Islam and Peace Like many people I suspect, I am bewildered by,
on the one hand, acts of terror by Islamist radicals, and on the
other, claims that 'Islam is a religion of peace'. Islam can
mean 'peace' - it seems that the words that convey the concepts
of 'peace' and 'submission' are closely related - but as I
understand it, peace pertains only if you are a Muslim who is
submissive to the teachings of the Koran. In some readings of
the Koran there is no peace for those who do not submit. Dr.
Patrick Sookhdeo is an Anglican clergyman who works for
Institute for the Study of Islam and Christianity. He has
recently published an article in the current issue of the
Spectator which examines the claims of those who propagate the
'Islam means peace' line. This is a thoughtful piece which takes
seriously what Muslims say themselves. I find these paragraphs
most interesting: It is probably true that in every faith
ordinary people will pick the parts they like best and practise
those, while the scholars will work out a