The End of theAge of Violence
During the Second World War (1939-45) several countries opted
for the path of violence, namely Britain, Germany, Japan, Italy,
Russia and the U.S.A. But when the war was over, all these countries
abandoned the path of confrontation in favour of a peaceful struggle.
This was not a simple matter. It was in actual fact, a declaration that
human history had reached the stage when the age of violence had
come to an end forever. Now man had only one option and that was
of adopting peaceful methods.
Before engaging in any activity, the results of that activity must
be considered. Any act which will not produce positive results
is surely unfit to be considered as an option. The results of the
SecondWorldWar made this quite evident. All those nations which
participated in this war made innumerable sacrifices in terms of lives
and possessions but, in terms of any positive results, these sacrifices
proved futile.
It should be borne in mind that modern-day weapons have
become a deterrent rather than an incentive to waging war. For
instance, Germany and Japan incurred great losses in treading the
path of war, so in the light of this experience, they opted for the way
of peace. Consequently, the two countries rose to great heights of
success. They did so, even after having lost a part of their countries,
Germany losing the eastern part of it and Japan losing the large
Island of Okinawa.
Kashmir and other regions whereMuslims have launched violent
movements ought to take a lesson from these experiences. These
events have resonated far beyond the countries in which they took
place. Indeed, they illustrate the law of nature, according to which
those who take to the path of hatred and violence will suffer only
deprivation as their lot in life, whereas those who take to the path of
peace and love, will have all kinds of success awaiting them.
Destructive Politics
A well-known Muslim speaker of the West once addressed a
conference attended by Muslims and quoted the maxim: “Rebellion
to a tyrant, obedience to God”.
