Middle East Crisis

It is very difficult to be a part of this world and remain unscathed by the events which are manifesting so violently around us. It is hard to imagine that any good could rise from the ruins of so many shattered lives. The suffering unfolding right now is incomprehensible, and will most likely remain a rancorous wound for decades to come.

I have come to realize in recent days that it is not peace which is lacking in this world, but Justice. I have grown increasingly and uncomfortably aware of the ease with which the word peace precedes the launching of missiles. In this, our darkest hour in recent years I can only look for some solace in the words of a man whose profound ideology and capacity for reason long outlived his physical being- Mahatma Gandhi. The greatest man in my opinion to have walked this earth, believed that violence and democracy cannot coexist, that violent means will only give violent freedom, and that non-violence is the greatest force at the disposal of mankind.

It is hard for me to comprehend any belief system in which one life has more value than another, since regardless of our cultural and spiritual identities, we all share the same genetic code. It is therefore incumbent upon those of us who value all life to try and remain magnanimous during these times and eschew the resentment and anger which can so easily polarize us.

Azam Ali

"Peace will not come out of the clash of arms but out of justice lived and done by unarmed nations in the face of odds." -Mahatma Gandhi