From the Editor’s Desk
Terror Strikes Only Worsens The Problem
The terror
bombing in London on 7th July has shaken the world once again. Whosoever
is behind this bombing – it is not very clear so far as no one has claimed
responsibility except an obscure group – should know that revenge
attacks, apart from being immoral, worsens the situation. The Qur’an says with great clarity remove evil with goodness
and it is this doctrine, which will build goodwill and peace in the world.
It is true that
Bush and Blair are responsible for attacks on Afghanistan and Iraq and thousands of innocent people died as a result of these brutal
attacks on these two countries. But attacking innocent citizens and maiming
them in retaliation would not in any way solve the problem. If anything it will
aggravate it. Violence will beget more violence. Hatred will create more
hatred.
Moreover,
killing innocent people does not punish the real culprits. It punishes those
who are in no way responsible. Thus it is not even according to law of
retaliation. Retaliation can be permitted only against the one responsible for
the crime. And best religious act would be to pardon and to try to end
violence. Perpetrators of crime be they Bushes or Blairs or unknown terrorists are shame on humanity.
The Qur’an says
killing one innocent person without justification amounts to killing the whole
humanity and saving one life amounts to saving the whole humanity. If we judge
the London bombing or any bombing for that matter, it amounts to killing whole
humanity, killing all that is just and humane, to destroy all civilized values.
Such terror bombs will not strike terror in the hearts of Bush or Blare; on the
contrary will strengthen their hands to justify their inhuman attacks on Afghanistan and Iraq. It will defeat the very purpose for which bombs were planted in London.
U.K. is a
multi-religious and multi-cultural society today and one has to celebrate this
multi-religious, multi-cultural nature of human society. The bombs will destroy
this multi-religious nature of British society and will only encourage
fanaticism and racial and religious hatred. Muslims have begun to feel heat in U.K. A
mosque and a gurdwara were set on fire and
threatening e-mails are being received by Muslims. Whose cause this serves? Such acts will destroy fines values of
humanity.
A truly
religious person should be free of all hatred and malice even towards enemy and
put the enemy to shame by sheer strength of truth, compassion and an act of
pardon. Truth is certainly not on the side of Bush and Blair,
it is on the side of the victims of their repeated aggression. Bush and Blair
are wrong when they repeatedly declare that “our values shall prevail”. In fact
they represent no values. They are symbols of oppression and exploitation.
Truth is on the
side of the oppressed and exploited and it is the oppressed who
will ultimately triumph, not by use of force, but by adhering to truth and
non-violence. We thus strongly condemn violence whosoever uses it. Brutal
violence as used in London bombing, to say the least is reprehensible and puts humanity to
shame. We oppose it and condemn it in no uncertain terms.
By Dr. Asghar Ali Engineer