Pacifism and Non-Violence in Contemporary Islamic Philosophy
Mapping the Paths of Peace

Combines historical analysis and current interviews with Muslim peace advocates to develop a study of Islamic philosophies of nonviolence.

Tom Woerner-Powell (Author)

9781009573986, Cambridge University Press

Hardback, published 20 March 2025

276 pages
22.9 x 15.2 x 1.9 cm, 0.516 kg

'… the first monograph to bring Islamic nonviolent thought into sustained dialogue with contemporary moral philosophy on pacifism. It is a learned, ambitious, and often illuminating study whose significance extends beyond Islamic Studies into Peace and Conflict Studies more broadly … It insists on taking Muslim peacemaking seriously, historically and philosophically. “Pacifism and Non-Violence in Contemporary Islamic Philosophy” is an important and timely contribution to the study of peace, religion, and nonviolence.' Josef Waleed Meri, Peace & Change

In Pacifism and Nonviolence in Contemporary Islamic Philosophy, Tom Woerner-Powell combines historical analysis and contemporary interviews with Muslim peace advocates in an effort to develop an empirically grounded survey of Islamic philosophies of nonviolence and a general analysis of the phenomenon. The first monograph on Islamic nonviolence to engage substantively with contemporary debates in the field of moral philosophy, his study is critical and descriptive rather than apologetic and polemical. His approach is both multidisciplinary and interdisciplinary. Drawing on methods from the fields of peace studies, Islamic studies, and moral philosophy, he identifies, critiques, and addresses the shortcomings within the dominant approaches in these fields regarding the question of pacifism and nonviolence in contemporary Islam. Woerner-Powell's book sheds new light not only on Islamic cases of nonviolence but also on the manner in which Islamic thought might play a larger role in secular and inter-religious debates. This title is also available as open access on Cambridge Core.

Introduction
1. Hierarchy, Community, and Nonviolence in Senegal: Amadou Bamba [1853–1927]
2. Nation, Nonviolence, and Service in Pakistan
Bacha Khan [1890–1988]
3. Peace, Love, and Harmony in Sri Lanka and the United States
Bawa Muhaiyadeen [d. 1986]
4. Nonviolence, History, and Self-Sacrifice in Iran
Ali Shariati [1933–1977]
5. Peace, Justice, and Progress in India
Wahiduddin Khan [1925–2021]
6. Nonviolence, Duty, and Compulsion in Syria
Jawdat Said [1931–2022]
7. Conversations on Islamic Nonviolence with Thinkers and Activists
Amina Khoulani, Chaiwat Satha-Anand, Haytham Alhamwi, John Muhammad Butt, and Rabia Terri Harris
Conclusion.

Subject Areas: Islam [HRH]