Muslim world leader warns of looming world war over leaders' complicity in Israel-Palestine war injustice
"As long as [world leaders] do not strive courageously for a ceasefire, they will undoubtedly be responsible for leading the world towards destruction." During his weekly Friday Sermon, the Leader of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community International, Hazrat Mirza Masrur Ahmad, warned of an imminent world war. He highlighted the complicity of world leaders in unjust policies, criticised the Western media's biased coverage of the Israeli-Palestinian war, and made an urgent call for collective prayer.
Addressing a congregation of hundreds at the Mubarak Mosque in Islamabad, UK, His Holiness's speech was broadcast to several million people around the world on MTA International, the Ahmadiyya Community's 24-hour daily international satellite channel.
Warning of the risk of global war, His Holiness said:
"The rate at which the state of war is escalating and the manner in which the Israeli government and other major world powers are adopting certain policies, makes it clear that a global war is staring us in the face. Now some leaders of Muslim countries have begun to declare it openly, as have Russia and China. Western analysts have also begun to write and proclaim that the scope of this war seems to be expanding. If sensible policies are not adopted immediately, the world will face devastation. The media is picking up on all this. The (heartbreaking) state of affairs is in front of all of you".
His Holiness criticised the lack of justice and courage of the leaders of Western powers in calling for a ceasefire or condemning the atrocities.
Hazrat Mirza Masrur Ahmad said:
"As long as [world leaders] do not fight courageously for a ceasefire, they will invariably be responsible for leading the world to destruction."
His Holiness questioned and condemned the scale of Israel's response to the Hamas attack on 7 October. Israeli bombardment in recent weeks has decimated homes, hospitals and civilian infrastructure, killing some 7,000 Palestinians, including more than 3,000 innocent children.
Hazrat Mirza Masrur Ahmad said:
"The Israeli government authorities say, "Hamas killed our innocents, therefore we will seek revenge". This "revenge" has already gone beyond all limits. The loss of Palestinian lives is reported to be four to five times greater than the loss of Israeli lives. If their goal is to eliminate Hamas, as they claim so much, then they should fight it directly.
Why are they killing women, children and the elderly? They have also deprived the population of water, sustenance and medical care. This is where all claims of human rights and rules of war cease to exist when it comes to these governments".
Hazrat Mirza Masrur Ahmad praised the statements of people such as former US President Obama, who on 23 October 2023 issued a message critical of Israel's policy of cutting off food, water and energy supplies to Gaza.
Hazrat Mirza Masrur Ahmad said:
"In fact, some have brought this to the attention of public opinion, such as former US President Obama, who recently stated that even if war must be waged, it must be fought according to the rules of war and civilians must not be harmed."
His Holiness also mentioned UN Secretary-General António Guterres, who on 24 October 2023 stated that "even war has rules" and called for the protection of civilians and humanitarian aid for Gaza. Guterres also highlighted some of the historical context of the conflict, stating that the Hamas attack on 7 October "did not come out of nowhere".
His Holiness referred to the secretary-general's remarks:
"The UN secretary general also spoke along the same lines, after which the Israeli government made an uproar. Those who call for peace in the rest of the world, who see themselves as peace promoters and peace advocates, did not utter a word in support of the Secretary General. On the contrary, they dissociated themselves from him".
Hazrat Mirza Masrur Ahmad underlined the clear bias in Western media coverage of the Hamas-Israel war, saying that some stories and approaches are unduly given more prominence than others.
"Western media amplify one side of the story and marginalise the other to the back pages. For example, recently, among the women released [by Hamas], one of them said that she had been treated well in captivity. This story was relegated to a corner, while another statement saying that "Hamas imprisonment was hell" has not failed to make the headlines".
His Holiness was referring to the release of 85-year-old hostage Yocheved Lifschitz, who shook hands with her captors upon her release on 24 October 2023.
"True justice demands that all issues be exposed. Let the world determine who is the oppressor and who is the oppressed, to what extent this war is justified and at what point it must end. The whole state of affairs must be presented to the world, rather than simply a one-sided coverage".
His Holiness said that since the situation is precarious and increasingly dangerous, there must be a sense of deep sorrow in the hearts of the Ahmadis for the Muslim world to be relieved of hardship.
He urged Ahmadi Muslims to spread these messages in their own environment and to perform concerted prayers for the cessation of injustice.
Hazrat Mirza Masrur Ahmad said:
"We must focus on our prayers. We must pray for the end of this oppression and strive to end it in our own spheres. We must pray both for oppressed Muslims and for the establishment of a comprehensive and long-term strategy by Muslim governments. There must be a sense of deep sorrow in our hearts for Muslims to be relieved of hardship. We believe in that Promised Messiah (peace be upon him) who, despite his opposition, expressed in a Persian couplet: "O my heart, be considerate of them, for they claim to love my Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him). Therefore, our love for the Holy Prophet of Islam (peace and blessings be upon him) demands that we pray intensely for the Muslims. May Al'lah grant us the ability to do so and also the Muslims. And may He grant wisdom to the rest of the world. Amen".
