Islam's Response to Contemporary Issues — Page xviii
xviii Islam’s response to contemporary issues 4. Economic peace 5. Peace in national and international politics 6. Individual peace The lecture is as relevant today as it was at the time when it was delivered, especially in the backdrop of the rise of the so-called ‘Islamic Fundamentalism’. Islam is portrayed today as a religion of violence. To call Islam a religion of violence is a contradiction in terms, for Islam means peace. 9/11 gave an excuse to the vested interests to launch a new ‘crusade’ against Islam. The present book meets this challenge adequately. We also hear from some quarters the need for inter- religious dialogue—to which the Quran invited the People of the Book more than 1400 years ago. The lecture comprehensively deals with this issue. If one runs through the contents and the index of the book one would realize how wide the scope of the book is. Discussing peace under various heads the author has covered a wide variety of topics which branch out from the basic theme and has thus created an aesthetically pleasing and intellectually satisfying motif in which various Islamic themes are woven together with a magic touch, as it were. It is a compulsory read for non-Muslims as well as for those Muslims who have forgotten the true message of Islam. Mirza Anas Ahmad M. A. M. Litt. ( oxon ) Wak i lul Ish a ‘at, Rabwah 24 December 2006