What Do We Tell The Children?

Iffat Mirza, Cambridge

Have you ever seen a young child trip and perhaps graze their knee? Perhaps they burst into tears and perhaps you told them to ‘be brave’. Perhaps that was enough for them to dry their eyes and go back to their games.

It is deeply saddening to think – is this what we have to tell the children of Gaza now?

I imagine thousands upon thousands of parents and elders telling their young ones to ‘be brave’ as they themselves are dealing with a profound fear.

It makes me wonder as I contemplate, why do they have to be the ones to be brave? I do not really understand why our world leaders can’t bear the burden of courage. As they go about across the stages of conferences and delegations, elaborate dinners where they think important thoughts and talk important talks and rather tragically, in a few decades time, ponder if they should have acted differently. As these leaders walk along the stages of rooms full of audience members but sadly cower when on the world stage, the thought comes to my mind that why can’t we ask them to be the brave ones?

When we coined slogans such as “lest we forget” and “never again”, did we really think that the slogan alone would be enough to prevent further tragedies and atrocities? Did we stop and think why these things happened in the first place? Well, it is as clear as day that it was because of lack of courage. It’s the silence in the face of cruelties and brutalities which allows atrocities to continue.

The Holy Prophet (may the peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) stated over 1,400 years ago:

“Whoever of you sees something repugnant [to morals or faith], he should change it by his hand. If he has not the strength to do so, then by the word of mouth. And if he cannot do so, then dislike it at heart and endeavour to reform through prayer, but this was the weakest of faith.”

As we can see from this profound hadith/saying, true faith comes with having the courage to stop evil wherever it may be. How is it that we, as a society, nation, and global community, are led by those who do nothing to stop cruelties from taking place, knowing that it is well within their influence to stop them overnight, should they put their mind to it?

The current calls for a ceasefire in Gaza should not be as controversial as they are proving to be. What valid justification can possibly be given for the continuous attacks on children, hospitals, refugee camps, mosques or churches? What could be so possibly urgent to warrant tonnes upon tonnes of munitions to be dropped on civilians? Nothing.

The courage to stop it, however? The lack of that courage? It is really a reason to keep the ruthlessness going?

In a powerful statement about the injustices the people of Gaza are facing, His Holiness Mirza Masroor Ahmad (may Allah be his Helper) stated in his Friday Sermon on 27th October 2023

“For as long as [world leaders] do not courageously strive for a ceasefire, they are invariably responsible for taking the world towards destruction.”

Let it not be that yet again in the future, lamentably, we look back and wonder what we could have done differently. We need not wait till the future. We can say for certain now. We should have been braver.