Sadiq Gill - The Balance of Power

By Dr. Tim G Williams

Today, the world is saturated with ignorance and hatred where the Mid-East is center stage of the escalating violence and terror that has spread around the globe. It is as though mankind has forgotten the lessons that history is supposed to teach us. We now find ourselves trying to find a recognizable peaceful resolution to the ongoing splintering of nations, religions, and cultures. But, in order to do so we first have to embark on a journey back in time to 2000 B.C. The story of Abraham is vital to understand what is necessary to gain a peaceful resolution to the ongoing escalating terror that has cost so many lives, splintered nations, and destroyed priceless artifacts of history. What is important to remember today is that Muslims, Christians, and Jews all regard themselves as the spiritual offspring of their patriarch, Abraham. Abraham, is revered as a symbol of loving kindness, and peace.

History though has seen more blood spilled and lives lost because of the many divisions and battles between religious elements. Need we remind us that the fuel to keep these fires of violent aggression against one another burning comes from an unquenchable thirst for power, control, and wealth. Whether today it is the onslaught brought on by ISIS and the many other fanatics that are hell bent on asserting their evil intentions on mankind we would be mindful to recount the lessons that Abraham brought into the world over 4000 years ago.

In ancient Mesopotamia as in the Middle East today armed conflict continues to ravage people and nations. But, is was around 2000 B.C. an event occurred that profoundly influenced the course of history. It was Abraham's first son who foreshadowed the emergence of a new religion, Islam. Some 2700 years latter Muhammad and the Koran called Abraham's first son an apostle of Islam. Today, Muhammad is recognized as the last of the prophets dating back to Adam, Noah, Abraham, Moses and Jesus.

The history of religions began with Abraham. But, it was his first son that brought forth the Islamic religion Centuries later Muhammad in the year 610, who embraced Abraham's ideology of the one god, Allah the Islamic religion began it's major influence in the Middle East. For the next hundred years the Muslim religion expanded it's influence until it covered the entire Arabian Peninsula. By the late 17th century the Muslims expanded their influence to cover not only the Middle East but reached into southern Europe. And, in doing so acquired the world's greatest military force. Islam by that time achieved acclaimed advances in architecture, art, law, mathematics and science. Successfully converting millions to Islam.

When we take a close look at all the terrorists attacks that have set the world on fire because of a faith where a leader is seeking more control, power, and wealth from others we should trace back in history to find the root cause. And, from that hopefully find an applicable end to all the carnage that has only continued to escalate today between the Islamic religion, Christianity. and Judaism

What we are seeing today is an extension and a continuation of what was started over nine hundred years ago. The ideologies of two distinctly different faiths and cultures in a world that has only gotten much closer has made that hotbed of hate and indignation flare up into a firestorm of flames of destruction and death. The intolerance by individuals for other cultures and beliefs have manifested into the horrific carnage we are witness to practically everyday.

Today, what we are seeing is the Islamic religion and culture is almost the complete opposite of the American society and way of life. The evolution, if you want to call it that, into a society that has relinquished many moral values that the Islamic faith still hold dear has only exasperated the continuing conflicts between nations and existing cultures.

The world is getting to small to handle all the violent will full carnage against one another. When intolerance of different religious beliefs continues to escalate into bloodshed, where nations cannot realize that humanity has the abilities capable of doing extraordinary things for the betterment of mankind, when we don't realize that each human being is a unique individual, and when religious beliefs of individuals don't conform to the rest of a society beliefs all contribute to the on going struggle to find answers to stop individuals from using violent means to impose their will on others.

What we know today there is an unequal balance of power where certain nations have more military powers especially nuclear capabilities while others don't, specifying the mistrust nations have against each other. Compounding this is the Jihad against Western cultures and their influence. It is this Jihad against the West that has aroused the many irresponsible reactions from the United States that has only accelerated counter responses to the point now more military action is the only recourse. The United States is mostly to blame by our intervention combative foreign policy decisions and actions. Achieving a balance in power through-out the Middle East is essential in quelling much of the terrorism that has arisen out of so much inequality.

To help ease the tensions and bring about a kind of resolution that would have the result of peaceful coexistence centers on the availability of every nation be equally equipped with nuclear capabilities. In exchange for a peaceful non aggressive pact Israel would oversee Saudi Arabia and Turkey acquisition of equal nuclear capabilities to other nations. Iran, Pakistan, and India would now be on the same footing as with the other nations in the Mid-East. This follows and analogy that proved quite successful in the Old West of American heritage where the balance of power prove quite equal with the advent of the Colt 45.

The lessons we should have learned from history are too often ignored or deemed not relevant to the times of today but sadly the after effects of what we should have learned have had deadly repercussions that have reverberated across the globe. What Abraham taught us is that there can be peaceful coexistence between clamorous communities of diverse ideologies, ethnic origins, faiths and cultures. Society can be as different as night and day while co-exiting quite peacefully. Achieving that in the Mid-East today requires a balance of equality not only militarily but of society as well. Using the history of the Middle East from the time of Abraham through the Crusades, up to today and understand the impact of what each period had is essential to securing the future for all.