“The very word Islam means peace, which is non-violence.”
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Probable attribution
This saying is widely associated with Mahatma Gandhi, but the attribution is not supported by a reliable primary source.
Likely origin: On Trial (1939), as quoted in D.G. Tendulkar, Mahatma, Vol. 5 (1952), p. 212 — secondary biography, no dated primary located.
About this quote
Understanding a faith by the ideal at its root, rather than by its angriest followers, changes what you expect from the people who hold it. Pointing to the peaceable core others share with you dissolves the sense of a natural enemy and opens a little common ground.
When to use it
- A teacher who introduces a religion by its central teaching, not by the fringe that makes the news.
- A neighbor who greets a new family by asking about their traditions instead of assuming the worst.
- Two departments at odds who open a meeting by naming the goal they actually share.