AN INTERNATIONAL
PEACE CENTRE

Establishing peace has become our first priority. Indeed, it is our greatest need, present-day circumstances having made it a crucial factor in human survival. But simply publishing appeals in support of peace or bombing terrorist hideouts is not the way to establish it. The truth is that the terrorism of the present age is different from that of former times. It is not a matter of who has the more sophisticated, and therefore some lethal technology. It is more a matter of technology versus ideology, for terrorism has a complete ideology—of its own making—to support it. Not until this ideology is destroyed can terrorism be rooted out. It will persist in one form or another.

Because of the undeniable seriousness of this problem, it has become essential that a full-fledged international peace centre be established at some focal point. This centre will aim at uniting peace-loving people the world over. Through literary efforts and by other means it will promote peace. Most important of all, it will bring to the people a sustainable ideology of peace. By using the present wide range of modern communications, it will propagate the culture of peace at the universal level. It will eradicate the mentality which dictates that violence must be countered with violence, and will highlight the importance of peace as opposed to violence.

This international peace centre will be like a peace factory where spiritual ‘bombs’ will be manufactured. And these spiritual bombs will rain peace all over the world in order that the global fire, set alight by violence and terrorism, may be extinguished.

The truth is that if it had been possible to put an end to modern terrorism by the power of the gun or the bomb, this would have already been done. The actual issue here is not how to put an end to modern terrorism by means of an armed struggle. Armed force has already been used on a large scale, yet the menace of terrorism has not been uprooted. Therefore, there is no question of repeating this futile exercise. Rather the question is that of changing our strategy to counter terrorism in the light of past experience.

This change would mean that peaceful ‘bombs’ should be used in place of violent bombs. The international peace centre will then function as the universal factory which produces these peaceful or spiritual ‘bombs’. To be truly effective, it should be an entirely non-political and non-military organization. Any kind of political or military interference would be counterproductive. The objective of peace can be achieved only through peaceful means. The achievement of the objective of peace is just not possible by violent means.