International Day of Peace: Join Us in Working Towards a Racist-Free World

“O people, spread peace, feed the hungry, and pray at night when people are sleeping, and you will enter Paradise in peace.”

The Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ) [Ibn Majah]

Today marks the United Nations International Day of Peace – a time for us to come together to promote peace. On this day, the UN General Assembly asks all UN member states to observe a 24-hour ceasefire and to engage in acts of peace and non-violence. It’s a day for us to reflect on the importance of peace in our world, and to pledge to do our part in creating a more peaceful society. But it's important that these efforts are not just limited to a single day. We need to work for peace every day, in everything we do.

This year's theme, "End racism. Build peace," is more significant than ever. Racism remains a blight on society: it causes pain and suffering for millions of people each year, and undermines peace, stability, and prosperity in all societies. It causes conflict and division, leads to discrimination and inequality, and prevents people from achieving their full potential.

The UN’s Secretary-General, António Guterres, has said: "Racism continues to poison institutions, social structures, and everyday life in every society. It continues to be a driver of persistent inequality. And it continues to deny people their fundamental human rights. It destabilizes societies, undermines democracies, erodes the legitimacy of governments, and… the linkages between racism and gender inequality are unmistakable."

We must work together to end all forms of discrimination and begin building a more peaceful and inclusive world.

Racism as a Barrier to Peace

Our beloved Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ), as God’s final messenger, recognised the destructive qualities of racism, and how antithetical it is to humankind’s purpose as God’s creation and Khalifa (stewards of the earth).

During his final sermon, the Prophet (ﷺ) reminded the Ummah: “…all humans are descended from Adam and Eve. There is no superiority of an Arab over a non-Arab, or of a non-Arab over an Arab, and no superiority of a white person over a black person or of a black person over a white person, except on the basis of personal piety and righteousness.” [Bukhari/Tirmidhi]

This timeless truth, so often ignored, must be recognised by all if we wish to create a better world together.

It's a common belief – particularly in the West – that anyone who works hard enough can achieve anything they want in life. But is that true? Upward mobility – the ability to move up in terms of socioeconomic class – is often limited by structural issues. These are caused by circumstances out of people’s control, and shape where people live and the opportunities they have. Often, these issues exist because of discriminatory policies. Just think about how racial and regional inequalities affect economic opportunity around the world at large – communities who have suffered the most from discriminatory actions are the ones who are constrained from flourishing, due to circumstances outside of their control.

Penny Appeal have responded to countless natural and man-made humanitarian catastrophes around the world, delivering aid to communities affected by disaster. Many of these involve communities who have suffered directly from discriminatory policies – such as the Rohingya people, the Uyghurs, or the Palestinians.

But victims of ‘natural’ disasters are casualties of policy too… for example, the effects of climate change are felt most harshly by those in the global south. Pakistan – currently suffering from one of the most devastating natural disasters in recent memory – is one of the most vulnerable countries to climate change, despite contributing less than 1% of the global greenhouse gas emissions that are heating the planet. It’s an injustice that’s widely overlooked, but it's tragic effects can be seen in the devastating floods currently affecting the country.

Racism manifests itself in a complex web of ways, some of them more obvious than others. What is clearer, however, is the detrimental effect it has on peace, stability, and economic opportunity for communities left behind. On this International Day of Peace, let’s work together to make racism a thing of the past, so that peace can finally win.

Click here to support Penny Appeal’s Emergency Response work around the world, and here to support our current Pakistan Floods Emergency appeal.