Tolerance and respect are the lifeblood of peaceful coexistence and crucial elements of the soft powers of peacemaking. As American philosopher Eric Hoffer once said, "A war is not won until you have turned the defeated enemy into your friend." And German philosopher Emmanuel Kant wrote: "The state of peace among men and women is not the natural state - a state of peace must be established."
The main aim of the highly respected Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) more than 1300 years ago was to bring peace to different tribes in Makkah and the Arab Peninsula, to create a better society of deen and hilm and to reduce the negative forces of jahiliyyah and revenge. The independent World Security Network Foundation (www.worldsecuritynetwork.com) believes that these wise sayings are truer today than ever before.
The soft factors of peacemaking are often put aside by the harder military instruments of peacemaking and the focus on the promotion of stability by military means and homeland security has led to an unbalanced approach.
The human soul, the needs of the victims of oppression, and their suffering and dignity at the heart of peacemaking have been almost forgotten, and a cold power policy has prevailed which will not be able to produce stability and perpetual peace.
We now need globally a jihad for tolerance and respect like the Prophet (PBUH) demanded - a new state of peace and balance for our global village, including Muslims, Christians, Jews, Hindus and the positive forces on earth. We need a global vision and a soul. We need globally respected moral values and as important a steady promotion.
Unfortunately today we leave the most important questions of peace, reconciliation and respect to a loudly but tiny minority of radicals, a majority of mediocre politicians and mainly backwards looking academics and have no action plan like in business for its promotion. Does this work? No-will this work in the future? Not at all! Who can really change the world and promote tolerance and respect effectively? Only we - the global elite of this world - we can do it - but we are mainly silent, passive, and consume only the negative actions of others on TV. But we own this world intellectually - we have influence- we have the power - we have a large pool of creativity and optimism.
I am calling for an elite which takes over the promotion of tolerance and respect as a common soul of our global village now and not wait for politics. I am calling to impeach the radicals by taking over as elite the responsibility for a better world of moral values especially for our children. We as elite have no choice but the responsibility to take action now. If we do not, nobody will do effectively.
Never ask the new US President, the UN or your national government what they should and will do - but ask yourself what you can do with your friends and networks for a better world now together.
Which moral values should we promote? Is it possible to find a consensus between the Christian West and the Islamic world, even with Hindus in India and or Buddhists in Japan? Can we avoid a clash of civilisations? Yes - we already have Human Codes of Tolerance and Respect in all our different religions and cultures. We only have forgotten about our common roots.
We do find them in Christianity, in Judaism, in Hinduism and Buddhism - the respect for the creatures and promotion of the human dignity and love. The Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) was such a living example of tolerance and respect to the older religions of Judaism and Christianity contrary to un-Islamic hate propaganda and the perception in Western media.
The Hadith literature, an Islamic source second only to the Holy Qur'an in religious importance, have documented the sayings and good deeds of the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH).
Here are only same few examples: When the Abyssinian Christian delegation arrived in Medina, the Prophet (PBUH) provided them with lodging even in his own Mosque, and he himself attended to their hosting and service saying: "They have honoured our people, so I like to honour them myself."
When the Christians of Najran came to Medina, the Prophet (PBUH) lodged them as well in the Mosque and permitted them to hold their prayers on one side of the Mosque and the Muslims on the other side. In this Mosque, dialogues between Christians and Muslims were conducted with freedom, respect and tolerance.
Holiness in Islam was inclusive rather than exclusive. If they wished, Jews and Christians could worship in the new mosque of the Prophet (PBUH) finished in April, 623 in Medina.
Seventeen of the Jewish tribes in Medina lived with the new Muslim community in peace for many years. Even the exiled hostile Jewish tribe of Nadir asked for peace with the victorious Muhammad (PBUH). To seal the agreement, he took the daughter Safiyyah of his old enemy Huyay, chief of Nadir, as his wife telling her 'Your father is Aaron and your uncle is Moses'. Later Jews enjoyed full religious liberty in the Islamic empires until the Palestine-Israel conflict started only 60 years ago.
The Quran demanded 'Do not argue with the followers of earlier revelation otherwise than in a most kindly manner - unless it be such of them as are bent upon evil-doing - and say:' We believe in that which has been bestowed upon you: for our God and your God is one and the same, and it is unto Him that we shall surrender ourselves.' (Qur'an 29:46) The goal of the Prophet (PBUH) was to create a society of hilm. The Muslims had to pray and live together in peace to preserve the ummah. If attacked, they could defend themselves, but instead of lashing out in the old, uncontrolled jahili way, they must always be prepared to forgive an injury. Automatic, vengeful retaliation- the cardinal duty of muruwah - could be great evil. 'Hence, whoever pardons (his foe) and makes peace, his reward rests with God', the Holy Quran insisted tirelessly.'
The old spirit of jahiliyyah still was in the hearts of the new Muslims and tribal chauvinism flared up. When the Aws and Khazraj tribes again started to attack each other Muhammad (PBUH) hurried to the scene in great distress. 'Are you still tempted by the call of jahiliyyah when I am here among you?' he demanded,' when God has guided you...honoured you, and cut off thereby the bond of jahiliyyah from you, delivered you from the state of defiant ingratitude (kufr), and made you friends of each other'. (Ibn Ishaq, Sirat Rasul Allah, 386, translation in Izutsu, Ethico-Religious Concepts, 29)
During the early years of the Islamic teachings of the Holy Prophet (PBUH) in Makkah the situation became so serious that Muhammad (PBUH) sent the more vulnerable members of the ummah to Abyssinia, where the Christian ruler gave them asylum.
In Muhammad's Night Journey the Prophet traveled to Jerusalem and discovered that all prophets sent by God were brothers, member of one family. Allah made it clear that the faithful must believe indiscriminately in the revelations of every single one of God's messengers: 'Say, We believe in God, and in that which has been bestowed from high upon us, and that which has been bestowed upon Abraham and Ishmael and Isaac and Jacob and their descendents, and that which has been vouchsafed by their Sustainer unto Moses and Jesus and all prophets: we make no distinction between them. And unto Him do we surrender ourselves (lahu muslimun). The Torah, the Gospel and the Quran are moments of God's self-disclosure. Therefore nobody was to be forced into the Muslim ummah. True faith required to surrender to God himself, not an established faith.
The Surah al-Kafirun proposes a peaceful coexistence "You who reject the faith (kafirun) - I do not worship what you worship - And you do not worship what I worship - I am not a worshipper of what you worship - you are not a worshiper of what I worship - A reckoning (deen) for you and reckoning for me" (deen means reckoning and as well religion, way of life and moral law.
In the commandments of Abu Bakr (RA): "Do not cut a fruitful tree or destroy a habitable dwelling or burn a productive field."
"Any Muslim who would plant a tree or sow a seed and avail a bird or human or a beast of their fruit will be judged as having given alms." In the Hadith we read: "Lord I bear witness that there is no God save you and that all of yours servants are brothers." None of you (truly) believes, until he wishes for his brother what he wishes for himself (Hadith of Bukhari on the Authority of Anas Ibn Malik).
The Holy Quran demands not only tolerance but also a firm belief in the scripts (the Torah, the Bible and the Quran) and all the messengers without distinction.
"Compete with one another in good works." (Quran 5:48)
When in 630 Muhammad (PBUH) with an army of 10,000 men entered Makkah there was no revenge, no bloodshed and nobody was forced to join Islam. He rode around the K'abah, the house of God and cried' Behold God has removed from you arrogance of jahiliyyah with its boast of ancient glories, Man is simply a God-conscious believer or an unfortunate sinner. All people are children of Adam, and Adam was created out of dust.'(Ibn Ishaq, Sirat Rasul Allah, 821, in Asad, Message of the Qur'an, 794).
And he said 'Behold, we have created you all out of a male or a female, and have made you into nations and tribes, so that you may come to know one another. Verily, the noblest of you in the sight of God is the one who is most deeply conscious of him. Behold God is all-knowing, all-aware.'(Qur'an 49:13)
When Muhammad (PBUH) had conquered Makkah peacefully in 630 he did not establish a purist 'Islamic' regime as 'God's Kingdom on Earth', nor did he take over the political power. He promoted reconciliation even with his most hatred enemies and left the status quo intact - he acted in respect and tolerance in victory.
In his last farewell sermon near Mount Arafat Muhammad (PBUH) preached unity and peace: 'Know that every Muslim is a Muslim's brother, and that the Muslims are brethren. It is only lawful to take from a brother what he gives you willingly, so wrong not yourselves - O God, have I not told you!' The crowd answered many time 'Allahumma na'm - O God yes!'
The merciful nature of the Prophet (PBUH) has been forgotten, like that of Jesus Christ for more than 1800 years by Christianity during the long periods of inquisition, crusading and the Thirty Years' War against the Protestants in Europe.
We believe that an Islamic Renaissance is urgently needed to bring back Muhammad's (PBUH) teaching of mercy, respect, and tolerance not only for the West but the Islamic nations themselves and for the clash of Shiites and Sunnis - i.e. in Iraq - as they are the first victims of totalitarian thinking which is un-Islamic and contrary to the documented will of the Prophet (PBUH).
True Muslims should actively reject the new negative forces of jahiliyyah and promote the Prophet's moral world of deen and a society of hilm.
We the Christians should not forget than only in the last maximum 200 years Christianity became tolerant and respectful to other religions and had come back to the true spirit of Jesus after 1800 years.
We all are brothers and sisters. A more peaceful world needs a global and very active promotion of tolerance respect by the global elite in connection with parents, educators, religious leaders, the media and open minded politicians. We need to come back to our common moral roots. We will teach the world and our children: A better world is possible! Yes we can! Let's do it now!
(German investor,General Capital Group International Germany Fund and geo-strategist Dr Hubertus Hoffmann is founder of www.worldsecuritynetwork.com and www.codesoftolerance.com)