TOWARDS GLOBAL PEACE

it through the prism of our perspective. This is why two people who have very different mentalities or mindsets do not see the same thing in an identical way or form the same opinion about it. Keeping the above in mind, it is pertinent to know the result which has ensued from the erroneous political interpretation of Islam. Those who consider this as the goal of Islam divide the people as ‘the rulers and the ruled’. This fosters a very different attitude as compared to those who consider the goal of Islam as preparing an individual to be a spiritual person, a person eligible for God’s Paradise. For the spiritually-oriented, the world is a place to work towards helping oneself and others develop spirituality, which means conveying the message of God peacefully. This attitude inculcates in a person good character, gives him a peaceful mission of being a true well-wisher for others, makes him tolerant and patient in the face of provocation and when others do not reciprocate in a positive way. Such spirituallyinclined people have neither any economic interests behind their well-wishing nor any personal agendas behind their mission of peace and spirituality. The other mindset of looking at the world as a political arena and seeking the establishment of one’s political power fosters a character that treats everyone as one’s rival. In such cases, self-interest will dominate behind every plan and dealing with others. This mindset further creates a complaint culture against the government leading to protests, demonstrations and riots. This leads to mayhem in the society. Lack of trust, accusations, false propaganda, and fake news further add fuel to the fire. Wisdom demands that people compare the result of following Islamic teachings as laid down by God and His prophets, and the result of following the ideas presented through the prism of a person’s own mindset. Those who take the latter as their guide must think for themselves about the futile actions they are engaged in since past several years. To truly comprehend anything and to form a correct opinion about it, one needs a proper mindset. If that is absent, then, no matter how obvious a thing may be, one will fail to understand it properly. o Wisdom demands that people should compare the results of looking at the Islamic teachings as it is given by God and His prophets, and at the results of the teachings presented through the prism of their own perspective or mindset.