TOWARDS GLOBAL PEACE

TOWARDS GLOBAL PEACE We often talk of peace in the context of war. But this is a very narrow and restricted notion of peace. Peace is deeply linked with the entirety of human life. Peace is a complete ideology in itself. Peace is the only religion for both—man and the universe. It is the master-key that opens the doors to every success. Peace creates a favourable atmosphere for success in every endeavour. Without peace, no positive action—small or big—is possible. PEACE IN THE PROMISED LAND This article appeared in the November 15, 2023, edition of The Speaking Tree, Times of India. PALESTINE is the holy site of three major Abrahamic religions. For the Jews, Palestine is the ‘Promised Land’ as mentioned in the Bible. Christians regard this land as holy because Jesus Christ was born here and fulfilled his mission in this land. Muslims consider this place sacred because the Prophet of Islam came here on a journey called Mi’raj, ascension to heaven, and after migrating to Madinah, he made Bait-ul-Maqdis in Jerusalem, his Qibla, prayer direction, for over a year. The ‘promised land’ in the Bible is the ‘assigned land’ in the Quran. The Quran commands Moses to lead his people in diaspora, living in Egypt, to this Promised Land. ‘O my people, enter the holy land which God has assigned to you.’ (5: 21) As per the Balfour Declaration, the Jews in Diaspora were permitted to return to Palestine under a limited quota system. The Arab leaders should have accepted this as a legitimate decision, but they showed a strong reaction to it. History shows that the conflict has caused largescale destruction and displacement of Palestinians since 1948 and has taken thousands of lives. In the wake of the Balfour Declaration, an opportunity presented itself to the Palestinians to work for progress and development in cooperation with the Jews, who came mainly from Western countries