'Non-violence is not a cover for cowardice, but it is the supreme virtue of the brave. Exercise of non-violence requires greater bravery than that of swordmanship. Cowardice is wholly inconsistent with non-violence.'

M. K. Gandhi. Young India: August 12, 1926

People who do not understand nonviolence often dismiss it as being a shield of the weak or contemptuously dismiss it as an excuse made by cowards. But in truth, it takes an extremely brave person to be truly nonviolent. 

When Chinese students gathered in Tiananmen Square and the regime decided to scare them by sending in tanks, a video clip has become iconic of a column of tanks and armored vehicles being halted by a lone man. When the lead tank tried to go around him, the man kept blocking its way. Finally, the tanks turned around and retreated. The man blocking tanks was unarmed, he wasn't a coward, actually, he had to have possessed extreme courage to challenge the tanks and the soldiers manning them solely with the courage of his convictions, his belief. There has been an attempt to dismiss him as a mad man who did not know what he was doing, but his act has become an iconic symbol of defiance of might, by nonviolence, and the courage instilled by the adoption of this stance. Weapons never do so, because what weapons do is only making a person dependent on them, their capabilities, if the foe is of a greater ability to withstand the weapons it faces, the power of those weapons will become insignificant. But when faced with the conviction of morality and ethics and the courage of belief, even weapons of mass destruction prove to be incapable to break the struggle.

I cited the example of the iconic clip from Tiananmen Square, we were all fascinated by what we saw but then brutality won, the regime sent a bigger and brutal force and there was a massacre, where nonviolence had triumphed briefly, it seemed apparent that violence triumphed. But did it? The incident at Tiananmen Square forced the regime to change, not enough, but it did. Nonviolence wins rarely spectacular victories instantly, but eventually, when it does, its victories are truly spectacular, because they have been achieved against all odds and by great sacrifices of its practitioners.

If 75 years later the way India won its freedom, still fascinates the world. If the way African Americans won the battle for honor and equal civil rights in the USA, still inspires the world. If the manner in which the people of South Africa gained freedom, still fills the world with wonder. It is because they were all achieved in a very unique manner, nonviolently and with extreme courage and sacrifices. 

'I do believe that where there is only a choice between cowardice and violence, I would advise violence. But I believe that non-violence is infinitely superior to violence.'

M. K. Gandhi. Young India: August 11,1920.

Nonviolence seems, for us to be impractical today because we live in the times when violence has become a profitable industry. The military-industrial corporate that rules the world can only survive by ongoing conflict, they thrive if violence thrives, where profits are the motive, the cost in lives is of no consequence. The worst nightmare of the military-industrial corporate is a world without violence; an ideal world without violence can never be achieved by war, conflict, or subjugation, by the force of armaments and the threat of death, peace as a consequence of war is a myth. It has happened nowhere. It can only be achieved by the practice of peace and nonviolence.

'If recognised leaders of humankind, who have control over engines of destruction, were to wholly renounce their use with full knowledge of implications, permanent peace can be obtained. This is clearly impossible without the Great Powers of the earth renouncing their imperialist designs.'

M. K. Gandhi. Harijan: May 16, 1936.

The above quote of Bapu could have so easily been his comment on the Palestinian situation. Palestinian lands were occupied because of the imperialism of the 'Great Powers' of that time. The 'power' that the occupying "state of Israel" enjoys is because they have become a very important component of the 'Military Industrial Corporate', the engine of neo-colonialism. But slowly it is also realizing that it cannot sustain its own brutality, the winds are changing, slowly but they are and one day the occupying state will find itself in the doldrums.

'Individuals or nations, who would practice Non-violence, must be prepared to sacrifice (nation to the last man) their all except honour. It is, therefore; inconsistent with the possession of other people's countries, i.e. Modern imperialism, which is frankly based on force for its defence.' 

M. K. Gandhi. Harijan: September 5, 1936.

The world must be reminded of this. We owe it to the people of Palestine, there is no doubt that they have been wronged and they continue to suffer because of the intentional offense done by others in the past, the world has largely, cowed down by the power of the rampant and oppressive military-industrial corporate, been indifferent to the plight and suffering of the Palestinians, it is profitable for them. Now the Palestinian cause is losing many of its traditional allies too, who have been lured away by their greed. The Palestinian cause has to think out of the box and outsmart the oppressors, and it’s not just about the occupier "Israel", but the entire imperialist military corporation.

'I am a man of peace. I believe in peace. But I do not want peace at any price. I do not want peace that you find in grave. But I do want that peace which you find embedded in the human breast, which is exposed to the arrows of the whole world but which is protected from all harm by the Almighty Power of the Almighty God.' 

M. K. Gandhi. Speeches and Writings of Mahatma Gandhi: P. 629.

This message was embodied in the martyrdom of Imam Hussain and his little son at Karbala. They died in a battle against a cruel and far stronger oppressor but left behind a legacy of peace and love. That is the legacy that continues to inspire humankind, even today when we continuously live in the shadow of violence. The message that Imam Hussain still gives is about the tragedy caused by violence and its futility, and the everlasting power of love and peace.

While they fight for their land, their rights, and their freedom, Palestinians must take inspiration and also find the courage of nonviolent confrontation with the brutal occupation. It isn't as if the people of Palestine lack in this, the Intifada has exhibited their courage and faith in nonviolence too. 

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'My creed of non-violence is an extremely active force. It has no room for cowardice or even weakness. There is hope for a violent man to be someday non-violent, but there is no hope for a coward.' 

M.  K. Gandhi. Young India: June 16, 1927

Khan Abdul Ghaffar Khan was a Pashtun, from the Frontier Province of Pakistan. He was born and grew up in the extremely harsh region bordering Afghanistan. Pashtuns were known to be a very fierce warlike people, living continuously in a state of active conflict, blood feuds between families that continued for centuries carried on from generation to generation; they lived by the sword and in the age of the guns by guns and bullets. Khan Abdul Ghaffar Khan was the son of a powerful tribal chieftain. He witnessed the futility of the endless conflict. Right from childhood, he had dreamt of two things, to instill peace amongst his people, to end the pointless never-ending blood feuds amongst them, and to unite the lands of the Pashtuns and form an independent Pakhtunkhwa an independent state of a fiercely independent spirited proud people who had been subjugated and oppressed for long. Khan Abdul Ghaffar Khan devoted his life to these two causes and to serve his people. To achieve this, he embraced nonviolence; he used the Pashtun term, 'Adam Tashaddud', which literally means 'no violence'. Khan Abdul Ghaffar Khan became a very close associate of Bapu and diligently fought for India's freedom while continuing to work for peace in his land and the welfare of his people. He faced imprisonment by the British rulers and post-independence when he had to remain in Pakistan, even more, brutal imprisonment for his work for his people, and the threat the subsequent regimes felt from this man of nonviolence and peace for many decades of his long life. He was forced to live in exile too but he never ever gave up his belief in nonviolence and peace.

During the Soviet occupation of Afghanistan, Khanabad was living in exile in Afghanistan, even though he believed in nonviolence, he did not condemn the war for freedom being waged by the Mujahedeen against the occupying Soviet forces. At the same time, Khanabadb was very desirous of engaging in a dialogue with the Soviet supremo Brezhnev to convince him to honor the sentiments of the people of Afghanistan and withdraw from their homeland. I am sure, given the opportunity, Khanabab would have told the Soviet leader the error of his ways fearlessly, and would not have bothered about its consequences. During his lifetime, because of his unwavering adoption of nonviolence and peace, Khan Abdul Ghaffar Khan came to be known as the Frontier Gandhi.

Mubarak Awad, the Palestinian-born academic and activist was inspired by the nonviolence practiced by Khan Baba. He started a network called 'Nonviolence International', to bring about societal change and international peace.

Nonviolence is not easy, it calls for a lot of sacrifice and suffering on the part of its practitioner, this requires a lot of courage, which is not possible for cowards. Cowards utilize violence, oppression, and subjugation to protect themselves. Palestinians live with this example all the time. It is the cowardice of the occupation that forces it to act as the bully, tormentor, oppressor. They do not act due to courage; their actions are born out of their fear, their cowardice. The practice of nonviolence must be set by the truly brave, fearless people of Palestine.