The future of peace in the Arab East, the land of peace and prophets

The Arab East has its own characteristics that distinguish it from the rest of the regions and countries of the world, as this spot represents the land of the prophets and messengers of the three heavenly religions; Judaism, Christianity and Islam, the land of the prophets which is expected and supposed to be the cradle and land of permanent peace, the land of civilizations from which humanity learned the alphabet discovered in the Levant and the origin of music in Mesopotamia, the land of civilizations rooted and spread in it since the time of Christ, Moses and Muhammad, peace be upon them, and the Pharaohs and their architectural and engineering wonders such as the pyramids, the civilization of the Holy Jerusalem and the Isra and Mi'raj journey and the Path of Pain, and in it was the address of God Almighty and His teachings to the prophets, and in every corner of our civilization we find an ancient history spoken by the Arab East.

But unfortunately, despite this civilization and history, days and years pass us by in a phase in which peace is running out, disturbances and occupations over decades and centuries, including eras of occupation, rule and administration such as the Greeks, Romans, Crusaders, Umayyads, Abbasids and Ottomans, and the phase of partition agreements such as Sykes-Picot, which divided the Levant into new states, countries and entities, including Israel. Despite the division of the Levant, its human and cultural components are one, a division that left negative effects and events that wronged the region and its peoples for decades, witnessing conflicts and wars because of this division, the causes of which were many, ethnic, religious and sectarian, in addition to the new extremism represented by terrorist groups that prevailed with terror, killing and slaughtering of the ancient indigenous inhabitants of the region, for example, the Sayfo massacres and the excommunication and killing of social minorities in Mosul by ISIS, and displacement and expulsion under the pretext of excommunicating the Christian component in all its sects and destroying its churches, in addition to excommunicating Muslims as well, on the principle of killing everyone who does not follow the laws of their alleged caliphate. Where their opponents are accused of blasphemy, in order to eliminate and displace them, and the circle expands to witness the region’s existence of countries and civilizations that eat and steal the wealth and resources of others to spend on their wars and armies, and occupy areas with the aim of causing demographic change in them.

Where is peace in the land of stolen peace? Where is sustainable development, continuity of civilization and progress in the midst of the conflicts and wars witnessed by the region, such as the conflict in Gaza, for which the Palestinian people paid the price? Where is economic development and progress as a result of wars and mutual bombardment with missiles and bombs, the souls and spirits of people and their blood are shed, and everything is destroyed and devastated? A reality that cannot witness peace and development, in a world that unfortunately celebrates today the Week of Science for Peace, and the International Day of Science for Peace and Development!

The missing peace in the Arab East, and more importantly, the lack of mercy and tolerance in the hearts of the people of the region, whose souls have turned into petrified souls and whose spirits are filled with darkness, as a result of the lack of mercy, peace and reassurance, so that the blackness of darkness has unfortunately cast a shadow over the sky of our region. These wars have created the absence of true citizenship among the segments of society of citizens, and corruption, hatred, extremism, fanaticism and malice have recently spread, at a time when today the souls of people, especially generations, need a real restoration of their souls by planting them in peace and security, because of what they have experienced from the horrors of the ongoing wars and conflicts and their consequences to this day.

As for development and renaissance, they are also absent in the region, as there are no indications of economic progress or the establishment of any development projects that would revive the region and put it on the path to a real path to sustainable development. Some peoples in the region do not find the basics of their daily sustenance, and unemployment, poverty and inflation are widespread. Despite all this, the hope for the future of the East remains unfortunately out of reach. Will we need years and decades to heal the wounds and restore the opportunity and scope to the countries of our afflicted region in order to rise? Personally, I do not expect any peace or sustainable development without an important first step, which is to stop the conflicts and bloody wars, and work to treat extremist souls and everyone who has a defect in his belief and thought, so that he returns once again as an integral and productive part of his society, and we become before a society, a homeland and a state in which the rights of individuals are equal, and on the principle of rights and duties so that social justice becomes present, including important values such as respecting the different other, so that we are practically before true citizenship, in one homeland far from racism and sectarianism, and here the peoples become in a better stage in which equality and democracy prevail. And pluralism, and until we reach this desired stage, I believe that the desired peace, with all its meanings and implications, is missing or even non-existent.

Today, for the sake of the slogan of peace and development, we need to stop wars and replace them with a comprehensive state of peace, followed by comprehensive construction, of people, resources, culture and all aspects, so that we become in a scientifically and culturally advanced homeland, so that our countries in the Arab East can compete with the advanced countries on the world level. We must strive for a society of mercy, brotherhood and blessing that prevails in souls so that God may bestow upon them true peace that will be a climate for renaissance and economic development, and thus the peoples and countries of the land of peace will truly become a destination for peace and development.