Lesson video

Hello, my name is Mrs. Robin, and I'm your RE teacher for today.

We're going to be working on the role of Muslims in peacemaking.

In today's lesson, you will be able to explain peacemaking and give examples of how Muslims and others promote peace.

The keywords we'll be using today are peace, peacemaking, and reconciliation.

Peace is the opposite of war, harmony between all in society.

Peacemaking is working to bring about peace and reconciliation.

Reconciliation is making up and rebuilding relationships between two groups or sides after disagreement.

Today's lesson will take two parts.

We'll be looking at peacemaking and at responses to peacemaking.

So let's get started looking at peacemaking.

Peacemaking is the process of working to bring about peace and reconciliation, especially after conflict or violence.

Peacemakers aim to repair relationships, prevent further harm, and promote understanding.

Laura, Andeep, Jun, and Sofia are discussing peacemaking.

Laura says, "Peacemaking means stopping violence by dealing with its causes." Andeep says, "It's about helping people forgive and rebuild after conflict." Jun says, "It's standing up for others in non-violent ways." And Sofia says, "Peacemaking starts with how we treat each other." So how are each of these examples of working to bring about peace and reconciliation? Take a moment, pause the video, turn and talk to someone nearby if you can, or you can talk to me.

Come back when you're ready to move on.

Peacemaking involves educating others about peace and resolving conflict, promoting dialogue and understanding, forgiveness and reconciliation, non-violent protests and resistance, supporting the victims of conflict, and campaigning for justice and fairness.

So let's check your understanding.

What is peacemaking? Take a moment, pause if you need to.

Come back when you're ready to check your answer.

You could have said peacemaking is the process of working to bring about peace and reconciliation, especially after conflict or violence.

So well done if you've got something along those lines.

Soldiers often engage in peacekeeping, but this is not the same as peacemaking.

Let's have a look at the differences between the two.

Peacemaking solves conflict through non-violent methods like dialogue and reconciliation, whereas peacekeeping maintains peace using soldiers as a deterrent to violence and uses limited force if needed.

Peacemaking aims to stop future conflict by fixing its root causes, whereas peacekeeping aims to keep order and prevent fighting from starting again.

Peacemaking might be done by individuals, peace organisations, and faith groups, whereas peacekeeping is usually done by UN soldiers and police.

An example of peacemaking might be peace talks between opposing groups.

An example of peacekeeping might be that United Nations troops monitor ceasefires.

Zoe and Zara are discussing the statement, force is sometimes necessary to establish peace.

Zoe says, "Weapons might stop fighting, but they don't build trust or solve the reasons behind conflict.

Lasting peace needs understanding and justice, not fear." Zara says, "Sometimes weapons are needed.

Without them, some groups wouldn't listen or change.

Using force can create the safety needed for peace talks to happen." So what might have influenced Zoe and Zara to think differently on this? Take a moment, turn and talk to someone nearby, discuss their views if you can, and then come back when you're ready to move on.

Let's check your understanding again.

Give one example of how someone might put peacemaking into practise.

Pause the video.

Come back when you're ready to check and see what you could have written.

You could have said any one of the following: promoting dialogue and understanding, forgiveness and reconciliation, non-violent protest and resistance, supporting victims of conflict, campaigning for justice and fairness, educating others about peace and resolving conflict.

So well done if you've got any one of those examples.

For Task A, I'd like you to consider the statement, force is sometimes necessary to establish peace.

Explain why someone who supports peacemaking would disagree with Zara's argument.

So here's Zara's argument again.

"Sometimes weapons are needed.

Without them, some groups wouldn't listen or change.

Using force can create the safety needed for peace talks to happen." Some suggested sentence starters to help you explain an opposing view would be: a peacemaker would disagree because, they would argue that, instead of using weapons.

So take your time, pause the video, think about how you could develop those sentences into a paragraph, and come back when you're ready to see what you could have written.

So let's have a look at what you could have said.

A peacemaker would disagree because they believe lasting peace cannot be built through violence.

They would argue that trust and justice, not fear, are the foundations of true peace.

Instead of using weapons, they believe dialogue and reconciliation are the way forward.

Of course your answer might have been a bit different from mine, but well done if you've got across the idea that violence is not part of true peacemaking.

For the second part of our lesson, we're going to be looking at responses to peacemaking.

Muslim attitudes to peacemaking are informed by different sources of authority, including the Qur'an, which is the direct word of Allah, the Hadith, which are the recorded words of the Prophet Muhammad, the Sunnah, which is the prophet's example based on the Hadith, Sharia law, which is Islamic law based on the Qur'an and Sunnah, Islamic scholars who interpret and apply the sources in real life situations, personal conscience and reason guided by Islamic teachings.

Muslims may interpret these resources differently or place greater emphasis on some over others, but all agree the Qur'an is the supreme authority.

Muslim beliefs and teachings support the ultimate aim of peacemaking, and the ultimate aim of peacemaking is to establish justice, to restore harmony, and promote reconciliation.

Islam is a religion of peace.

Peace is one of Allah's names, As-Salaam.

And the Qur'an teaches that Muslims should act justly.

"Do not let hatred of others lead you away from justice." The Prophet Muhammad made treaties, forgave enemies, and reconciled people in Medina.

So this again informs Muslim responses to peacemaking.

Muhammad himself was a peacemaker.

And in Islam, the core values of justice, compassion, and forgiveness underpin the commitment to peace.

Allah himself is known as peace.

Muhammad himself was a peacemaker.

And in Islam, those core values of justice, compassion, and forgiveness all work together towards the Islamic commitment towards peace.

Let's have a look at the Qur'an as a source of wisdom and authority.

Surah 41:43-45 says, "Who is better in speech than one who calls to Allah, does righteous deeds, and says, 'I am one of the Muslims'? Good and evil are not equal.

Repel evil with what is better, and your enemy will become as close as an intimate friend.

But none is granted except those who are patient, and none is granted it except one having a great share of good." So the word Muslim in the phrase, "I am one of the Muslims," means one who submits to Allah and shares its root with salaam, meaning peace, showing that being a Muslim involves living peacefully and promoting justice.

The section that says, "Repel evil with what is better, and your enemy will become as close as an intimate friend," is a direct call to respond to wrongdoing with goodness.

The verse promotes reconciliation and peacemaking, turning hostility into friendship.

The section that says, "except those who are patient," acknowledges that peacemaking is not easy.

Only those with true patience and deep moral character can live by this teaching.

Jun is asking Jamila about her job as a soldier in the British army.

Jun says, "How do you follow the teaching, 'Good and evil are not equal.

Repel evil with what is better, and your enemy will become as close as an intimate friend.

'" Jamila says, "As a soldier, I believe a key part of my role is to be a peacekeeper.

Islam allows fighting to protect others and stop injustice, and I serve to defend people and help bring peace.

I follow this teaching by staying calm, showing respect, and using only the force that is necessary to protect others.

Jun is asking Hassan, who is a Muslim, about his views on peacemaking.

He also says to him, "How do you follow the teaching, 'Good and evil or not equal? Repel evil with what is better, and your enemy will become as close as an intimate friend.

'" Hassan says, "I'm part of the Muslim Peace Fellowship and I take part in peaceful protests, prayer vigils, and speak out against war.

I also support disarmament because I believe peacemaking means acting without using force.

Islam teaches us to respond to harm with what is better.

And even in times of danger, there are peaceful ways to resist and protect others." So let's take an understanding on that verse, "Repel evil with what is better, and your enemy will become as close as an intimate friend." Which interpretation best matches the view of a Muslim who works in the army? Is it a, this means avoiding all conflict, even in defence of others, b, peace means supporting others with compassion, even in places of violence, or c, peace is only achieved by refusing to engage with those who use force.

So take a moment, think about the view of someone who works in the army.

Come back when you're ready to check your answer.

Well done if you put b.

Someone who works in the army would support people even in places of violence.

And to do that, they might well use weapons themselves, so they are not really considered peacemakers, rather they are peacekeepers.

Islamic Relief is a global Muslim organisation that tackles the causes and effects of conflict.

It operates in regions affected by war and violence, such as Yemen, Syria, Somalia, and Sudan, providing emergency aid and working to prevent further violence.

It runs peacemaking programmes.

These peacemaking programmes do various things.

They bring divided communities together through dialogue and shared projects.

They support the survivors of war, especially women and children, with trauma care and safe spaces.

They train local leaders in conflict resolution and non-violent communication.

They advocate for policies that tackle poverty and inequality, which often lead to conflict.

Mosarrat Qadeem is a peace activist and she's co-founder of the PAIMAN Alumni Trust in Pakistan.

She puts her beliefs about peacemaking to practise by working with young people, particularly those who are vulnerable to radicalization, leading programmes that rehabilitate former militants, training mothers and community leaders to prevent violence, using Islamic teachings to challenge extremist narratives.

Let's check your understanding.

Is this statement true or false? Mosarrat Qadeem promotes peace by working with vulnerable youth and training mothers to prevent violence using Islamic teachings.

Take a moment, pause the video, come back when you're ready to check your answer.

Make sure you also have a think about why it is true or false.

So well done if you spotted that it is true.

But why is it true? That's because she co-founded the PAIMAN Alumni Trust in Pakistan, and this trust uses education and faith-based methods to counter extremism non-violently.

Zainab is a Shi'a Muslim.

She's reflecting on the statement, "Muslims have a duty to be peacemakers." She says, "I believe Muslims have a duty to be peacemakers.

The Qur'an teaches us to respond to evil with what is better, and the prophet worked to make peace wherever he could.

Even when there was a conflict, he promoted forgiveness and tried to bring people together." Zainab presents the arguments that the Qur'an teaches evil should be responded to with good and that the Prophet Muhammad promoted forgiveness.

Brandon is a humanist.

He's responding to Zainab's arguments about the statement, "Muslims have a duty to be peacemakers." But remember, Zainab was arguing that Muslims do.

Brandon says, "I think peacemaking is a duty for all of us, not just Muslims. When peace efforts are based mainly on religious beliefs, they can cause tension in communities that don't share those views." Here we can see that Brandon doesn't disagree with the statement, but he argues for a different point of view on it because he says that peacemaking is a duty for everyone.

And he also has some concerns about whether religious people are the best people to be peacemakers.

So let's check your understanding.

Think about what Zainab and Brandon have said.

Give one argument for the statement, "Muslims have a duty to be peacemakers." Pause the video.

Come back when you're ready to see what you could have written.

You could have said the Qur'an teaches evil should be responded to with good or the prophet Muhammad promoted forgiveness.

Well done if you've got either of those points.

For your task, I'd like you to explain two Muslim beliefs about peacemaking.

Complete your answer by developing each point in this table.

So the first point is Muslims believe peacemaking.

This is because.

And the second, Muslims also believe peacemaking.

This is because.

So take your time, make sure that you make two clear points, and you explain each of them.

Come back when you're ready to see what you could have written.

So let's have a look at what you could have said.

For the first point, you could have developed it, saying Muslims believe peacemaking should involve responding to hatred or wrongdoing with kindness.

This is because they follow the teaching, "Good and evil are not equal.

Repel evil with what is better, and your enemy will become as close as an intimate friend." This shows that peaceful responses can turn enemies into allies and Islam encourages reconciliation over revenge.

For your second point, Muslims also believe peacemaking was shown by the Prophet Muhammad, who is the best example for Muslims to follow.

This is because at the conquest of Mecca, he forgave those who have persecuted him instead of punishing them.

This teaches that forgiveness helps to restore peace and that mercy is central to Islamic values.

So well done if you managed to develop two different points about Muslim beliefs about peacemaking.

In today's lesson, we have learned that peacemaking is a process of working to bring about peace and reconciliation, especially after conflict or violence, that peacemakers disagree that using or threatening violence can bring about peace, that Muslims often see peacemaking as a duty based on teachings like responding to evil with what is better and following the Prophet's example of mercy, justice, and reconciliation, that non-religious views support peacemaking as a shared human responsibility, sometimes questioning religious motivations, and that peacemakers include individuals and groups from a range of backgrounds who work through education, humanitarian aid, peaceful protests, and rebuilding communities.

Thank you very much for working with me today and for all of the effort that you've put into this lesson.