Torch of Humanity Challenges Tie-Wrapped Barbarians

TEHRAN (Defapress) - In the 21st century, while humanity prides itself on its material progress, it simultaneously faces its most difficult moral test. The United Nations declares what we all know and have witnessed, but the official declaration of famine (or rather, the deliberate starvation of the people of Gaza) seems like an official seal on the death certificate of humanity, a document condemning the United Nations and its inability to stop the multifaceted genocide machine of Israel in the Gaza Strip.

In the Gaza Strip, people who survived the bombing died of hunger. Yes, children are dying of hunger, not due to a natural disaster, but because of intentional decisions made by war criminals in public and in front of cameras. This is a scene that, once again, with thousands of tangible reasons, proves that barbarism has not disappeared from this world; instead, it has donned modern clothes and ties, and its actions surpass those of ISIS in terms of crime and brutality.

Meanwhile, the world that claims to champion freedom and civilization carries on as if nothing has happened. The uproar and fuss over the most trivial issues and occasions continue, and billionaires boast of their lavish parties, weddings, luxurious yachts, and palaces built upon the ruins of human values.

Livelihood has become a weapon in the dirty wars of our time, a weapon no less lethal than bombs and perhaps even more ruthless, because it targets human dignity at its core.

Amid this tragic scene, the crisis within the entire global system is becoming apparent. International politics is abandoning the last remnants of its morality and sinking to a level unseen even in the darkest eras of humanity. International institutions, while dominant powers compete in using their veto power not only against the right to self-determination of peoples but also against their very right to life, are either helpless or complicit with the criminals.

But the most painful issue is the deafening silence of the Arab and Islamic world. The silence of complicit or powerless officials, and particularly, the silence of intellectuals, artists, celebrities, the writer who claims to represent a living conscience, the artist who claims to be a mirror to society, or the star who fills the world with the noise of commercial advertisements but falls silent when humanity is violated.

The responsibility of intellectuals and artists in times of crisis is not an intellectual luxury; it is an undeniable moral duty. Silence today is not neutrality; it is complicity in crime. Silence in the face of a devastating and hunger-inducing war means abandoning the very essence of humanity in art and culture.

In our age of consumerism, fame has become a valuable commodity, but it carries with it a moral responsibility towards those who have given these stars and celebrities their status and renown. When a star remains silent about crimes against humanity, they betray that trust and become part of the apparatus of obfuscation and deception.

On the other hand, courageous voices are emerging across the world. Students who do not separate the path of knowledge from conscience, artists who offer their creativity as a voice for the oppressed and the hungry, and protesters who fill the streets with rage against injustice and occupation. These are the people who, in this time of profound global darkness, carry the torch of humanity.

The hunger in Gaza is not just a transient humanitarian crisis; it is a real test for the global conscience. It is a test of the credibility of our claims to civilization and progress, and a rigorous examination of the meaning of humanity in the 21st century, where artificial intelligence, when it escapes its programmers, seems more human than its creators.

History will not only record the crimes against the children of Gaza, but also the names of those who remained silent and those who spoke out. History will record that during humanity's great test, some intellectuals and artists stood as guardians of values, while many preferred to remain in their comfort zones, enjoying the privileges of fame and stardom.

Today, more than ever, we need a culture of creative resistance, art that refuses to become a mere consumer commodity, and intellectuals who refuse to become mere decorations at official events. Silence is not only a betrayal of the Palestinian people, especially the people of Gaza, but a betrayal of all humanity and the future we will leave for generations to come.

If the hunger in Gaza does not evoke a resounding cry that awakens the global conscience as a result, then it is more fitting to write an obituary for that conscience and pray for its peace, rather than appealing to it.