Hamas-Israel respite deal...

At last, there is an armistice between Israel and Hamas. The long-awaited suspension of fighting by agreement of opposing war masters has come into effect. But for how long will the war masters, if the expression correctly fits into this context, agree to stop the open acts of warfare? What everyone has learned from this war is that humanity dons its ugliest mask. While we, as humans, claim that the highest standards of compassion, empathy, and morality are adhered to, the war in Gaza conveys the true character of negativity and ugliness that humans, unfortunately, exhibit. As Muslims, we should always stick to our Islamic teachings, which prohibit any act that involves taking the life of other people. It is only permitted in certain legal and just contexts, and even in such cases, retribution should be given or exacted in recompense without excess or injustice, as stipulated in Surah Al-Isra (Verse 33), which states that killing the soul which Allah has made sacred is strictly prohibited, except by right. However, the killing of one another is not something new. Let me recall here the story, narrated in the holy Quran, of the two sons of Adam, in which the first recorded murder in history took place, when Cain killed his brother Abel. To show Cain how to hide the disgrace of his brother, a crow scratching at the ground was sent by Allah. This story clearly shows that humans have an inherent characteristic of jealousy and aggression and truly lack inner righteousness. Humans throughout history have been inclined to use force, violence, and worldly measures against each other. While Cain learned from the crow to hide the disgrace of his brother, the whole international community should look for a crow to show them how to erase the disgrace of the war on Gaza. Men and women, children and elderly, have been subjected to all kinds of agony. The infliction of intense pain on civilians has no grounds other than to punish, coerce, and afford sadistic pleasure. We, as humans, do nothing at the present time but sing the praises of a false glory of our international law, human law, etc. The current state of affairs is an outcome of a false self-satisfaction accompanied by unawareness of actual deficiencies in our inter-human relationships. It is a pity that we live with dead consciences, lacking not only the power but the intention to move, feel, or respond to violations of simple human rights not only in Gaza but also in other conflicts that humans wage against each other elsewhere. Our inertia results from unaware and uninformed self-satisfaction. Instead of making meaningful contributions, our minds seem to be fixed, stationary, and unchanging, inclined to favour the powerful out of fear or driven by a desire to get closer to them. Nobody has the right to violate the rights of others due to their immutable characteristics or personal beliefs, regardless of any statement offered in explanation or justification. There is no justification for killing or causing harm to people based on their racial, religious, or ethnic identity, or their skin colour. People descending from different countries or ethnicities or embracing the religion they choose have an inherent right to life and dignity. We should all have sympathy and indulgence for beliefs and practices that differ from or conflict with our own in order to tolerate and respect other cultures, religions, and ethnicities. While the principles of equality, justice, and human rights should be upheld, we should refuse to accept any act that involves or implies prejudiced hostility, animosity, or a strong feeling of dislike or hatred. As there is no winner in the brutal fight between Hamas and Israel, the ceasefire deal serves as an arrangement for the advantage of both peoples. All that we can say is let us pray to Allah to guide the hearts of opponents to what is good and beneficial for their people and for humanity as a whole. A word of thanks and gratitude is due to all of those, especially in the United States of America, the Arab Republic of Egypt, and the State of Qatar, who have engineered the deal between Hamas and Israel, hoping that a long-lasting state or period of mutual concord between them remains intact, untouched by anything that may diminish it.