TOWARDS GLOBAL PEACE

warfare brings in its wake. In former times, fighting was confined to the battlefield. The only sufferers were those engaged in the battle. But today, the spear and sword have been replaced by nuclear bombs and devastating long-range missiles, so that killing and destruction take place on a horrendous scale. It is the entire human settlement, which has now become the global arena of war. Even the air we breathe and the water we drink are left polluted in the aftermath of war. Hence, people have come to find Islam outdated and irrelevant precisely because of its militant interpretation. Demands for a reform in Islam are on the increase, as the ‘old’ version of Islam cannot apparently keep pace with the modern world. But, in reality, what is needed is not reformation, but revival. What is needed is to discard as superficial and erroneous the militant and political interpretation of Islam, and to adopt the original version of Islam based on peace, mercy and the love of humankind. The so-called Muslim Mujahideen have been exhorting their coreligionists to do battle all over the world. But the Quran says: ‘God calls man to the home of peace.’ (10: 25) It is up to right-thinking people everywhere to disregard the call of the Mujahideen, and to start seeing and accepting Islam as it is truly represented by the Quran. o What is needed now is to discard as superficial and erroneous the militant and political interpretation of Islam, and to adopt the original version of Islam based on peace, mercy and the love of humankind. USA Centre for Peace and Spirituality 2665 Byberry Road, Bensalem, PA 19020 kkaleemuddin@gmail.com