On the weekend of Friday 13 to Sunday 16 February 2003, more than 10 million people in over 60 cities around the world protested against a war on Iraq. This was a clear message to President George Bush that he grossly underestimated world support for his campaign against the "rogue" state.

In the wake of September 11, he expected the rest of the world to fall in line behind an American lead invasion of Iraq - just like the invasion of Afghanistan. He anticipated unanimous backing regardless of the evidence presented. The hawks in his administration continued to roll-out their post-S11 plan motivated primarily by two possible payloads – oil and Israel. They have backed him into a corner where the only face-saving exit seems to be war regardless of any peace initiatives — a war that will bring unprecedented ramifications not only to the region but also to the rest of the world.

Significantly, more than half-a-million Australians throughout the major cities joined in the protests with Sydney witnessing its largest ever march. A clear and unambiguous message was given to Prime Minister John Howard not to back George Bush in a "crusade" that may spark World War III. If more than half-a-million Australians are not convinced about the justification for war, then on what basis did Mr Howard send 2000 Australian soldiers to the Gulf before all options for peace were exhausted? John Howard is acting against Australia’s best interest and will suffer the consequences. Much more than the loss of votes at the next election, is the potential loss of lives – that of Iraqis, men, women and children as well Australian soldiers. Who is going to pay for this tragedy? Are the lives of those living in a Muslim land of lesser value?

This landmark weekend also demonstrated that fertile ground exists to promote values such as peace, equality and justice – values that are at the core of Islam. In spite of the rampant anti-Muslim propaganda by a small section of the world’s community, the lies and deceit were exposed with little effort. Western secularism has not completely destroyed the human spirit – there is still hope for humanity. Even though the gap between the rich and poor increases, the number of refugees worldwide multiplies, and world poverty rates continue to rise, an increasing number of people are beginning to care and speak out. The selfishness taught by capitalism is being replaced by concern for the unnecessary suffering of others regardless of race, creed or colour.

In the face of blatant racism against Muslims by large sections of the world’s media, many fair-minded people have opted to see beyond the rhetoric and stand against injustice. Therefore, there currently exists a great opportunity for us to promote more understanding of Islam and Muslims. We should also cooperate with those who are like minded to combat the evils threatening our world. This raises the question: what proportion of the Australian Muslim community marched in protest against the looming war on Iraq?

Finally, don’t forget to keep an eye on the world’s only illegal occupier. While the spotlight is focussed on Iraq, our brothers and sisters in Occupied Palestine will be further entrenched in an Apartheid State. Already targeted assassinations are not making the usual headlines, relegated from the front pages. What happened to all those UN resolutions applicable to that state — perhaps selective blindness or blatant hypocrisy? Ultimately, our salvation lies in the Hands of the Almighty. Allah (swt) will not change our condition until we change ourselves!