"Islam" means peace : understanding the Muslim principle of nonviolence today / Amitabh Pal.

Includes bibliographical references (pages [259]-266) and index.

Inspiration at the roots : sources of nonviolence in Islam -- At the point of a sword? How Islam actually spread -- Ignored for no fault of theirs : the Sufis and other pacifist Muslim sects -- Jihad is not war : grappling with the most controversial aspect of Islam -- A most improbable tale : nonviolence among the Pashtuns of Pakistan -- Following in the Mahatma's footsteps : Muslim Gandhians -- A refusal to cooperate : the struggle of the Kosovar Albanians -- Not just a land of conflict : nonviolence in the Middle East -- Struggling against heavy odds : Palestinians and nonviolence -- To topple dictators without force : peaceful protest in modern South Asia.

"Islam" Means Peace: Understanding the Muslim Principle of Nonviolence Today provides a rebuttal to general misperceptions about the religion by documenting its rich tradition of nonviolence. To that end, the book examines the sources of Islam -- the Qur'an, the main religious text of Islam, and the Hadith, the deeds and sayings of the Prophet Muhammad. It contests the prevalent notion that Islam is built on violence in part by illuminating the role of the tolerant, mystical tradition of Sufism in Islam, while at the same time examining the misunderstood place of jihad in the religion.