him).
So, the Qur'anic verses must be understood honestly and contextually without such excess.
the forum is here
