Islam: Between Peace and Violence

Abstract

Western worldview emphasizes the existence of a homogenous Islam and the ideology that Islam in totality is a negation of peace and democracy. Western civilization and does not provide any useful insights into what is understood as Islamic civilization. The assumptions that Islamic groups are more prone to violence than other religious groups pose particular problems and confusion. In order to understand the social reality of Islam, this article attempts to provide a critical assessment of Islam by exploring its social structures, which consists of varied socio-political, economic, and religious facets. While exploring Islam in northern Nigeria, as an illustration of the peace dynamics of Islam, I argue further that where people are bound together by Islam there is a potential to generate social bonding between different ethnic groups.