New Vision

  The doctrine of peace in the Qur’ân can be found both in ethical and mystical forms of manifestation. The ethical content of this doctrine occurs frequently in the Qur’ân, where it is said that the path to the attainment of peace with God is through the attainment of peace with mankind. The very nature of God as understood in Islam is As-salam or the cause of peace. Peace has been proclaimed as a supreme virtue for personal behaviour also. The Qur’ân mentions that  “the (faithful) slaves of the Beneficent are they who walk upon the earth modestly, and when the foolish ones address then their answer is peace.” It has been further exemplified at another place in the Qur’ân, where it is said: “Be modest in thy bearing and subdue thy voice: Lo! the harshest of all voices is the voice of the ass.” This sobriety, modesty, and lack of tension are the prime virtues of demeanour which are prescribed by the Qur’ân. Apart from these personal norms which might be less directly related to the con

 The myth of the Qur’ân and sword arose much later and, as pointed out before, its causes should be seen in history, not in the Qur’ân. Also, the Qur’ân makes a distinction between faith (which includes ways of worshipping and associated rituals) and one’s overall situation, social as well as political. It is certainly not faith which calls for violence, it is one’s own socio-political situation which might demand it. Violence used under certain social circumstances cannot be blamed on one’s din (faith). The Qur’ân adopts a radically different position as far as faith is concerned. It is most tolerant and liberal. Islam believes that all those who believe in the Day of Judgement (that is, when one will have to account for one’s deeds) and perform good deeds will be equally rewarded, irrespective of their religion. Be one a Muslim, a Jew, a Christian or a Sabian, if he has faith in God and in the Day of Judgement and does good things, will have his reward. It is a most tolerant position

 The life of the Prophet (may God’s blessings be on him) is an illustrious model for all Muslim to emulate. He has shown the greatest restraint in the preaching and practice of Islam. His life in Makka was full of examples where he suffered without a protest. Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) was subject to many hardships and personal injuries while he was preaching Islam in Makka. His reaction to these were nothing short of the true exposition of non-violence. People threw rubbish on his body and showered abuses. One particular lady adopted a novel technique: as the Prophet passed in front of her house every day, she threw rubbish, collected in her house, right on his body. This became such a regular practice that one day when rubbish was not thrown on him, he wanted to know the reason for it. On enquiry, he learnt that the old lady was sick. He then went into the house, sat by the bedside of the lady, consoled her and prayed for her early recovery. When the Prophet went to the town of Taif and

  Islam and violence is so integrally associated that one can hardly associate it with peace. The Qur’ân in the one hand and sword in the other is the popular proverb, and this proverb is very widely disseminated. Islam and peace are poles apart (as understood by non-Muslim), and as such any attempt to find one in the other is a futile exercise. It is also felt that a study to bring out a compromise between Islam and peace may result in a theoretical adjustment rather than a practical proposition. This misunderstanding is based on two factors: (i)     not studying, understanding and evaluating Islam in its true perspective, and (ii)     a defective and incomplete concept of non-violence. The former is again based on two factors: the incapability of many Muslim scholars to project their religion properly, not only in its practice, but in its preaching and presentation (especially in local languages), and a preconceived prejudice against Islam and its followers. Islam may be called a mi

  The Socio-psychomedia effect is a neologism combining sociology, psychology, and media (pictures, graphics, and sound). Media psychology and media studies require an understanding of both the physical and emotional aspects of the brain, including the latest theories on the psychology of emotions, control, expression, persuasion, sexuality, and gender. It encompasses the study of believability and the suspension of disbelief, situational cognition, assessment, learning, mapping, feedback, reinforcement, mastery, persistence, theories of mastery, success, and failure. Verbal and nonverbal communication through music, sound, and images evokes human responses that may be understood through media psychology. Luskin’s “Three S Model” addresses these distinctive and specialized areas of application. The S’s are: (1) synesthetics, the study of stimulating and combining one sense with another; (2) semiotics, communication through the identification, manipulation, and use of symbols, including