# Are there any Pacifist Muslims? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [May 13, 2004, 12:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-pacifist-muslims/244886 "2004-05-13T00:37:06Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 8\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Blalron](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/35a633/32.png) [@Blalron](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Blalron)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2004, 12:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-pacifist-muslims/244886/1 "2004-05-13T00:37:06Z")
Are there any denominations of Islam which adhere to the same pacifism you’d find in Christian Mennonites or Quakers? I’ve heard Islam is the “Religion of Peace”. What specifically about their religion is peacefull? Are there any citations from the Koran which would parallel the “turn the other cheeck” directive of Jesus? ---
**Author:** ![Shade](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/2bfe46/32.png) [@Shade](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shade)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2004, 1:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-pacifist-muslims/244886/2 "2004-05-13T01:34:32Z")
Not contemporary, but check out [the “Islamic Gandhi”](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Khan_Abdul_Ghaffar_Khan). ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2004, 2:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-pacifist-muslims/244886/3 "2004-05-13T02:05:20Z")
[Sufism](http://www.arches.uga.edu/~godlas/Sufism.html) ---
**Author:** ![Tamerlane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tamerlane/32/7602_2.png) [@Tamerlane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tamerlane)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2004, 2:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-pacifist-muslims/244886/4 "2004-05-13T02:18:00Z")
A few Sufi orders, like the Muridiyya ( Mouride Order/Mouridism ) of Senegal, are apparently genuine pacifists. However probably most Muslims would say that Islam explicitly sanctions at least defensive violence. True pacifists are rare in most of the world’s religions ( Buddhism being a possible exception, but there have certainly been and are plenty of Buddhists that were/are prepared to resort to violence under certain circumstances ). - Tamerlane ---
**Author:** ![Agent\_Cooper](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9fc348/32.png) [@Agent\_Cooper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Agent_Cooper)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2004, 3:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-pacifist-muslims/244886/5 "2004-05-13T03:04:51Z")
I expect there are, but I think they contradict themselves. (what!? religous folk contradicting themselves!? whats next!? ) In my admittedly limited understanding of Islam, it is required to believe that the entire world must one day be united into one great empire under Islam. That doesn’t sound very passive to me. Please correct me if I am wrong. ---
**Author:** ![Shade](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/2bfe46/32.png) [@Shade](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shade)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2004, 3:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-pacifist-muslims/244886/6 "2004-05-13T03:20:03Z")
> [@Agent Cooper](#): > > I expect there are, but I think they contradict themselves. (what!? religous folk contradicting themselves!? whats next!? ) > > In my admittedly limited understanding of Islam, it is required to believe that the entire world must one day be united into one great empire under Islam. That doesn’t sound very passive to me. > > Please correct me if I am wrong. Well, I don’t know what the beliefs are, but if you’re accurate it could be a matter of persuading people to see the light and convert. Admitedly, that’s optimistic, but then, that’s religion. ---
**Author:** ![UDS](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/ecae2f/32.png) [@UDS](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UDS)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2004, 3:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-pacifist-muslims/244886/7 "2004-05-13T03:36:04Z")
> [@Agent Cooper](#): > > I expect there are, but I think they contradict themselves. (what!? religous folk contradicting themselves!? whats next!? ) > > In my admittedly limited understanding of Islam, it is required to believe that the entire world must one day be united into one great empire under Islam. That doesn’t sound very passive to me. > > Please correct me if I am wrong. I don’t know whether you’re right or wrong, but Christianity aspires to universal conversion ("go therefore and teach all nations, baptising them in the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit . . . ") and that’s not (a) taken to warrant forcible conversion, or the use of force, or (b) inconsistent with the pacifism of Quakers, Mennonites, etc. So even if what you say is true I don’t think it implies that Muslims must sanction the use of force. ---
**Author:** ![Atticus\_Finch](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ec9cab/32.png) [@Atticus\_Finch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Atticus_Finch)\ **Post date:** [May 13, 2004, 4:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-pacifist-muslims/244886/8 "2004-05-13T04:10:33Z")
> [@Agent Cooper](#): > > In my admittedly limited understanding of Islam, it is required to believe that the entire world must one day be united into one great empire under Islam. That doesn’t sound very passive to me. > > Please correct me if I am wrong. **Agent Cooper** , I’m afraid you’re wrong on this one. Please see [this thread](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=255536), discussing this misconception and other common ones. (Yes, it’s specifically about al Qaeda, but if even the most radical Muslims out there don’t have this belief, you can’t really ascribe the belief to Muslims in general.) We’ve just been having a discussion about how many people believe these misconceptions through no fault of their own.