Impending Wars: Winners and Losers

With one swipe on your phone, you can end up in different parts of the world. You can read, and visually have “eyes” on the ground anywhere your heart fancies. Want to see what the Eiffel Tower looks like from the inside before visiting? There’s a video for it. Want to know what would be the best hike in preparation for your trip to Ireland? There’s a video for that as well. No doubt this kind of instant access may be great when it comes to leisure or wanting to visit somewhere. But it has become a double-edged sword. His Holiness, Mirza Masroor Ahmad (aba), the Worldwide Head of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community has shared how the edge can cut into one’s own hand.

“The mass media and the means of instant communication has transformed the world into a global village. In the olden days, it was possible for a war to remain confined to those who were directly involved, but now the consequences of each conflict and each war are truly global” (1).

There are other factors that allow the sword to cut deeper into the hand that holds it.

“If we look back in history to the two World Wars that took place in the 20th Century, we all know that the weaponry available at that time was nowhere near as advanced or lethal as the weapons and arsenals of today. Yet still it is said that around 70 million people were killed in World War Two alone and the majority of those who lost their lives were innocent civilians. Therefore, the potential for disaster and catastrophe today is unimaginable” (2).

This means that you can be sitting in your living room sipping your coffee reading the headline news of “Putin Prepares Russia for ‘Forever War’ with the West as Ukraine Invasion Stalls”(3) and this news can be much closer to home than you think. Living in a first world country is no longer a safety net for the repercussion of injustices that are happening across the globe. Time and time again we have heard the warnings of another global war, but due to being desensitized to a plethora of information and atrocities that we hear or read about regularly, they fall on deaf ears. If you search online for “World War 3”, you will find many articles speaking about how it’s around the corner, if not already here.

Waking up to this reality has never been more important. So, this begs the question: “What should be done?” Firstly, countries of the world need to begin to follow a quintessential teaching of the Qur’an, namely: “Let not a people’s enmity incite you to act otherwise than with justice. Be (always) just” (4).

We cannot let our biases with other countries lead to the bloodshed of injustice. If at any point there is strife between two countries, action needs to be taken. Not to just be a bystander and watch the brawl from the sidelines. The Holy Qur’an teaches us: “And if two parties of believers fight against each other, make peace between them; then if after that one of them transgresses against the other, fight the party that transgresses until it returns to the command of Allah. Then if it returns, make peace between them with equity, and act justly. Verily, Allah loves the just” (5).

In his 2015 address to the Dutch National Parliament, His Holiness breaks this down beautifully and explains how this affects global political relationships:

“If there is a dispute between nations or groups, third parties should seek to mediate and to bring about a peaceful resolution. In the event of an agreement, if either party unjustly contravenes the negotiated settlement, then the other nations should unite together and use force if necessary to stop the aggressor. However, once the aggressive party withdraws they should not be unduly restricted; rather, they should be permitted to move forward as an independent nation and as a free society” (6).

This is now the only way. The world is hurting. Badly. The only way a person will begin to forget the open wounds is to allow for justice to be the balm. With the advanced nuclear weaponry that many superpowers have access to, the world is playing with fire, and has gasoline very close to the hip while doing so.

Neville Chamberlain was the Prime Minister of the U.K. during the outbreak of World War 2 in 1939. He shared something sobering: “In war, whichever side may call itself the victor, there are no winners, but all are losers” (7).

May Allah grant us all protection from this catastrophe, Ameen.

References:

1. https://www.reviewofreligions.org/12411/the-keys-to-peace-in-a-time-of-disorder-4/
2. Ibid
3. https://www.theguardian.com/world/2023/mar/28/putin-prepares-russia-for-forever-war-with-west-as-ukraine-invasion-stalls.
4. Holy Quran 5:9
5. Holy Quran 49:10
6. https://www.alislam.org/articles/world-peace-security-critical-issues-of-our-time/
7. https://www.oxfordreference.com/display/10.1093/acref/9780191826719.001.0001/q-oro-ed4-00002794;jsessionid=885D85F190A75716BE30DE4A9797EC37

Last modified: March 2024