Page 63 - Non-violence and peace-building

Non-violence and Peace-building in Islam

you will lose your reason. And if that happens, you will
not be able to perceive things properly and make the
right moves that you need to in order to defuse the
situation.
Another necessary thing in such situations is the need
to consult others. When decisions are taken on the basis
of mutual consultation, they involve ascertaining the
views of many people. In this way, the decisions that are
taken would be based on a wider perception of matters.
Mutual consultation also enables you to benefit from
the opinions of people who can see things in a more
balanced way. This makes the decision that is arrived
at potentially more meaningful, effective and realistic,
unlike a decision that is made by people who are heavily
prejudiced one way or the other.

In a provocative situation that can easily escalate into
violence between communities one must desist from
making one-sided allegations. Instead, one must exercise
generosity and willingly acknowledge one’s mistakes. It
generally happens that when people see their opponents
refusing to acknowledge their mistakes, they get very
agitated and seek to take revenge on them. But if your
opponent sees that you openly and wholeheartedly
admit your own mistakes, their hearts will melt. They
will suddenly warm up to you. They will begin to feel
that by your acknowledging your mistakes they have
given you the ‘punishment’ you deserve and that there
is no way that they could or should further punish you.
In the face of a provocative situation that threatens
to degenerate into a communal riot, you must never
try to take the law into your hands. In a country that

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