A JOURNEY
TOWARDS PEACE
I have been associated with the issue of peace directly or indirectly since 1950. In this connection, despite the pressure of various other activities I have participated in a number of peace conferences, in India as well as abroad. A considerable number of my writings have been published on this subject. Here I would like to refer to three international peace conferences held recently on the issue of peace, which I attended and to which I tried to make my contribution. All three, held under the auspices of the Nuclear Disarmament Forum, under the chairmanship of Mr. Andre Bykov, were participated in by highly educated people from different parts of the world.
The first conference in this connection was held from the 25th to 30th of July, 2001, at Kandersteg, a famous resort in Switzerland, its topic being, “How to make a nuclear free world.” On this occasion, I presented a paper, which is reproduced hereunder.
Ladies and Gentlemen:
The theme of this meeting is the complex issue of nuclear disarmament which, at this stage in world development, it is both appropriate and imperative that we discuss in forums of this nature. I am grateful, therefore, to the organizers of this conference for giving me the opportunity to share my views with you.
What strikes me as being of prime importance is to fully understand the reasons for the stockpiling of nuclear armaments. In my opinion, the principal reason is mistrust between men and between nations. The escalation of this mistrust has caused the proliferation of nuclear armaments, and an increase in other related activities. What I believe to be mainly responsible for this mistrust is the lack of spirituality in modern times. We have to work at removing this root cause, without which it will be well-nigh impossible to make any progress.
There is a well-known saying of Jesus Christ. He said, “Love your enemy.” It means that one must love everyone—including one’s enemies. This is the essence of spirituality and religion: love and compassion for one’s fellow men. And if we are serious about wanting to remove or solve all the problems that mankind is facing, especially in matters relating to nuclear armaments and acts of violence, we must lay greater emphasis on the purely spiritual, and revive the true spirit of religiosity.
I would like to mention an example from Islamic tradition. We know that the Prophet of Islam was born in Makkah and later on migrated to Madina. In those days, there were some Jews living in Madina. One day, as the Prophet was sitting outside with his companions, the funeral procession of a Jew passed by. At this, the Prophet stood up, whereupon one of his companions said,
“O Prophet! It was the funeral of a Jew, not a Muslim.” The Prophet replied, “Was he not a human being?” (Al-Bukhari)
This came directly from the heart of a truly spiritual man. A genuinely religious person always feels compassion for all men and women, and loves them all equally. But when we are lacking in spiritual and religious values, we tend to become frightened and distrust those around us. In this modern world, we are witness to the spectacle of people exploiting one another. It has become easier to exploit others than to love them. I think that this in part is the explanation of our present dilemma.
The most important thing for us to do then, first and foremost, is to engender in ourselves and in others a genuine spirituality. That is the only way to create a world order based on love and compassion, which would in turn lead to the establishment of international stability. Without such positive measures, it will be impossible to solve the problems of today.
Thank you
On the occasion of the international conference in Kandersteg (Switzerland) at the request of
Mr. Andre Bykov, chairman Nuclear Disarmament Forum, I prepared a document on this issue. At the end of the conference this document was presented on July 30, 2001 at a function held in the historical city of Zug (Switzerland). This was subsequently published for general distribution. This document is reproduced hereunder:
Peace is essential for a better way of living—peace of mind, peace in the family and peace in nature. Today, in our modern, technological world, man apparently has access to everything he desires, but in the absence of peace, everything has been rendered meaningless. What is needed to redress the balance is love, compassion, tolerance, forbearance and the spirit of co-existence. Peaceful co-existence is the only way of existence in this world.
How can we attain peace? The formula is very simple. Take your share without usurping that of others. Fulfill your needs without depriving others of theirs. Satisfy your desires without thwarting others and fulfill your ambitions without denying others theirs. In short, solve your own problems without creating problems for your fellow human beings.
However, a peaceful life can be achieved only when human beings learn what their limitations ought to be. According to the Divine law, you can take from the world whatever will satisfy your need—not your greed. You may do business with others, but not at the cost of the family and society. In daily existence, you may lead your life by maintaining the social structure and tradition and not by destroying them. You have the freedom to lead your own life, but by caring in the process for the rest of your society and not by neglecting it. Resources may be utilized for the benefit of humanity, but not for purely exploitative purposes. You are free to use peaceful methods, but you are not entitled to use violent methods. You can make use of nature, but only by maintaining its balance: the equilibrium of nature must never be upset. You have the freedom to use nuclear energy for peaceful purposes, but not to manufacture destructive weapons. You are at liberty to nurture feelings of love and compassion, but not to give way to hatred and prejudice. You are free to fulfill your physical desires, but not by killing your soul, spiritually. In short, you have the freedom to enjoy life by sharing with others, but certainly not by eliminating them.
In the present world the root cause of most of our problems is traceable to our deviation from the model of nature. Nature around us serves as the best model for us to follow. All the dilemmas we are facing today arise because we have ignored the model of nature.
The stars and planets are in continual motion in their orbits, but they never collide with one another. This serves as an example to show man how to go on in life without coming into conflict with others. He should continue his onward journey towards his destination without disturbing the path of others. The sun is a wonderful model. It shows us how we should give life to others in a totally indiscriminating way. The tree is also a shining example to man, in supplying healthy and beneficial oxygen in exchange for harmful gases such as carbon dioxide. And just look at how the flowers spread fragrance to others, regardless of whether they are appreciated for it or not. A flowing stream is likewise a model when it irrigates the fields without expecting anything is return. Without the inculcation of these altruistic values among human beings, no meaningful life on Earth is possible.
In short, positivity prevails throughout Nature. Negativity just does not exist in the world of Nature. This teaches us the lesson that we should give a positive response at all times, even in the face of negative situations.
An exhortation to follow Nature’s example is exactly what Christ expressed in these divine words:
‘Our Father in Heaven! Hallowed be Your name, Your Kingdom come; Your Will be done on earth as it is in Heaven.’ (Matthew 6:10)
The second conference on peace, under the auspices of the Nuclear Disarmament Forum, was held at Ashdown Park Hotel, London, from 18 to 21 September, 2001. As an invitee to this conference, which was attended by delegates from different parts of the world, I made a speech during the deliberations. The text of this speech is reproduced hereunder.
Speech at London Conference
I am grateful to the organizers of this conference for giving me the opportunity to attend this international meeting, so that I may share my views with this learned audience. We started our journey of peace from Switzerland, where we successfully identified the basic problems faced by the world of today.
The joint declaration issued at the Swiss City of Zug called for the building of a better world, based on moral and spiritual values. For this to become a reality, peace had first to be established, for without peace no constructive work could be effectively carried out. It was emphasized that the beginning of the peace process would necessarily entail the elimination of nuclear weapons, without which no progress could be made.
One aspect of the deliberations in Switzerland was that the importance of ideology for stemming violence was stressed. Violence always begins in the mind, so we have to uproot it from the mind itself. We have to find an ideology of peace with which to confront the ideology of violence. Otherwise there will be no end to violence. The horrendous events in New York and Washington on September 11, 2001, are adequate proof of this point. They effectively demonstrated that, with a violent bent of mind, man can wage a war without even being in possession of arms. He can bombard without a bomb. Therefore, we have to eradicate the violent mindset and inculcate instead a peaceful way of thinking.
In view of this fact, and in the spirit of the Zug declaration, I have prepared two pamphlets titled A Manifesto of Peace and The Road to Paradise. This is my humble contribution to this universal mission. The first work describes the importance of external peace, while the second describes the importance of internal peace. Both are essential for a smooth and balanced development.
Now, I should like to make a few brief comments on the present team. This group of concerned people, organized under the dynamic leadership of Mr. Andre Bykov, seems to be a minority group at present, but being a small group or a minority group is not a minus point. As Schumacher has rightly said, “Small is beautiful.” And the British historian, Arnold Toynbee, after a life-long study of history, tells us that it was those minorities who proved to be creative minorities who brought about the great revolutions of human history. I sincerely hope that this team will stand the test of creativity and will succeed in bringing about the revolution the world has been waiting for so long.
In conclusion, I would like to say that the formula for revolution is very simple:
Change yourself and you will be able to change the whole world.
May God help you to realize this noble cause.
Nuclear Disarmament Forum,
Ashdown Park, London
September 14, 2001
The third international conference, under the auspices of the Nuclear Disarmament Forum, was held on October 12, 2002 in the historic city of Zug, Switzerland. This conference, in which I participated, was also attended by scholars from different parts of the world. 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, 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 super powers, both armed with thousands and thousands of nuclear bombs. But it was soon discovered that nuclear arms were practically useless due to their boomerang effect. Now it is generally accepted that nuclear bombs are useful neither for offence nor defense. And 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 realization 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. But this kind of bilateralism proved to be impractical.
By the grace of God, after long contemplation, I found the answer to this question, in a 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 on its part would create a compulsive atmosphere for the other party, which would then 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 made this suggestion of following a unilateral policy at the international meeting organized by the Nuclear Disarmament Forum held 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 and published it. At the next meeting of the Forum held in Ashdown Forest (England) in September 2001, it 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 armaments. Thus Russia has become the first in the history of nuclear armament to begin the process of disarmament by disposing of about 100 kg of plutonium from surplus nuclear weapons, the equivalent of 10 atomic bombs, i.e. weapons having 100 times the detonating power that devastated Hiroshima. No doubt it is a decisive step towards destroying and disposing of weapons-grade plutonium worldwide. Although this process is now being liberally funded by the U.S.A., 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. This is a really great and historic achievement. He deserves to be given the credit for saving humanity from nuclear conflict. And 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. The dream of a nuclear free world is going to be realized within a short period of time.
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. A new world is being born. Mankind 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 practical formula for avoiding the nuclear war which for a long time cast its shadow upon humanity. But I would like to take this opportunity to point out that there is also another field which we have to consider in connection with this peace mission—that of terrorism. That is, armed action by private groups and individuals. And let us not forget that where a super power cannot afford an endless war, terrorists can. These terrorists are people of a different breed: their ultimate goal is not necessarily victory. Death is also a desired goal for them. According to their self-styled ideology, they believe that if they die in their militant struggle, they will instantly enter paradise. According to their beliefs, therefore, both victory and defeat have an equal value for them. 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 of time, generation after generation. But they are not a people apart. They are an integral part of their own 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 civilized world. Some powers of the world are engaged in crushing it militarily, but military action alone will not suffice to eliminate this phenomenon.
The reason for this is that present-day terrorism is actually militancy supported by an ideology. So it is not simply an issue of gun-versus-gun. It is, in fact, an issue of gun-versus-ideology. A bomb can be countered with a bomb. But 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. That is, we have to rid the minds of the militants of the ideology which is 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 neutralization of the threat of terrorism. I hope we shall be successful in undertaking this most urgent task.
