Islam: Religion, Peace and Conflict | OCR GCSE Religious Studies (J625)
Islam: Religion, Peace and Conflict
- 77 questions
- 7 subtopics
- Group 2 paper
- Group 2 paper
Islam: Religion, Peace and Conflict is examined in Component Group 2, religion, philosophy and ethics in the modern world from a Muslim perspective (J625/07), if this is the perspective studied.
That perspective must be one of the student's two Group 1 religions. It covers Muslim teachings on violence and conflict, Muslim responses to terrorism, holy War, the Just War theory and Muslim conduct in war, Muslim attitudes to conventional, technological and nuclear warfare, pacifism, non-violence and Muslim peacemaking, forgiveness and reconciliation in Islam and justice and social justice in Islam.
Sample questions from Islam: Religion, Peace and Conflict
Answer each one closed book first, then open the answer.
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Muslim teachings on violence and conflict
What does Surah 2:256 imply about using violence in matters of religion?
Show the answer
Surah 2:256 says there is no compulsion in religion. Violence can never be used to force anyone to become a Muslim. -
Muslim teachings on violence and conflict
How are Muslim teachings about violence applied by individuals?
Show the answer
Individual Muslims are taught to control anger and never take revenge into their own hands. A hadith says the strong person is the one who controls himself when angry. -
Muslim responses to terrorism
How do Muslims use Surah 5:32 against terrorism?
Show the answer
Surah 5:32 says killing one innocent soul is like killing all of humanity. Muslims use the verse to show that terrorism is a grave sin. -
Muslim responses to terrorism
How do Muslims differ in explaining the causes of terrorism?
Show the answer
Some Muslims stress foreign policy and injustice as the main causes. Others stress extremist ideology and argue that grievance never excuses killing. -
Holy War, the Just War theory and Muslim conduct in war
How should prisoners of war be treated in Islam?
Show the answer
Surah 47:4 says captives should be freed as a favour or for ransom once fighting ends. Surah 76:8 praises those who feed the captive for Allah's sake. -
Holy War, the Just War theory and Muslim conduct in war
Why do some Muslims argue that no modern war can be a lesser jihad?
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Modern weapons kill civilians on a scale the early rules never imagined. Some Muslims argue that the conditions for lesser jihad therefore cannot be met today. -
Muslim attitudes to conventional, technological and nuclear warfare
How might some Muslims support precise technological weapons?
Show the answer
Precise weapons could reduce civilian deaths compared with bombing whole areas. A Muslim might argue that they better meet the duty to spare non-combatants. -
Muslim attitudes to conventional, technological and nuclear warfare
What ruling on nuclear weapons has a senior Shi'a scholar issued?
Show the answer
Ayatollah Ali Khamenei of Iran issued a fatwa in the 2000s declaring nuclear weapons forbidden in Islam. Critics question whether the ruling is binding or sincere.
The 7 subtopics
One subtopic is one session. Work down the list.
| Subtopic | What it covers | Questions |
|---|---|---|
| Muslim teachings on violence and conflict | Surah 6:151 on taking life, when violence may be justified, Surah 2:256 on religion, readings of Surah 2:244, Surahs 8:17–18 and 3:166 on victory and loss, and Muslim communities in conflicts. | 11 |
| Muslim responses to terrorism | Surah 5:32, Tahir-ul-Qadri's fatwa of 2010, why terrorism cannot be lesser jihad, British Muslim responses to attacks, Islamophobia, justice against terrorism, and a utilitarian view of torture. | 11 |
| Holy War, the Just War theory and Muslim conduct in war | Lesser jihad compared with the Just War theory, Surah 22:39–40, prisoners of war, the ban on torture and mutilation, proportion in Surah 2:194, keeping treaties, Muslims in the British Army, and revenge. | 10 |
| Muslim attitudes to conventional, technological and nuclear warfare | War between armies, drone strikes and Muslim communities, precise weapons, nuclear warfare and the khalifah principle, owning nuclear weapons, a senior Shi'a scholar's ruling, and the principle of proportion. | 10 |
| Pacifism, non-violence and Muslim peacemaking | Why most Muslims reject absolute pacifism, Khan Abdul Ghaffar Khan, the Prophet's non-violent resistance in Makkah, Surahs 17:33 and 8:61, Nisa-Nashim in Britain, and violence as a route to peace. | 13 |
| Forgiveness and reconciliation in Islam | The Prophet's forgiveness of Makkah and his response at Ta'if, Surahs 42:40 and 2:109, forgiveness within qisas, Farid Ahmed after Christchurch, its limits, its effect on communities, and Allah's forgiveness. | 11 |
| Justice and social justice in Islam | Surah 4:135, injustice, peace in a just society, social justice in practice, the ban on riba, racism, Malcolm X after Hajj, differing Muslim views, and common ground with Humanists. | 11 |
How the guide is worked
Answering a question from memory stores it far better than reading the answer again. The guide runs that as a fixed procedure on one subtopic at a time, about twenty minutes a session.
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Step 1 · Closed book
Cover the answers. Work through one subtopic and write down what you can. Leave blanks where you have nothing.
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Step 2 · Open book
Go back to the top. Read each printed answer and write it out in full, including the ones you had right.
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Step 3 · Closed book again
Same questions, same order, from memory. The gap between pass one and pass three is the session result.
Read the full method, the return schedule and the research behind it.
Nearby topics
OCR GCSE Religious Studies Active Recall Guide
Every topic, not just this one. 2,800 questions with their answers.