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There is a world of difference between a country that devotes its resources to construction and one that pursues its aims through destruction. One builds schools, universities, hospitals and factories; the other looks to the horizon and sees only the next battlefield. At a time of growing tension, our region should reflect on a phrase heard in the call to prayer five times a day: Hayya ‘ala al-falah – a call to prosperity and a better life, not to conflict.
The experience of countries that have prioritised economic advancement speaks for itself. China did not become an industrial and technological power by allowing conflict to consume its attention and resources. It invested in education, manufacturing, infrastructure, research and trade. GCC states, each in their own way, have made similar choices by developing their people, diversifying their economies and planning cities, industries and institutions intended to serve generations.
This raises a basic question: why should any nation exhaust its wealth and capabilities in wars that produce no lasting gain when those resources could improve schools, strengthen healthcare, create jobs and support new industries? Why should neighbouring countries treat one another as permanent enemies when geography, history, culture and faith give them every reason to co-operate?
Consider what Iran could achieve if it directed its resources, expertise and talent towards its people and economy. Its youth could build businesses, industries and research institutions capable of competing globally. Such progress would benefit humanity and give the wider Muslim world every reason for pride.
War offers the opposite prospect. Money spent on missiles could build hospitals, universities and factories. Engineers assigned to weapons programmes could instead work on medicines, software, clean energy and solutions to pressing social problems. Buildings may eventually be reconstructed, but lost lives and wasted years cannot be restored.
Equally dangerous is the gradual normalisation of war. We should not become accustomed to waking up to reports of air strikes, missiles and civilian casualties. Once such news begins to feel routine, force and escalation start to appear like acceptable instruments of politics. That is a threshold no society should cross.
I know from personal experience that building anything worthwhile requires patience. A single building begins with an idea, followed by plans, permits, engineers, workers, materials, finance and months or years of effort. Yet one missile can erase all of it in seconds. That simple contrast captures the absurdity of war: destruction demands a fraction of the time and effort required to create.
Every war eventually ends at the negotiating table. The question is not whether Israel, the US and Iran will sit down together, but when – and how high a price will be paid before they do.
The present confrontation with Iran must not open the door to a wider series of wars. Attacks on vital infrastructure, threats to national security and the exposure of civilians to danger must remain red lines, not precedents that become easier to repeat.
The Gulf has demonstrated what stability can make possible. Its countries have invested in education, infrastructure, technology and more diverse economies while opening themselves to international trade and collaboration. Bahrain provides a clear example, with stability, openness and coexistence forming part of its national approach. Security, in this sense, means more than the absence of armed conflict. It allows people to work, study and innovate; companies to invest and grow; and younger generations to plan their lives with confidence.
The region does not need another war. It needs the space to pursue peace, economic advancement and a better quality of life. The spirit of Hayya ‘ala al-falah is a call to purposeful work, knowledge, co-operation and human achievement. Our future will not be secured by directing more weapons at one another, but by protecting what has already been built and creating opportunities for the generations that follow.
akram@fp7.com
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