An innate characteristic of mankind is to pursue a state of peace and prosperity and to live a life filled with hope and security. Every human being is thirsty for peace and desires to live in a world that is free from violence, bloodshed, and aggression. Yet often times we find examples of individuals or groups of people who counter this natural desire and instead bring about the opposite of peace and security. They carry out acts of aggression and violence due to infected ideologies such as discrimination, prejudice, and bigotry. When it comes to groups which carry out acts of terror against innocent human beings, the leader of such group carries a heavy responsibility on his shoulders for what his group members commit, in the name of whatever false ideology they believe in. The reality is that there are many followers who follow the leader or ruler blindly and carry out grave actions without realizing the absurdity of what they are doing.
The scholars of religion and the religious clerics are no different than rulers as they have a level of authority among the people, hence their words and actions can have a great positive or negative effect over the people. Religious clerics should also preach and promote the establishment of peace regardless of differences in creed, religious affiliation, school of thought, or any other theological difference.
In this era where radicalism and extremism has become widespread across religions thus leading to acts of terror in the name of religion, strong and wise leadership is ever more important. Today we have an example of two prominent scholarly figures that represent the Islamic and Christian faiths respectively, Pope Francis Christian and Grand Ayatullah Sayyid al-Sistani. We have an example of two grand leaders representing two different faiths who are both calling for peace and justice while forbidding violence and oppression.
He is known for his call towards nonviolence and there are numerous statements he made in this regards. In the Vatican Radio, he has said, “Today, more than ever, we need peace in this war which is everywhere in the world. Let us Pray for peace!” he said.
Violence, he said, leads to forced migrations and enormous suffering, devastation of the environment, terrorism and organized crime. It leads to retaliation and a deadly cycle that end up benefiting only a few warlords. Pope Francis said Christ’s message offers a radically positive approach. He himself walked the path of nonviolence and became an instrument of reconciliation. And citing historical figures like Mother Teresa, Mahatma Ghandi and Martin Luther King as models of nonviolent peacemakers, the Pope said nonviolence is more powerful than violence and it has produced impressive results. With respect to the terroristic acts done by ISIS and other extremist groups, Pope Francis states, “I emphatically reaffirm, he said, that no religion is terrorist and that the name of God cannot be used to justify violence”.
Al-Sayyid al-Sistani, commonly known as Ayatollah Sistani is a famous grand scholar and head of Islamic seminaries in Iraq who serves as one of the most prominent spiritual leader and senior cleric for Shia Muslims. His Eminence is the first religious authority to be commended by the Security Council of the United Nations for his role in combating terrorism and his sponsorship of displaced Sunni Muslims, Christians, and other minorities who emigrated to Najaf and Karbala after the brutal assault of the terrorist gang ISIS. That commendation came in the Security Council report issued on January 10, 2014. His Eminence is also the first religious authority whom a Secretary-General of the United Nations visited in his residence to thank him and appreciate his efforts and positions against extremism and terror.
It is not surprising to see Sistani’s name come up for the prize, given his prominent role in deterring religious extremism, promoting forgiveness and peace and acting wisely during Iraq’s occupation and sectarian strife. His actions made him Iraq’s safety valve, and his absence in times of distress would have led to far worse humanitarian catastrophes in Iraq.