a piece of superlative “breaking news” which can once again turn the
spotlight on Islam as a peaceful religion in the eyes of the world in
the 21
st
century.
If we give this matter serious thought, we shall come to the
conclusion that Kashmir is the only place which can be the point
from which this “breaking news” can emanate.
The last two decades saw in Kashmir a violent movement in the
name of Islam. However, there is a positive aspect to this, because
of which Kashmir has come to the fore in the world news in this age
of the media.
Now, if the call of the peaceful Islam is raised in Kashmir, within
no time, Kashmir will again become a serious issue in world news.
Kashmir will become the point from which Islam will be introduced
to the world as a religion not of violence, but of peace. Circumstances
tell us that this is what is destined for Kashmir. Today, Islam is in
urgent need of a peaceful explosion. This is without doubt an event
which history has awaited far more than any other event.
The Importance of Peace
Chapter four of the Quran states: “Reconciliation is the best.” (4:128)
What is reconciliation? It is another name for the peaceful
resolution of a potentially inflammatory situation: where there
is reconciliation, there is peace. Where there is no reconciliation,
there is no peace. This being , it would be quite correct to say that
peace enjoys the position of the summum bonum in Islam.
Generally, people hold justice to be greater than anything else.
Justice is indeed an ideal. But the real question is how to achieve
this ideal in our practical life. There is only one answer to this and
that is through peace. The advantage of peace is that it opens up
opportunities. One does not, however, receive justice automatically.
Any given group will receive justice only when it recognizes
opportunities and avails of them wisely.
In present times, there are many such places where people are
fighting for justice, but they have failed to find it. The sole reason is
the choice of a wrong method of achieving it. It is a fact that in this
world it is method to which the greatest of importance is attached.
Even a right goal cannot be achieved by a wrong method. There is no
exception to this principle, be it the people of Kashmir or any others
who are concerned.
12
The Dawn Over Kashmir
