"Don't Believe in War"

Bulat Okudzhava (1924-1997) said that one way of encouraging peace is by discouraging war. 

Don't believe in war Osama,

You can never win a fight

War constricts the heart, Osama,

A pair of boots too tight.

Your mighty horses swift and true

will be no use at all

as exposed upon a giant's palm,

beneath musket shot you'll fall.

Sadi, the 13th century Persian traveller, storyteller, poet and Muslim mystic, said that once a war is started, there is no going back. Fighting is a common instinct that we all share. But only humans take it to a higher level of organization that leads to total warfare. 

Luis Enrique Mejia Godoy said that

My personal revenge will be your children's

right to schooling and to flowers.

My personal revenge will be this song

bursting for you with no more fears.

My personal revenge will be to greet you

'Good Morning!' in the streets with no beggars,

when instead of locking you inside

they say, 'Don't look so sad'.

When you, the torturer

daren't lift your head.

My personal revenge will be to give you

these hands you once ill-treated

with all their tenderness intact. 

We all think that the death of any human being is not to be joyfully celebrated but it is true that justice has to be done in this life. When our enemy falls, we should not rejoice and we should not let our heart be glad when our "foe is outstretched beneath the tree." 

The malfeasance "bestirred itself / then suddenly someone suggested ... / It would be kinder to show it kindness." But it is difficult to show kindness to a terrorist. 

Mark Twain said that "I've never wished a man dead, but I have read some obituaries with great pleasure."  

But let us try to sow love, only love can undo evil, only love can undo malfeasance. With our ink, let us spread love. The ink of the scholar is more holy than the blood of the martyr!

Are the IRA terrorists?

The IRA have been responsible for numerous bombs and terrorist attacks in Britain and since the World War II nobody has bombed London more than the IRA. But I have never heard people calling the IRA Christian terrorists. And I totally agree with the fact that we should not use the term Christian terrorists or Muslim terrorists!

Members of the IRA are Christians (Catholics) who are fighting for the end of British control over Ireland. Until the tragedy of 9/11 which had killed innocent people, the government of the USA had supported IRA and this terrorist organization received funding from the USA. Let us not forget that the previous U.S. regime also supported Osama bin Laden in Afghanistan during the Cold War.

Al-Qaeda do not represent Muslims and they should not be called Islamic terrorists. They should be called, tout simplement, des terroristes!!

The label of Catholic terror was never used about the IRA therefore the label of Muslim terror must never be used too. This people who killed innocent people and who are still killing innocent people are not Muslims. They are criminal who show no mercy and they have no religion! They must never have the word muslim attached to their name because they do not represent Islam.  

The media must stop referring to "Muslim terrorism" because they are intelligent enough to understand that the atrocities committed by al-Qaeda have nothing to do with Islam. If we continue calling Mulim people terrorists, we are only playing the game of the people who are in the al-Qaeda. 

 Al-Qaeda uses a rhetoric of hatred as a powerful weapon. Therefore, they will recruit young people by telling them that the West is attacking your religion!  

Incorrect statement about religions can open a pandora box. We have to be careful! Journalists, think before you write, politicians, think before you open your mouth, some people, please do read between the lines instead of believing everything you read without using your critical thinking and reason!!!

The Quran prohibits aggressive warfare and it had only permitted war in self-defence. The true Islamic people are NOT the terrorists and the true Islamic values are certainly NOT carried by Osama Bin Laden or people who think like him. In Islam, it is stated that there must be no coercion in religious matters. Islam and Christianity have always promoted tolerance.

The true Islamic values are peace, reconciliation, and forgiveness.

The Jihadist is not a terrosist. People always understand the word Jihadist wrongly. The real meaning of jihad is struggle and NOT holy war. Jihad in Islam has no connection with violence. A Jihadist is a person who is spiritual and who wants to make the world a better place. Osama Bin Laden is certainly NOT a jihadist.

We need to use our intelligence in order to prepare a better world: precise intelligence. It is important to know who is our enemy and not to stigmatize a whole religion or population because of one group of people who are doing the wrong thing.

We should not turn potential friends into enemies. We should know how to call our enemies.