Receiving the Demiurgus
Peace International Award
After the roundtable meeting, we were taken to a guesthouse nearby, where arrangements had been made for lunch. During lunch, I exchanged views with some people. Later in the evening, we gathered at the Theatre Hall of Hotel Casino. Here, a concert by the Russian National Orchestra had been arranged. It was a large troupe consisting of over 100 artists. Professor Vladimir Spivakov conducted the concert. He did his work with great sincerity. The audience thoroughly enjoyed the program and repeatedly burst out into claps. Professor Spivakov would stand up on the stage, bow low, and express his thanks to the audience at the end of every item.
The award-giving ceremony followed the musical program. Seven people had been selected from different parts of the world to be honoured with a peace award on behalf of Peace International. Besides myself, among the awardees were the President of Russia, Mr. Vladimir Putin, and Nobel Laureate Desmond Tutu from South Africa.
After each person received the Award, they gave a short speech. In my speech, I said that the work for establishing peace in the world has to happen through peaceful, not violent, means. In this regard, I cited the famous words attributed to Jesus Christ about loving one’s enemies. Furthermore, I said that loving one’s enemies means solving the problem of enmity with the power of love. Therefore, meet the challenge of your enemy with the power of love and Peace. Finally, I prepared a paper to present on this occasion, expressing my views on universal peace. This paper is reproduced hereunder:
The Beginning of a New Era
Nuclear Disarmament Forum, Zug, Switzerland October 12, 2002
A historian has rightly said that the history of mankind is little less than a register of wars and violence. After the Second World War, this situation reached its climax. Now the world has witnessed the emergence of two superpowers, both armed with thousands and thousands of nuclear bombs. However, it was soon discovered that nuclear arms were practically useless due to their boomerang effect. It is generally accepted that nuclear bombs are neither useful for offence nor defence. Moreover, while using them brings about the annihilation of enemies, it is equally a suicidal course for the attacker. After this reality dawned upon the superpowers, nuclear bombs became
for their owners a liability rather than an asset.
This realisation led to serious negotiations between the two superpowers in order to put an end to this deadly menace. All minds sought a formula for the bilateral destruction of nuclear weapons. However, this kind of bilateralism proved to be impractical.
By the grace of God, after long contemplation, I found the answer to this question in the universal teaching of religion. This teaching was based on the principle of unilateral ethics, the application of which requires one superpower to start destroying its pile of nuclear weapons without insisting that it be done on a bilateral basis. Such unilateral action would create a compulsive atmosphere for the other party, which would feel that it had no option but to follow the same course, for it would then lose the justification for keeping its nuclear arsenal.
I first suggested following a unilateral policy at the international meeting organised by the Nuclear Disarmament Forum held on July 26-30, 2001, in Kandersteg (Switzerland).
This idea was greatly appreciated by Mr. Andre Bykov, the Chairman of the Nuclear Disarmament Forum. I later compiled it in the form of a booklet titled, A Manifesto of Peace, and published it. In the next meeting of the Forum held in Ashdown Forest (England) in September 2001, this booklet was distributed to all the participants. With the active support of Mr. Andre Bykov, this idea of unilateralism has been rapidly gaining ground.
It is a matter of great pleasure and satisfaction that Russia has already started to destroy its nuclear armament. Thus, Russia has become the first nuclear nation to begin the disarmament process by disposing about 100 kg of plutonium from surplus nuclear weapons, the equivalent of 10 atomic bombs, i.e., weapons having 100 times the detonating power devastated Hiroshima. It is undoubtedly a decisive step toward destroying and disposing of weapons-grade plutonium worldwide. Although, the U.S.A. is liberally funding this process, the credit for taking the first step must go to Russia.
Mr. Andre Bykov, an eminent Russian scientist, has successfully discovered a formula to extract plutonium from nuclear bombs to be re-used for constructive purposes. By this formula, he has successfully converted destructive weapons into constructive machines. It is a great and historic achievement. He deserves to be given credit for saving humanity from nuclear conflict. Moreover, at the same time, he has established that the human mind has a unique capacity to turn a minus into a plus. May God shower his choicest blessings upon him.
Now it seems that the dream of humanity is going to be fulfilled. Moreover, the dream of a nuclear-free world will be realised within a short period.
If the 20th century was a century of war and violence, the 21st century, it seems certain, is going to be a century of peace and happiness. Humanity is once again on the threshold of a new era.
Now I would like to congratulate Mr. Andre Bykov for having successfully initiated the process of nuclear disarmament. It is a great international achievement to his credit.
It is a matter of great satisfaction that we have found a highly empirical formula for avoiding the nuclear war, which has cast its shadow upon humanity for a long time. However, I would like to take this opportunity to point out that we also have to consider another field connected to this peace mission—terrorism. That is armed action by private groups and individuals. Moreover, let us not forget that where a superpower cannot afford an endless war, terrorists can. These terrorists are people of a different breed: their ultimate goal does not necessarily consist of gaining victory.
On the contrary, death is also a desired goal for them. According to their self-styled ideology, they believe that they will instantly enter Paradise if they die in their militant struggle. Therefore, according to their beliefs, both victory and defeat have an equal value. In either case, they believe that they are the winners. Because of this unique ideology, these terrorists can continue their militancy for an indefinite period, generation after generation. However, they are not a people apart.
On the contrary, they are an integral part of their whole generation. One of their great strengths is that the militants have an ideological factory for brainwashing their youths. This brainwashing process goes on unceasingly, and there is always a long queue of those who want to be recruited and be martyred.
Modern terrorism is thus a great and ongoing menace to our civilised world. Some world powers are engaged in crushing it militarily, but military action alone will not suffice to eliminate this phenomenon.
This is because present-day terrorism is militancy supported by an ideology. So it is not simply an issue of gun vs gun. It is, in fact, an issue of gun vs ideology. A bomb can be countered with a bomb. However, an ideology cannot be countered with a bomb. For this, we require an ideology of peace. So, we have to formulate such an ideology as will banish the notion that there can be anything acceptable about terrorism. This would call for total mental re-conditioning of the terrorists. We have to rid the militants’ minds of the ideology activating them. This, in effect, would be like defusing a bomb. With this very purpose in mind. I have published three books, called The True Jihad, Islam and Peace and The Ideology of Peace, which aim at persuading Muslim extremists to accept more peaceful solutions. After our successful experience of nuclear disarmament, we must now proceed to open a front for the ideological neutralisation of the threat of terrorism. I hope we shall be successful in undertaking this most urgent task.
Wahiduddin Khan
CPS International, New Delhi
October 12, 2002
