By Iqbal Khandy
Modern age is the age of technology, development and wealth. People work harder and harder to stable their financial condition. All prefer to endure a luxurious life. We have luxury houses, luxury travelling facilities, balanced diet, expensive clothing and what not. Indeed everything is available to us, but still everybody lacks tranquillity, the peace of mind. Humans are facing conflicts at family, society, state and at international levels. There is strife between siblings, families, neighbours, societies and even between the countries. We witness wars at international level between countries which has a direct or indirect impact on other countries of the world. The world is proceeding towards destruction and if the plight remained the same, we are not far away to witness the end of this planet. The more progress humanity has made, the more it is rushing towards destruction.
If we see the origin of the family conflict, it is because of finances, lack of communication, domestic work, and differences in values and merging of families. These conflicts lead to strained relationships, dehumanization, hate, anger, instability, mental health and physical health issues. Similarly, if we focus on the conflict between the countries at international level, it is because of territorial disputes, resource scarcity, political power and ideology, economic factors, religious disputes, ethnic tensions, human rights violations and failed diplomacy. The collisions like Israel-Palestine, Ukraine-Russia, India-Pakistan, Yemen civil war, USA-Iran etc. are some of the present day global conflict examples.
First World war was fought between the allied nations, like Britain, France, Russia, USA and Italy against the central powers , like Germany, Austria, Hungary, Ottoman empire and Bulgaria. It was estimated that more than 10 million soldiers and 7 million civilians died as a result of this war. Countless lives were disrupted in the war. In the Second World War, which involved majority of the world nations, an estimate of 70-85 million people lost their life, millions were displaced. In nutshell, conflicts cause human loss, economic loss, and environmental damage, displacement of populations, health issues and instability. How to attain peace at different levels is a question mark. But being humans we can play key role to reduce conflicts at different levels to attain peace. First let’s try to know what Islam says about Peace. Well, there are over 200 verses in the Holy Quran that convey the message of peace directly or indirectly. Also, Hadith literature contains many sayings of Prophet Muhammad (saw) that emphasizes peace, mercy and compassion. In Surah Al-Baqarah (2:208) Allah says, “O you who believe! Enter in to the peace completely and do not follow the footsteps of devil”. In another verse of Surah Al-Furqan (25:63) Allah says, “The servants of the Most Merciful are those who walk upon the earth humbly, and when the ignorant address them harshly, they say the words of peace”.
“A teacher’s role in peace-building extends beyond the classroom and into the broader community. Teachers instill fundamental values like equity, empathy, mercy, compassion, harmony, and peace in their students. These students, as disciples, then carry these vital lessons forward, spreading the message into society.The quote, “Kullu Man Alaiha Faan” (“everything on earth perishes; all that remains is the face of your Lord, owner of majesty and honour”), serves as a reminder of the transient nature of worldly life and is used to motivate a final plea: to help and respect each other, spread peace, and abandon violence to build better lives”
Once Prophet Muhammad asked his companions, ‘shall I not inform you something that will raise your status’, and said, ‘spread peace, feed the hungry, and pray at night while others sleep’. In one or other way Islam is against the violation and conflicts and focuses on the peace. Present day era is full of violence and conflicts. Weaker sections are oppressed by the stronger ones. Indeed Oppression is found everywhere. So, need of the hour is to propagate peace education. Special focus should be on the students. It is the primary responsibility of educational institutions to work on the peace education. Role of teachers in promoting peace and shaping a peaceful future is very important. Teachers are the first authority figures after family who have a profound influence on students and they can influence their mindset and behaviour. They can teach students the values, respect and foster a sense of community. Teachers can integrate peace building concepts in to subjects like history, literature and language. They can help students to understand the causes of conflicts and ways to resolve them. Teachers can inculcate critical thinking and empathy among the students.
Teacher is a role model for peace and can show compassion and patience, promote non-violence and foster collaboration. By fostering awareness of violence and conflicts and can inspire students to take action in their own societies by peaceful ways. Truly, teachers are not only educators, they are peace builders who have a direct or indirect impact on shaping the values and behaviours of the future generations. By promoting peace through education, creating inclusive and respectful classroom environments, and acting as role model of peace, mercy and compassion, teachers help build a foundation for a more peaceful and tolerant world. Teacher’s role in building peace is not confined to the classroom, their influence extends in to the broader community, where their disciples carry forward the lessons of equity, empathy, mercy, compassion, harmony and peace they have learned from their Guru. At last I would like to quote, “Kullu Man Alaiha Faan”, everything on earth perishes; all that remains is the face of your Lord, owner of majesty and honour. So, help each other, respect each other, spread peace and say good bye to violence to build better lives.
(The author a JK-UT Best Teacher Awardee is a Teacher at Govt Middle School Badray, Vailoo, District Anantnag . The views, opinions and conclusions expressed in this article are those of the author and aren’t necessarily in accord with the views of “Kashmir Horizon”) [email protected]
