Those Who Live By The Sword

The popular saying ‘Those who live by the sword will die by the sword’ is often repeated whenever someone of violent notoriety bites the dust through equally violent means. Many people, however, do not know the religious origins of this proverb.

In the Canonical Gospel of Matthew, it is recorded that Jesus admonished his disciple (reputed to be Peter) to put his sword back in its sheath. “Put your sword back in its place," Jesus said to him, "for all who draw the sword will die by the sword.” Peter had in a rash moment pulled out his sword and sliced off the ear of one of the high priest’s servants who had come to arrest Jesus. Probably in his bid to save the disciples from the angry response of the hostile gang, Jesus admonished his followers and also performed a miracle there and then – he returned the man’s ear to his head and it promptly attached itself to its original position as if nothing had happened.

However, not many commentators speak about what Jesus said after admonishing Peter to put away his sword. To quote Matthew, Jesus said “Don’t you realize that I could ask my Father for thousands of angels to protect us, and he would send them instantly? But if I did, how would the Scriptures be fulfilled that describe what must happen now?” I believe that the import of this statement is that we humans should leave God’s battles for him to fight, and that he is able to do this. In matters concerning faith and religion, men engage in wars and violence to their peril, with no effect whatsoever on the fate of the particular religious beliefs over which blood is shed.

The news that after over ten years of relentless search and pursuit, the world’s most notorious religious terrorist Osama Bin Laden was finally located and killed in a bloody attack by American soldiers confirm the prophecy about those who use the sword dying by it.

For those who may not be well informed about Osama Bin Laden’s bloody antecedents, let me provide a quick update.

Bin Laden was the founder and leader of Al-Qaeda organisation which believed in the supremacy of the Islamic Sharia system of government. Al-Qaeda was basically an organized Islamic faction whose main goal was to lift the word of Allah, to make his religion victorious. In essence, Bin Laden’s ambition was to fight Allah’s wars for him.

Bin Laden believed that civilians including women and children were legitimate targets for their world-wide Islamic jihadist movement. He masterminded several mass-casualty terrorist attacks against civilian and military targets. Let me name a few.

Bin Laden was responsible for the September 11 attacks on America in 2001 which led to the deaths of over 3,000 defenseless civilians as well as the 19 Al-Qaeda terrorists who hijacked the passenger planes used as weapons of mass destruction in the horrendous attack. But Bin Laden’s bloody jihad did not start with 9/11.

In December 1992, his terrorist agents bombed a hotel in Yemen in which two people were killed. In his twisted religious logic, the killing of anyone standing near an enemy was justified because such innocent bystanders would get their just rewards – good Muslims going to heaven and all others to hell.

Bin Laden provided financial and military assistance for the 1992/1993 Islamic uprising in Algeria which killed over 200,000 people.

Bin Laden sponsored the horrific September 1997 Luxor massacre in Egypt which killed 62 people. Six terrorists armed with automatic weapons and disguised as members of the security forces descended on the Temple of Hatshepsut. With tourists trapped inside the building, the killings went on for more than 45 minutes. Many bodies, including those of a 5-year old British child and four Japanese honeymooning couples were mutilated with machetes.

Bin Laden sent terrorists to help the Taliban kill nearly 6,000 Hazara residents in Afghanistan.

Africans were not left out of Bin Laden’s bloody harvest of souls for the devil. In a series of attacks on United States embassies in Tanzania and Kenya, several hundreds of people were killed. Luckily, the terrorist bomb for Uganda was detected and foiled before its arrival at the targeted embassy.

The list is endless. Literally hundreds of thousands of innocent people were murdered and sent to their early graves by this notorious terrorist. It was indeed a grim and bloody harvest by this man who many considered to be the devil himself on earth.

My equally great concern over Bin Laden’s terrorist activities is related to his effect on our own nation. Nigeria as a multi-ethnic and multi-religious nation had, prior to Bin Laden’s nefarious and misguided jihad, managed to live together in relative peace. Many of us can recall with nostalgia the 60s and 70s when Muslims and Christians worshipped in nearby locations without any qualms. Muslims celebrated Christmas along with their Christian neighbours, and Christians enjoyed Sallah celebrations along with their Muslim neighbours. Now all of this has evaporated, due to the evil influence of Osama Bin Laden and his copy-cat followers in this country. Nigeria is now home to Islamic terrorism of the type Bin Laden founded and funded. It is believed that all the recent bomb attacks in Abuja, Jos, Minna, Kaduna, Bauchi, Maiduguri, Gombe and other towns can be traced directly to Osama Bin Laden’s Al-Qaeda.

Mark Twain was reputed to have said that he had never wished any man dead, but that there were some obituaries he would read with pleasure. I felt exactly the same way when I heard the news about Osama Bin Laden’s death. Too many people have been killed and maimed due to this man’s misguided mission to fight this senseless war. It was time for him to also die by the same violent means by which he had inflicted terror on innocent bystanders as well as his ill defined enemies of Islam.

My hope for us in Nigeria is that late Osama Bin Laden’s copy-cat followers will learn the futility of his actions from this news of his death. It is time for us to sheath our swords and learn to live with each other. Nigerian Christians can learn to respect Muslims and people of other faiths. Nigerian Muslims can also learn to respect Christians and people of other faiths. We can live together in harmony and build a nation where all peoples can live and practice their chosen faith without fear or favour. If we chose the path of the sword, we will also die by the sword. A word is enough for the wise.