Islam and Peace Towards a Non-Violent World
disrupt and stop it completely, but between tolerance of the procession and communal riots. A procession is little more than a nuisance of a temporary nature. So one should simply bear with it so that riots resulting in human death and destruction do not ensue. After December 6, 1992, surprisingly few communal riots have taken place. The credit for this goes to our mission. Had the people’s minds not been prepared by our mission, terrible riots involving great numbers of people would have ensued subsequent to December 6. When there is violence, at whatever level and in whatever field, the basic question is at all events of the individual. And an individual is always governed by his thinking. That is why, if we have to make a non-violent world for a peaceful society, there is only one way, and that is by using educative methods to convert people’s thinking from violence to non-violence, and to enable them to seek the solution to matters of controversy through peaceful means. They must learn to understand the value of tolerance and avoidance as ~ 142 ~