With ongoing tensions between Israel and Palestine in Gaza as a backdrop, leaders in the University's Christian, Jewish and Islamic communities called for understanding across religious divides.
During the panel discussion, "Called to Kill," Muslim chaplain Abdullah Antepli, Rabbi Michael Goldman of Duke's Freeman Center for Jewish Life and Dean of the Chapel Sam Wells came together to discuss violence and war in the Abrahamic faiths Thursday night in the Divinity School. The interfaith panel, moderated by Professor of Sociology Suzanne Shanahan and hosted by Duke Chapel Pathways and the Faith Council, discussed the place violence has within religion and the role religion plays in justifying violence.
Early in the discussion, the panel established that none of the religions is pacifistic, though some adherents might choose to be. Antepli, Goldman and Wells each noted that the religions they represent have all established criteria for waging "just war."
"Islam is not a pacifistic religion either, but I am interested in seeing how many pacifists we have in this room?" Antepli said. "Most of us [here] are not pacifists. Most of us believe that in certain cases using violence, force... is acceptable."
Although the panelists agreed that religion does not necessarily condemn violence, Goldman and Antepli said it is wrong to justify force with religious texts.
"People look at the Bible, which is really a very violent set of books, and can beeline to what's going on in Gaza," Goldman said. "You can go right to the Bible and find some very bloody passage and say 'Oh, he did it, so I can, too'.... I'm not just accusing non-Jews of doing it, I'm accusing Jews of doing it, too, and modern Judaism doesn't equal the Jewish Bible."
Antepli added that the people he called "non-Muslim Islamic fundamentalists" base their violent actions on one literal reading of a few verses. They do not take into account how the the Muslim community understands the text as a whole, he said.
Religion is often accused of inciting violence and war, but Antepli noted that it is not religion alone that causes conflict. As exemplified by the conflict in Gaza, he said, "religion is only the ham in the sandwich," the rest of the issues underlying the conflict also need to be addressed.
"I am having a problem with this blaming religion, as if secular people are more peaceful," Antepli said. "Religion in itself never becomes a violent enemy, it has to marry with something else.... The radicals who happen to be Muslims are doing terrible, despicable things [but] I cannot disown them, I cannot say 'Oh, they are not Muslims.' They are my crazies, I have to own them."
Yet at a time when many are suspicious or make assumptions of others because of their religious backgrounds, Wells said people must recognize that war is meant to be a last resort in religious history and texts.
"To kill someone because they are a different religion is an act of despair.... It is fundamentally a statement of lack of faith in God," he said.
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