Greathead_Final Paper_Comparative Religion

Running head: ISLAM’S RELATIONS TO OTHER RELIGIONS 1
Counter Islamic Extremism Through Doctrine in Relation to Conflict Resolution and Justice and
its Relation to Other Religions
Eugene R. Greathead
Norwich University

ISLAM’S RELATIONS TO OTHER RELIGIONS 2
Abstract
There was a time in history when the followers of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam coexisted in
relative peace and shared an area of the world. A major concern and serious issue today is that
most practicing Islamists, as well as Christians and Jews, do not understand the similarities of the
religions. The spread of Islam has lead to a lack of understanding of the original Quran due to
traditional differences in the areas spread. Traditional differences such as language and schooling
have lead to large populations gaining their understanding of Islam through the teachings of
another. This has lead to Muslim Extremists morphing the Quran’s teachings into a way to
spread their hate propaganda, leading to the spread of hate through the extremists groups. The
way to counter this is through education and shows that the Islamic Doctrine can be followed and
still lives in peace and tolerance of other religions.

Counter Islamic Extremism Through Doctrine in Relation to Justice and Conflict Resolution and
its Relation to Other Religions
There was a time in history when the followers of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam
coexisted in relative peace and shared an area of the world. A major concern and serious issue
today is that most practicing Islamists, as well as Christians and Jews, do not understand the
similarities of the religions. The spread of Islam has lead to a lack of understanding of the
original Quran due to traditional differences in the areas spread. Traditional differences such as
language and schooling have lead to large populations gaining their understanding of Islam
through the teachings of another. This has lead to Muslim Extremists morphing the Quran’s
teachings into a way to spread their hate propaganda, leading to the spread of hate through the
extremists groups. The way to counter this is through education and shows that the Islamic
Doctrine can be followed and still lives in peace and tolerance of other religions.
This paper will research the cultural beginnings of each of the three Abrahamic faiths.
This paper will go from the start of the religions and how they are connected. The next step will
compare the doctrine and how they are inter-connected in justice and conflict resolution. One of
the focuses that will be discussed is the relation of this education for soldiers, as recent history
has shown, soldiers are out front in the lead against this extremism agenda. Then the paper will
cover and examine what makes populations that are targeted by extremists and how that
extremists groups manipulate the religion’s doctrine to suit their needs. The final portion of the
paper will recommend and suggest means that society can counter these extremists through
education and understanding.
The Beginnings

Going back, chronologically the first of the three religions was Judaism. This religion
began after pagan religion in the Middle East was unable to suit the needs of the Hebraic society.
These Abrahamic traditions were written down into five books named the Tanakh, a combination
of the Torah, Nevi’im, and Kethuvim, the books of the prophets, and the first five books of the
bible. The Torah begins, much like the Bible, with the book of Genesis (Smith 1991) (Ambalu,
2013).
The book of Genesis details the family dynamics of Abraham. First, Abraham was
promised a kingdom of his own by God. Abraham and his wife had no children, nor could his
wife have children. This resulted in an agreement with their maid to have a child with Abraham,
the result being Ishmael. The issue began when God granted Abraham a child of his own with his
wife, Isaac. Due to the birth of his legitimate child, Abraham pushed Ishmael and the maid out of
the family. Ishmael settled in Egypt and had a family of his own, twelve sons. Isaac became a
father as well, having Esau and Jacob, twins. Jacob went on to have twelve sons who became the
leaders of the twelve tribes of Israel (Smith 1991) (Ambalu, 2013). The Hebraic faith historically
had a liaison with other Gods. The Hebrews recognized Yahweh (Elohim) as their God, but
habitually worshipped other gods as well. About 800 to 200 BCE the Jews began to accept the
one true God, Yahweh (Ambalu, 2013). Judaism advanced through the followers and as the faith
formed Yahweh exerted himself as an unforgiving god, but changed later in the formation of the
religion to a god of empathy and tolerance. Prophets were declared the arrival of the messiah;
this arrival began to marshal peace through the religion. This messiah, for some, arrived around 4
BCE with the birth of Jesus (Smith, 1991).
Jesus and his followers believed in compassion, regardless of social status. They
confronted the Hebrew leadership on the status created by the Judean belief process. The new

Christian belief was on of care and love to achieve holiness in the eyes of God. These ideas
brought forward began the provocation of the social system, which upset the Judean hierarchy.
This belief system and the confrontation of Jesus with the Judean social structure eventually lead
to the execution of Jesus, his crucifixion (Ambalu, 2013). The death of Jesus, his resurrection,
and the word being spread by his disciples is what helped to spread Christianity throughout the
region. The ancient form of Christianity was very different from what we know today, but
different sects of the religion did form depending on the location throughout the region. St. Paul
was a lead figure in the development of Christian doctrine and norms. The Roman emperor
Constantine helped spread Christianity by legalizing the religion throughout his empire and
developing the First Council of Nicaea in 325 CE which helped to set doctrine on the divine
trinity. This council was the first of seven to assist in understanding and unity of the burgeoning
religion (Smith, 1991) (Ambalu, 2013).
As Christianity grew and flourished, the Arabian Peninsula and its tribes and clans
adhered to their pagan religions. One tribe strayed from the wondering life, the Bedouins, and
settled in an area known as Mecca. This settlement was reinforced by trade routes that spread
throughout the region, which lead to the urbanization of the region, which also lead to the older
norms failing the new way of life. Historically the Bedouin life centered on tribes and clans, but
the commerce of the trade routes changed that norm and ushered in a capitalist way of thinking,
the individual replaced the tribes and clans. This change made a member of the Quraysh Tribe,
Muhammad; rethink the way that life and social values was shifting towards greed, much like
what happened in Judaism. During Ramadan in 610 CE Muhammad began to collect revelations
through Gabriel, who was the voice of God and spreading God’s doctrine. The revelations
through Gabriel to Muhammad went on for twenty-three years and were compiled into the

Quran. The Quran was the basis of a belief system that took the followers back to traditional
norms. The followers were now responsible for a higher purpose, a society that was impartial
and unbiased towards one another. They were able to push their limits towards finding new
commerce and traveling to different lands. This society also was responsible for caring for the
decrepit and poor followers of the faith (Armstrong, 2000) (Ambalu, 2013).
Now in closing on the beginnings of these three religions, all three can be traced back to
Abraham. These religions also developed in the same region of the world. The commonality of
the lineage, development, and the region mark some of the similarities in the religions. All three
portray God similarly in the perspective doctrines. Jewish doctrine is developed as such that it is
difficult to separate political and judicial norms, much like that of the Islamic faith. Each faith
adopted a perspective or thought of attempting to eliminate any faith that went against their
doctrine (Armstrong, A History of God). The region of the world these three religions being
similar makes it also surprising that all three lived in peace, relatively for hundreds of years
(Yale University Press, 2013). The history of the formation and beginnings of these religions is
important to those who legitimately want peace, to include soldiers on the front lines who are
routinely deal in issues between Islam and Christian values.
Conflict Resolution and Justice
Judaism, Christianity, and Islam also share a commonality in their doctrine relating to
conflict resolution and justice. The main example of this commonality is the religions’ doctrine
concerning the care of the poor and underprivileged, basic justice for the poor. For instance the
Torah proclaims in Deuteronomy 24:19-22 “When you cut down your harvest in your field, and
have forgotten a sheaf in the field, you shall not go again to fetch it; it shall be for the stranger,
for the orphan, and for the widow; that the Lord your God may bless you in all the work of your

hands... And you shall remember that you were a slave in the land of Egypt; therefore I
command you to do this thing.” (The Hebrew Bible in English, 2012). The Christians indicate in
Proverbs 14:31 “Whoever oppresses a poor man insults his Maker, but he who is generous to the
needy honors him” and another example in Luke 14:22-14 “He said also to the man who had
invited him, “When you give a dinner or a banquet, do not invite your friends or your brothers or
your relatives or rich neighbors, lest they also invite you in return and you be repaid. But when
you give a feast, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind, and you will be blessed,
because they cannot repay you. For you will be repaid at the resurrection of the just.” (Bible on
the Web). The Islamic faith has also the responsibility to the poor, called Zakat. The Quran states
in 17:26-27 “Give to the near of kin his due, and also to the needy and the wayfarers. Do not
squander your wealth wastefully; for those who squander wastefully are Satan's brothers, and
Satan is ever ungrateful to his Lord.” And further denounces greed in 9:71 “The believers, both
men and women, are allies of one another. They enjoin good, forbid evil, establish Prayer, pay
Zakah, and obey Allah and His Messenger. Surely Allah will show mercy to them. Allah is All-
Mighty, All-Wise” (The Holy Quran Search Engine, 2013)
All three religions also practice a form of forgiveness when a follower is slighted in some
manner. Though this paper is not covering forgiveness, forgiveness is a step in conflict
resolution. One must be able to forgive wrong doings from others to resolve an issue. Judean
scripture proclaims Jeremiah 50:20  ”In those days and at that time — declares the Lord — the
iniquity of Israel shall be sought, and there shall be none; the sins of Judah, and none shall be
found; for I will pardon those I allow to survive.” and Numbers 14:19-20 “Pardon, I pray, the
iniquity of this people according to Your great kindness, as You have forgiven this people ever
since Egypt. And the Lord said, ‘I pardon, as you have asked.’” (The Hebrew Bible in English,

2012). The Christians have forgiveness in one of their most prominent prayers, Our Father “Our
Father, Who art in heaven  Hallowed be Thy Name; Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done,  on
earth as it is in heaven.  Give us this day our daily bread,  and forgive us our trespasses,  as we
forgive those who trespass against us;  and lead us not into temptation,  but deliver us from evil.
Amen.” and in Isaiah 43:25-26 "I, even I, am he who blots out your transgressions, for my own
sake, and remembers your sins no more. Review the past for me, let us argue the matter together;
state the case for your innocence.” (Bible on the Web). In the Quran in Surat An-Nisa, 149
“Whether you reveal a good act or keep it hidden, or pardon an evil act, Allah is Ever-Pardoning,
All-Powerful.” (The Holy Quran Search Engine, 2013). Though these religions practice
forgiveness in their doctrine and forgiveness leads to conflict resolution, the actual doctrine in
conflict resolution differs among the religions.
These religions differ in conflict resolution, though forgiveness is practices according to
doctrine. “ Like Christians, Jews and followers of other traditions, Muslims share in a common
calling to work for peace. This calling is rooted in the Qur’an, which enjoins humanity to “strive
as in a race in all virtues” (Qur’an, 5:48). Within the Muslim community, or umma, this calling
has manifested, and will no doubt continue to manifest, in varied ways that reflect continuous
efforts to interpret and apply foundational Islamic values in specific historical, social and cultural
situations.” (Said and Funk, 2001). The Islamic doctrine “affirms cultural pluralism, communal
solidarity, social justice and faith” while the western, Christian, way of resolving conflict
“Western conflict resolution has traditionally reflected a cultural outlook of pragmatic
individualism and a style of instrumental problem solving. This outlook has been associated with
an emphasis on expediency and technique. From an Islamic standpoint, it can be criticized as an
engineering approach that neglects relationships while focusing on isolated issues or on variables

that can be manipulated mechanistically.” (Said and Funk, 2001).
With what we know about justice and conflict resolution as it pertains to each religion, it
is apparent that military members on the front lines learn and adhere to these small doctrinal
rules in order to prevent a larger issue. Being able to solve a conflict between faiths becomes an
even larger and troublesome matter when one faith dishonors another’s norms.
Religious Fundamentalism and Extremism and Negating Extremism
First, let us define the difference between fundamentalism and extremism, one may lead
to another, but these terms are different in meaning and execution. Webster’s dictionary defines
fundamentalism as “a movement or attitude stressing strict and literal adherence to a set of basic
principles” and extremism as “belief in and support for ideas that are very far from what most
people consider correct or reasonable”. Both mean a strict adherence to the “letter of the law”,
but extremism takes it farther outside the reasonable person interpretation of the religion’s
doctrine. With the notable extremist influence from groups like Al-Qaeda in the Islamic
Maghreb, Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP), and numerous other Al-Qaeda linked
affiliate organizations and the rise of the Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham (ISIS, or Islamic State
of Iraq and the Levant, ISIL), Boko Haram, Al-Shabaab, and the Taliban spreading their
extremists agenda across the Middle East it is important to be religiously educated to counter
these evil agendas. Currently the news is full of attacks and murders from these groups showing
a dire need for change.
The war on terrorism is becoming an everlasting war with smaller engagements across a
large spectrum of environments. To this point, smaller units will be engaging in indigenous
communities, again across a large spectrum of religions and belief systems that will not always
be the same even if the religion stays the same. The Counterinsurgency and Unconventional

Warfare fight has been going on for decades and there are lessons to be learned. Kilcullen writes
that there are twenty-eight fundamentals in the Counterinsurgency fight. Of these twenty-eight
this paper will cover a few that pertain to planning the Islamic doctrine as a concern. Number
two of these fundamentals of counterinsurgency is Diagnose the Problem. Kilcullen states, “So
you must understand what motivates the people and how to mobilize them. You need to know
why and how the insurgents are getting followers.” (Kilcullen, 2010). This pertains to the
manner to which the extremists are getting their agenda to the population and how this
population obtains it. In Afghanistan, the literacy rate is very low, hence the population gets their
interpretation of the Quran through Mullah’s, who may or may not twist the Islamic doctrine to
fit those extremists’ ideals. Find a Political/Cultural Advisor is number six on this list of
fundamentals. In this it demands “Find a political-cultural adviser from among your people…”
and “Don’t try to be your own cultural advisor: you must be fully aware of the political and
cultural dimension, but this is a different task.” (Kilcullen, 2010). A military leader, or any
member for that matter, cannot begin to assume they can weave their way through cultural and
religious dimensions, especially adding any tribal or clan concerns on top of that. The modern
military will absolutely need that cultural adviser, on who knows and understands what a
military leader cannot obtain in a classroom. The last one for this paper to be covered is number
twenty-four, Small is Beautiful which concludes, “Another natural tendency is to go for large-
scale mass programs. In particular, we have a tendency to template ideas that succeed in one area
and transplant them into another, and we tend to take small programs that work and try to
replicate them on a larger-scale.” (Kilcullen, 2010). To summarize this point, a program that
works for the Afar Tribe in eastern Africa will not work for the Khogyani Tribe in southern

Nangarhar, Afghanistan. These programs should be planned and curtailed for the specific
audience.
An example of a counterinsurgency using their religious power to shape the battlefield to
gain success would be the Sons of Iraq (SOI), specifically in the Anbar Province of Iraq. During
their time the SOI were able to use their understanding of local culture and religious views to
gain intelligence otherwise inaccessible to Coalition Forces. The government of Iraq also gives
the SOI credit in developing their national security forces and intelligence networks. The SOI
claimed “We made connections with people that worked with the American Department of
Defense…” and “We provided them with information about who’s a terrorist, who’s an
insurgent, and where they’re working-locations…” (Long, 2012) These operatives working for
the SOI would not have been able to gain this type of information without fitting in to the
surroundings and understanding the culture of the locals in Anbar Province.
Another example of how the modern battlefield requires the religious and educational
shaping of both conventional and unconventional forces is explained in an article by Alex Deep.
Deep stated in his article Hybrid War: Old Concept New Techniques: “Modern hybrid war that
simultaneously combines conventional, irregular, and terrorist components is a complex
challenge that requires an adaptable and versatile military to overcome. The United States has
increasingly focused on counterinsurgency doctrine in the wake of its wars in Iraq and
Afghanistan. However, insurgency alone is not the singular challenge against which the United
States must structure its military.” (Small Wars Journal). This is very telling to the use of
conventional military minded leaders fighting a war that requires an unconventional plan. Not to
take away from any of the force, but these are two totally different ways of fighting a war. With
engagements becoming smaller, the use of conventional forces along side their Special

Operations Forces counterparts will increase. These conventional forces will need further
cultural training and understand to make this work.
Conclusion
The current advance and popularity of extremists’ movements, most notably ISIS,
enforces the need for better education and knowledge among the force as a whole, not just
Special Operation Forces. The need for smaller wars and low level conflicts has brought key
leader engagements to all levels of the fighting force. The ability for a military leader to quickly
understand the values and norms, including religious beliefs, of their target audience could mean
stability in an area. Currently, the majority of Special Operations Forces obtain cultural training
including some religious understanding. There is not standardized cultural training for the
regular military force, which as conflicts get smaller will be needed. Incidents like the burning of
a Quran and urinating on dead insurgents is irresponsible and plain ignorant to achieving out
goals. Education for all leaders is inherently needed.
The United States strategy for countering extremism should be more of hands off
direction, supporting countries like Afghanistan in education. The U.S. could back education
programs inside war torn countries that counter extremism. This approach will also take away an
extremists ideology of western influence in their perspective extremists culture, taking away one
of the most prominent recruiting tools. There needs to be an understanding that while one
counter extremists educational program working in one culture may not work in another. These
programs need to be flexible, lead by religious leaders from each culture to effectively reach the
common goal. Education for all the players politically and militarily will help to bring more
stability in a war torn area like the Middle East, and God willing, a little peace.

References
Ambalu, S. (2013). The Religions Book: Big Ideas Simply Explained. New York: DK Publishing.
Armstrong, K. (n.d.). A History of God The 4,000-Year Quest of Judaism, Christianity, and
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http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B005DB6LSG/ref=oh_d__o01_details_o01__i00?ie
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Armstrong, K. (2000). Islam: A Short History (Modern Library ed.). New York: Modern Library.
Bible on the Web. (n.d.). Retrieved April 7, 2015, from http://bibleontheweb.com/bible/ASV
Kilcullen, D. (2010). Counterinsurgency. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Long, A. (2012). Locals Rule: Historical Lessons for Creating Local Defense Forces for
Afghanistan and Beyond. Santa Monica, CA: RAND/National Defense Research
Institute.
Said, A., & Funk, N. (2001, September). The Role Of Faith In Cross-Cultural Conflict
Resolution. Retrieved April 23, 2015, from
http://www.gmu.edu/programs/icar/pcs/ASNC83PCS.htm
Small Wars Journal. (n.d.). Retrieved February 21, 2015, from http://smallwarsjournal.com/
Smith, H. (1991). The World's Religions. New York: Harper Collins.
The Hebrew Bible in English. (2012, October 17). Retrieved April 11, 2015, from
http://www.mechon-mamre.org/
The Holy Quran Search Engine. (2013). April, 7 2015, from www.alislam.org:
http://www.alislam.org/quran/search2/index.php
Yale University Press. (2013, October 7). The Spread of Islam. Retrieved from yale.edu:
http://www.yale.edu/yup/pdf/cim6.pdf

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