Throughout 1984, Iraq has stepped up its attempt to ruin the Iranian economy by cutting off export of oil through the Kharg Island terminal. Hoping to force Iran to negotiate an end to the four-year-old Gulf War, the Iraqi authorities have conducted systematic attacks on international shipping using the Iranian oil terminal. In this they have been considerably assisted by their acquirement of sophisticated Exocet missiles from France. So successful have these missiles been that Aerospatiale—the French manufacturers of the Exocet—considered fit to bring out an advertisement in the London Economist, announcing that their product had hit 103 vessels in the Gulf War and disabled at least 47 up to 10 July, 1984.
Dozens of crewmen on these foreign vessels have been killed or injured. The Exocet, as the advertisement omits to say, has disabled and wrecked human life as well as ships.
The reason that Aerospatiale, like the manufacturers and distributors of so many other weapons of destruction, consider it fit to advertise the devastating qualities kills of their products, is that they feel there is none to bring them to account for their actions. Everyone knows that killing innocent people, and giving others weapons to kill them is a crime against God and humanity. Yet those who wield political and economic power in this world continue to kill, and even take pride in their action, when it serves their interests. They think that their power gives them a licence to kill.
The human conscience demands that such people be brought to justice; it cries out, “Who is going to take away their licence to kill?” Yet in this world they are never brought to justice. Those who perpetrate these crimes against humanity are given state funerals and buried as ‘heroes.’ They are condemned and punished only if they happen to be on the losing side.
In a world where the human conscience, and the order of the whole universe, demands justice, it is inconceivable and unacceptable to think that some people should indulge in game of death and destruction and allowed to go without paying for their crimes. There must come a day when the powerful are made powerless, and made to answer for their actions; when those who innocently died at their hands are invited to bear witness against their persecutors. That will be the Day of Judgement, the day when the Owner of all true power, brings justice to the world, and punishes those to whom He gave power as a test, and who mercilessly misused it. □
