By　Hiroaki Konno

The city of Jerusalem is the holiest place for Christianity, Judaism and Islam, and for many years both Jews and Palestinians have been engaged in a ceaseless fight to obtain Jerusalem for their own ends. The cause of this fighting is that both groups think much of doing their religious duty and believe only in their own God, who gave them their lives. However, they don't appreciate each others individuality and the need to head towards a peace that follows from mutual understanding, which will only come about when Jews and Palestinians seek a true peace for themselves and not because of religious ideals.

In 1948, the Palestinians, who were the original inhabitants of Jerusalem, lost control of the city and many of them became refugees after numerous Jews immigrated there to build the Judaic Nation, Israel. In 1964, the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) began its fight against Israel, and in 1987, the first Intifadah (civilian uprising), an event which clearly revealed that civilians on both sides had great antipathy for each other, took place. In this battle, we first saw the tragic action that we find so difficult to understand, which is known as "suicide bombing."

"Suicide bombing" is regarded as an honorable death in support of oneﾕs nation (and one's God). It is a strategy which is referred to as ﾒthe propaganda of action," because it shows the power of arms and the peopleﾕs loyalty to their own country in whichever opponent's country the suicide bombers (often called terrorists) may die in. Nowadays, suicide bombing by women has also been reported, and this has become a big issue. Why, we ask, do such suicide bombings happen?

The best way to explain suicide bombings would be to say that they are part of Islamic doctrine, though there are various other reasons. Civilians are told that those who die in a Jihad (a holy war) will go to heaven, though to take advantage of this belief seems a wrong way of encouraging people to go to war. Nevertheless, because people actually do believe in this propaganda, the number of suicide bombings is increasing, and this leads to a generally bad situation.

Another reason people engage in suicide bombings is the belief that they will find their true value in fighting to the death. The unemployment rate in Palestine is now about 60 percent, which forces people into poverty. Therefore, what makes it appealing to many is that suicide bombers (terrorists in the eyes of those they attack) are praised in their own communities far more than while they lived. The result is that such a death is seen as having extreme justification. But suicide bombing is meaningless.

More than half a century ago, Japan, too, was a military nation that justified this sort of death. The Japanese were forced by the military education system to believe that death for the Emperor was the ultimate honor. Later, Japan lost many soldiers. It was a disaster that left their families in perpetual shock. But as a result of this tragedy Japan has now settled down as a nation committed to peace.

There is no doubt that Japan, which has such a tragic history herself, can contribute to the peace of the Middle East, although the situation there is different from the one which existed at the end of the Pacific War. In this endless fight, what the people believe may be none other than religion or God. But such belief sometimes encourages people to go in the wrong direction, and the continued fighting will bring about the death of more innocent victims. Needless to say, it is a fact that the generals of the supposedly religious nations desire to dominate the people and have replaced the way of their Gods by the way in which they want to do things themselves. 　

Japan ought to appeal eagerly to international agencies for the eradication of suicide bombings in the various conflicts taking place around the world by making use of its experience and present position as a nation committed to peace. As for the motive behind our contribution, we should act with hope for the all-out eradication of conflicts on the scale of nations and ethnic groups, not, like the U.S., in a chase to profit from balancing the world situation. It is a good contribution for us to carry out field-work, which is action on the grassroots level. Another way in which Japan can help would be to hold a symposium for the establishment of world peace. If we could do this, the number of lives we might save would gradually increase. We can create the justice and peace the time needs, not as agents of the Gods, but by the humane actions of mortal human beings.