Need for Nuclear Disarmament

Today, 9 countries possess nearly 14,000 nuclear weapons; some of these weapons are 3,000 times more powerful than the atomic bombs the United States of America dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Nuclear proliferation proponents argue that nuclear weapons deter conflict. At various times, however, His Holiness Hadhrat Mirza Masroor Ahmad ^{(may Allah be his helper)}, the fifth Khalifa of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community, has argued that nuclear proliferation has only further destabilized the world.

On another occasion, His Holiness noted that today, the world suffers from economic instability and tension between nuclear powers, resulting in proxy wars and the formation of power blocs – an environment eerily similar to that prior to the onset of World War II. The breakdown of peace talks, exploitation of weaker nations, and increasingly bellicose language of leaders of various nuclear states indicate such weapons can come under the control of the extremely short-sighted and/or those with an apocalyptic worldview; negligence, such as in Chernobyl or Fukushima, too, cannot be ruled out. New “low-yield” weapons being manufactured for “limited nuclear war” scenarios sadly proves that far from deterrence being the objective, the market is more important than establishing peace; vested interests trump human rights. Even if deterrence is the alleged goal, His Holiness critiqued this logic: “The thousands of innocent children who have lost their parents, or have lost their own limbs, will never be convinced by such logic [of deterrence], nor will the thousands of women who have been left widowed, or the millions of people who have been displaced from their homes.”

Were nuclear war to materialize, our concerns would not be limited to those suffering the direct brunt of such attacks. Radiation would render inedible drinking water and various foodstuff, future generations would suffer from severe defects and repopulation efforts in affected regions would prove onerous. And with ongoing bombardment and the rebuilding of razed cities posing extensive pollution challenges, His Holiness asked why the developed world was so concerned with climate change.

In light of the world’s precarious state, the Bulletin of Atomic Scientists has placed the Doomsday clock at a mere two minutes to midnight. The clock, serving as a theoretical nuclear alarm, strikes midnight in the case of a nuclear catastrophe.

Averting nuclear war, His Holiness said, requires obeying an instructive of Prophet Muhammad, “No one of you shall become a true believer until he desires for his brother what he desires for himself” (Bukhari). If we abided by this principle, how could we encourage the onset of nuclear war? Dialogue and the fostering of communal thought are also necessary. “It is imperative,” he states, “that nations and their leaders not only focus on their own national interests but consider what is best for the world at large. Dialogue with other nations and communities is vital.”

Otherwise, “The world stands on the brink of disaster.”