OVERCOMING RELIGIOUS VIOLENCE THROUGH THE “MERCY-CENTRIC” THEOLOGY OF IBN ARABI

“Religious violence”, which is a popular issue in our day discussed particularly in relation to Islam, is kept on the agenda. It is mainly discussed by sociologists and political scientists though people who study religion should have something to say. Behind every human behavior, there are some conscious or unconscious intellectual reasons. What lies behind religious violence is a theological perspective which justifies violent crimes in the name of religion. When it comes to Islam the “power-centric” theology that prioritizes God’s justice, seems to be the reason for religious violence. Ibn Arabi’s “mercy-centric” theological perspective is an alternative to that theological approach. In this paper, I will argue that the “mercy-centric” approach of Ibn Arabi could be a solution to the problem of religious violence