Saturday, January 21, 2012

Trying to Understand the Muslim Approach to Conflict

A different article in Foreign Policy in Focus considers how Muslims handle conflicts and how their methods differ from ours. The author, Doron Pely, thinks knowing something about the issue could lead to better negotiating results.

First of all, in the Muslim world conflicts have victims and perpetrators, whereas we in the West don't like to assign blame and seek a win-win outcome. Resolution of a conflict in the Muslim world begins when the perpetrator acknowledges his guilt and apologizes truly for his transgression. If there is no apology, nothing will happen toward resolution.

Honor is critical to the Muslim; usually conflicts arise because one's honor has been besmirched. Honor must be restored if the conflict is to be resolved. To the Muslim revenge is not the sinful thing it is to us. Revenge by the victim is expected, but not mandatory. Forgiveness by the victim marks the final reconciliation.

Interestingly, the victim and the perpetrator do not meet until the conflict is settled. This is quite different from our approach.

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