[Assam] Just War?

[Ram Sarangapani]

The experience in Iraq has been fiasco then, and fiasco now. While 3000
people died on 9/11, the reponse from the US has killed more than
600,000 Iraqis, Afganis etc.

The month of Oct. has seen the highest number of US deaths in a while. In
Assam too, Oct. has been a very bloody month - with the very high number of
people (militants, soldiers, innocents) killed. (AT today)
Is there a justification?

The concept of a 'Just War' (ordained by providence) was somehow sold to the
people during the time of the Roman Emperor Constantine (274-337) .

Today, any violence is justified as either coming down straight from God
(God's will) or some other justification (cause) such as religious or
ethinic loss of identity.

Most religions have dealt with war  - some have justified it (through their
believers), while others like Emperor Ashoka have denounced was (after
Kalinga).

Gandhi observed 'I object to violence because when it appears to do good,
the good is only temporary; the evil it does is permanent.'

Was Gandhi right?

Below is a good topic for discussion. Hope you all enjoy it and join in.

--Ram
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http://www.ppu.org.uk/learn/infodocs/st_religions.html
Many wars have been fought with religion as their stated cause, and with
peace as their hoped-for end.

What follows is a very brief summary of what the world's major religions say
about war - and peace. Of course, religious beliefs are often complicated;
individuals and groups within each religion often have different views; and
religious affiliation is often closely associatedwith partisan emotions.

A summary can only give a very limited picture. But it can open a door to
understanding the links between religion and war.

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1. War: wrong, just or holy?

Put simply, there are three possible views of war that a religion might
adopt.

The pacifist view: all violence and killing is wrong.

Belief in 'a Just War': some wars, at least, are right because they are
perceived to be in the interests of justice - and should therefore be fought
according to just rules.

Belief in 'Holy War': the God of a religion is perceived to ask, or command,
its followers to make war on those who do not believe in that religion and
who pose a threat to those who do.

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2. Supporting non-violence

Three major world religons have their roots in India: Hinduism, Buddhism and
Sikhism. Buddhism and Sikhism both grew from Hinduism. All three share the
idea of non-violence (ahimsa).

The term 'non-violence' was actually coined in English (about 1920) by
Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi (1869-1948) as a direct translation of 'ahimsa',
'avoiding harm to others'. The idea of non-violence was very important to
Mahatma Gandhi's thinking and actions as a Hindu leader during India's
approach to independence in 1947. He wrote:
'I object to violence because when it appears to do good, the good is only
temporary; the evil it does is permanent.'


Hinduism
Hinduism is perhaps the oldest world religion; in some of its writings
ahimsa has been considered the highest duty from the beginning of time.
Jainism also grew out of Hinduism; Jainists believe that people should
strive to become detached from the distractions of worldly existence; and
that the practice of ahimsa is an essential step on the way to personal
salvation.

In Hinduism, however, there is another tradition. The Hindu scripture called
the 'Bhagavad Gita' tells the story of Arjuna, who learns it is his duty to
fight as a member of the soldier caste. Arjuna is told by his chariot driver
Krishna, who is really the god Vishnu in human form, that:

'Even without you, all the soldiers standing armed for battle will not stay
alive. Their death is foreordained.' Bhagavad Gita 11:32-3

In the story Arjuna overcomes his doubts and fights, even though he knows it
means killing some of his own family. Strict rules, however, are laid down
for war: cavalry may only go into action against cavalry, infantry against
infantry and so on. The wounded, runaways, and all civilians are to be
respected. The idea of a Just War is represented here.

How did Gandhi deal with this story in a scripture he loved? He thought of
it as an allegory, and interpreted it as meaning that one should certainly
engage in struggle, but only by means of non-violence. Certainly one should
not kill anyone. However, not all Hindus interpret the story in Gandhi's
way.

Buddhism
'Hatred is never appeased by hatred in this world; it is appeased by love.'
(Dhammapada I 5)

Buddhism developed from the teaching of Siddhartha Gautama, called the
Buddha (c.563 - 483 BC), who believed that human suffering could be overcome
by following a particular way of life. The first precept of Buddhism is
'non-harming' (ahimsa): Buddhists reject violence. Buddhism is clearly
pacifist in its teaching, and many Buddhists say quite bluntly that it is
'better to be killed than to kill'. Some Buddhists have been very active in
promoting peace, particularly during the Vietnam War (1961- 1975), when they
offered a 'Third Way' of reconciliation between the American and Communist
armies. Some Buddhist monks burned themselves to death in self-sacrificing
protest against the war.

Buddhism perhaps has the best record of all religions for non-violence.
However, Buddhists in Sri Lanka have been criticised for oppressing the
Tamil minority there (Tamils are a mostly Hindu people whose origins are in
southern India)

Buddhism, like all religions, seeks to be ethical. Confucianism and Taoism,
which both developed in China, also share similar principles with Buddhism.
For example, they seek to adjust human life to the inner harmony of nature
(Confucianism) and emphasise mediation and non-violence as means to the
higher life (Taoism). The founders of these religions, Confucius and
Lao-Tsze, lived in the same period as Buddha, the 6th century BC.

Sikhism
Guru Nanak (1469-1534), the first Sikh Guru (a guru is a spiritual teacher,
a revered instructor) wrote this hymn:

'No one is my enemy
No one is a foreigner
With all I am at peace
God within us renders us
Incapable of hate and prejudice.'

He too emphasised the importance of non-violence and the equality of all
humans whatever their religion (he was particularly concerned to reconcile
Hinduism and Islam). But this pacifist emphasis changed as persecution
against the Sikhs developed. The sixth Guru said:

In the Guru's house, religion and worldly enjoyment should be combined - the
cooking pot to feed the poor and needy and the sword to hit oppressors.

The tenth and last Guru, Guru Gobind Singh (1666-1708) was a general as well
as a Guru. In order to strengthen the courage and military discipline of the
Sikhs at a time of great persecution, he organised the Khalsa - the Sikh
brotherhood. Guru Gobind Singh expressed the idea of 'Just War' as follows:

'When all efforts to restore peace prove
useless and no words avail,
Lawful is the flash of steel,
It is right to draw the sword.'

But the idea of 'Holy War' is not found in Sikhism. A central teaching of
Sikhism is respect for people of all faiths.

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3. Holy Warriors
Three world religions with their roots in the Middle East adopted, at some
stages of their history, the idea of a 'Holy War', as well as that of a
'Just War'.


Judaism
They shall beat their swords into ploughshares and their spears into pruning
hooks: nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall
theylearn war any more'. (The Old Testament: Isaiah 2:4)

Peace is the central teaching of rabbinical Judaism (teachings based on the
writings of early Jewish scholars). However, Judaism is not a pacifist
religion. The idea of Holy War occurs in the Hebrew Bible, but it was not
about making others Jewish, but about survival.

The idea of 'Just War' is clearly expressed both in the Old Testament (see
Deuteronomy 20:10-15,19-20) and in the later rabbinical tradition. So while
revenge and unprovoked aggression are condemned, self defence is justified.
Jews have been victims of dreadful persecution, usually at the hands of
Christians, for nearly two thousand years, culminating in the Holocaust
during the Second World War (1939-1945). On the other hand, defending modern
Israel and dealing justly with the Palestinians places thoughtful Jews in
difficult dilemmas.


Christianity
Christianity, during its 2,000 year history, has taken up all three
positions on war: Pacifism, Just War and Crusade or Holy War. Jesus'
teachings in the Sermon on the Mount (The New Testament: Matthew 5 - 7) are
very clearly non-violent: for example, 'blessed are the peacemakers, for
they shall be called the children of God' (Matthew 5:9) and 'love your
enemies' (Matthew 5:44).

Pacifism was the teaching and practice of the Christian Church until the
Roman Emperor Constantine (274-337) made Christianity the official religion
of the Empire. Pacifism then largely gave way to the development of the
'Just War' doctrine. Politics and religion were able to endorse each other
in going to war.

In the Middle Ages the Crusades were fought mainly to recover the Holy Land
(the area between the Mediterranean and the river Jordan) from Muslim rule.
Today most Christians would be ashamed of the terrible cruelty and injustice
to which the Crusades gave rise. Most Christians would also be ashamed of
the later persecution of heretics (people who did not accept the official
teachings of the Christian church) and non-Christians (such as Jews).

The majority of present-day Christians support the idea that war is
regrettable but unavoidable and should be fought according to 'Just War'
rules. Pacifism is a minority position held by some Christians in the larger
denominations (Roman Catholic, Church of England, Methodist, etc.). The
Quakers, Mennonites, Amish and Hutterites together make up the historical
'peace churches', with a long tradition of pacifist belief and action.

The question remains: which position on war is the most faithful to the
teaching of Jesus, who advised his followers to 'turn the other cheek' and
who, when arrested, forbade a disciple to use a sword?


3. Islam
'Islam' means 'submission' or 'surrender' to the will of God (Allah). Its
founder was the prophet Mohammed (c.570-632), who recorded his understanding
of the word of Allah in the Islamic sacred book, the Qur'an.

Islamic teaching is often misunderstood in the West, particularly on the
matter ofJihad. What does Jihad mean? One scholar wrote: 'Jihad means to
'strive' or 'struggle' in the way of God.' Jihad has two further meanings:

- the duty of all Muslims, as individuals and as a community, to exert
themselves to realise God's will, to lead good lives, and to extend the
Islamic community through such things as preaching and education,

and :

- 'Holy War' for, or in defence of, Islam.

In the West Jihad has retained only the meaning of 'Holy War'.

However, it is more correct to say that there are four different kinds of
Jihad::
- personal spiritual and moral struggle in order to overcome
self-centredness and follow the teachings of the Qur'an;
- calm preaching and
- righteous behaviour that witness to the unbeliever about the
way of Islam; and
- war against those who oppress or persecute believers.

All faithful Muslims are thus involved in a continuous 'greater jihad' which
is largely non-violent. 'The lesser jihad', war, is commanded by Allah but
must be carried out acording to strict rules.

There is a sense in which the lesser jihad is both 'Holy War' and 'Just
War'. But it is not about making others Muslim, although some Muslims
believe it is. The Qur'an says: 'There shall be no compulsion in religion'.

One Muslim became widely known for his practice of non-violence. Abdul
Gaffar Khan, a member of the often warlike Pathans on the north-west
frontier of India, adopted Gandhi's ideas in leading his people to
independence with the establishment of Pakistan. He became known as 'the
Frontier Gandhi'. Like Gandhi, he was often imprisoned.

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4. The Humanist View
In recent times religion has played a decreasing role in many societies,
particularly in the West. Many people have consciously rejected the notion
of a spiritual and sacred religion or god. This does not necessarily mean
the rejection of ethical principles. Some people have developed a philosophy
of 'humanism'. This is based on humanitarian ideals, such as individual
responsibility for one's actions, respect for others, co-operating for the
common good, and sharing resources.

Some humanists would accept the 'Golden Rule', a term first used by
Confucius: 'Do as you would be done by', or 'Treat others as you would wish
them to treat you'. Some see the natural or logical conclusion of such a
principle to be the rejection of all war and violence. Others, who have
reservations about pacifism, argue for 'Just War' rules similar to those
based on religious law.

5.Pacifism
The Peace Pledge Union campaigns against war and promotes peace.We challenge
the values and attitudes which are a serious obstacle to action for peace.
As a non-sectarian organisation we welcome co-operation with a variety of
other groups, religious or non-religious, who share our aims.

'I object to violence because when it appears to do good, the good is only
temporary; the evil it does is permanent.'
Was Gandhi right?



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