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Mark Browder Recent events have shown just how terrible things can become in the Middle East, especially in Israel and the Palestinian Territories. The world currently sees a war with no discernible end in sight combined with an escalation of the usual violence between Israel and the Palestinians. To the casual observer there would seem to be no way out of the vicious cycle of violence which begets more violence. Talk of peace has become just that; talk. However, there may be a way out of this vicious cycle of violence after all, at least with reference to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. And while few, and certainly not myself, are actually calling for an end to Operation Enduring Freedom, until terrorism is completely wiped out; an end to the violence between Israelis and Palestinians would be in everyone’s best interest. It would seem that the key to peace would lie with peaceful actions, not with violent actions. After all, the current cycle of violence is unlikely to produce a peaceful result even in a hundred years. However, we have two examples from history who have shown us that peace, security, and equal rights can be achieved by those who do not currently enjoy these rights within the space of 10 to 30 years’ time. These two examples are Mahatma Mohandas Karanchand Gandhi and Dr Martin Luther King, Jr. Gandhi was struck by the inhumane and discriminatory treatment of his fellow Indian peoples in South Africa which he faced first-hand when he arrived there for the first time in 1893. He, therefore, began a peace movement he called satyagraha which espoused non-violence as the means by which to acquire civil rights for the Indian people. In 1901, having championed the cause of his native peoples in South Africa he left for India promising to return if he were needed again. A plea from the Indian community in South Africa in fact brought him back in 1902 where he continued to lead his non-violent movement for civil rights. His deeds resulted in the passage of the Indian Relief Act in 1914. In 1915 he left South Africa for the final time and returned to his native India in triumph. By this time, because of his success in South Africa, he began to be recognized by others as a Mahatmas, which is a term of reverence which is generally translated as ‘Great Soul’ and could roughly be equated with the term ‘Saint’. Beginning in 1915 he championed the cause of the downtrodden masses in India by continuing there his non-violent movement for the remainder of his life. Finally, in 1921, he made his first bid for Indian self-rule and independence from the British Empire. He was arrested many times throughout these years spending a total of 2,338 days in various jails in South Africa and India. Finally, Gandhi was assassinated on 30 January, 1948 at the age of 78. But his movement resulted in Indian Independence and peace. Violence had not paved the way; peace had. Dr Martin Luther King, Jr., took Gandhi’s example of non-violence as the method by which he wished to help acquire civil rights for American Blacks in this country. King had been greatly influenced by Gandhi during his studies which culminated in his completion of a Ph.D. in 1955. Immediately he elected to become a minister in Montgomery, Alabama, where he led a boycott of the local bus system that year. While others had much to do with beginning and nurturing the civil rights movement King led the way for the utilization of non-violent means by which, within 10 years, civil rights for American Blacks were achieved. King gave his famous "I have a dream" speech in 1963 and received the Nobel Peace Prize that same year. In 1965 he organized a march from Selma to Montgomery which helped lead later that year to the passing of the Voting Rights Act. Finally, on 4 April 1968 King was assassinated in Memphis, Tennessee. Again, the way to peace and civil rights had been achieved through peaceful means, not by violent means. So, one may ask, by exactly what means might the Muslim and Christian Palestinians find and follow a path which would lead them to peace? The answer may be found in the Islamic Shiite tradition of the Mahdi. The fact that this tradition usually necessitates the concept of a warrior saviour is not a problem since it is not a necessary part of the concept of the Mahdi. In addition, since many Muslims traditionally expect a reformer to be sent to them at the beginning of each century it would seem now to be the appropriate time. And there have been many claimants since the inception of the idea of the Mahdi. For example, in 1890 Ghulam Ahmad of India declared himself to be the Mahdi but added that jihad need not be physical warfare but rather spiritual warfare. He helped to pave the way for the concept of a, more or less, peaceful Mahdi. It, perhaps, should be remembered that many Jews during the Roman occupation expected a Messiah to be sent to them who would be a warrior who would cast off the Roman yoke and destroy all of Israel’s enemies. And there were many claimants to the title of Messiah both before and after the lifetime of Jesus. While scholars still debate whether Jesus actually claimed to be the Messiah himself, it can not be disputed that he has fulfilled the role of a peaceful Messiah which is not what the general population expected of their Messiah. And, although the movement he fostered, namely Christianity, has sometimes utilized violent means to achieve its ends, just as the peace movements begun both by Gandhi and King sometimes degenerated into violence, the overall impact of Christianity and these other movements has been peaceful. The time is right for someone to lead the Palestinian cause in a peaceful, non-violent manner. If this is done it is possible that they may achieve peace, security, and civil rights within 10 to 30 years. Certainly this would be better than utilizing violent means which will never achieve a peaceful result.
Ref.: Text from the Author. January 2002.
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