"It's Time for Man to Become God for His Fellow Humans"

By Sumit Paul, New Age Islam 2 November 2023 "No god will ever come to save the beleaguered mankind because he doesn't exist. Eventually, humans will have to save their fellow humans from death and destruction." Sir Bertrand Russell on Holocaust His abovementioned statement assumes much greater relevance in the ongoing bloodshed and destruction in West Asia Israel-Hamas war: A Palestinian man carries an injured a girl following an Israeli strike, in Khan Yunis in the southern Gaza Strip on October 14, 2023 (AFP) ----- But what are humans doing? It's a moral punishment for a handful of sane people to see this happen. World's most powerful people and nations are just watching and even justifying it. Humans deserve the worst of punishments. It may visit us as a species, and the wet will burn along with the dry as the maxim goes. Silence of the 'capable' aggravates the issue. Yesterday, Jabalia Refugee Camp was bombed by Israel. A few days ago, a hospital was razed to the ground, killing scores of innocent people, most of them being children. Flush out terrorists, kill them if that serves the purpose, but spare the innocent citizens whichever country they may belong to. This ongoing war in West Asia has made one thing very clear that the world is divided into two halves: Islamic world comprising all Muslim countries and the rest of the world. At the same time, such horrendous events also make humans think as to are we safe? The situation is like, Aaj Agar Tum Zinda Ho, Kal Ke Liye Mala Japna. Things have become so precarious. We're constantly on the precipice. There's no gainsaying the fact that humans have failed to save their fellow humans. So many wars in the past, Holocaust, The Partition, genocides and pogroms across the 'civilized' world have proven that humans are the worst enemies of humans. But what about your god? Sahir Ludhianavi wrote after the Partition, "Mera Ilhaad Toh Khair Ek Laanat Tha, So Hai Ab Tak/ Magar Iss Aalam-E-Vahshat Mein Iimanon Pe Kya Guzri?" (I've always been proud of my atheism/ But what happened to those believers in these times of fanatic frenzy?). Can a 'just' god or Allah be so damn indifferent to the plight and predicament of innocent humans? When children are disembowelled and dismembered, when eyes of an infant are gouged out, what does that so-called omnipotent creator do, 'who sees with equal eyes as god of all, a hero perish or a sparrow fall,' to quote Alexander Pope? Has that supreme power ever come to save mankind in distress? Didn't the innocent people, who're dying every moment, believe in some power whether it was Allah, Moses, Jesus or the god of Judaism? We all need to be less devout if we cannot become complete non-believers. It's time to question, who has come to help out humans in a foxhole? Mankind's all divine agencies have let humans down. Be rational and more compassionate. Help those who're in trouble. A day before his assassination in Memphis on April 4, 1968, Dr Martin Luther King Jr said, " It's time for man to become god for his fellow humans." Was Reverend Dr King getting disillusioned with the god he believed in so deeply throughout his life? Isn't it a matter of speculation and interpretation? But the point is, he didn't lose his faith in humanity and that's still a glimmer of hope! ----- A regular columnist for New Age Islam, Sumit Paul is a researcher in comparative religions, with special reference to Islam. He has contributed articles to the world's premier publications in several languages including Persian. URL: https://newageislam.com/spiritual-meditations/time-man-god-fellow-humans/d/131029 New Age Islam, Islam Online, Islamic Website, African Muslim News, Arab World News, South Asia News, Indian Muslim News, World Muslim News, Women in Islam, Islamic Feminism, Arab Women, Women In Arab, Islamophobia in America, Muslim Women in West, Islam Women and Feminism