Application of the Letter from Birmingham in the War in Syria - Essay Example

Application of the Letter from Birmingham in the War in Syria Martin Luther Junior wrote the “letter from Birmingham Jail,” while he was detained because of breaking the laws of Alabama that stated how demonstrations would be conducted. Martin Luther and his friend Abernathy Ralph had led demonstrations against laws that promoted the segregation of the black people in America. According to the law, Martin and Abernathy were supposed to get a permit to conduct the demonstrations. However, they failed to get the permit and that led to his arrest (King 34). The church clergy had responded to his arrest on the same day that he was detained in Birmingham prison arguing that both the white and black people should obey the civil laws in the country. Luther wrote the letter with the aim of justifying his disobedience of the law by arguing that it was the unjustness of the law that made him to demonstrate. Luther argues there are just and unjust laws, but the existence of unjust laws anywhere leads to injustice everywhere in the letter (King 36). King’s separation of just and unjust laws may be used in the analysis of the way in Syria and recommend on the actions that should be taken to end the war in the country. Martin argues that a regulation is just when it concurs with the laws of God, which he calls the ethical rules. Unjust laws, on the other hand, are those that are not based on the moral laws of God. Thus, according to King, laws are fair when they are acceptable in the whole society because God’s rules are equal to all citizens despite their race and color (Tiefendbrun 68). This argument aimed at informing the state that the segregation of the black people who lived in the southern parts of Alabama was an unfair act that was against the will of God. The segregation of the black people commonly known as the Negros had been in the country since the eighteenth century when slavery of Africans and Asians was practiced in the western nations (King 25). King also argued that injustice in any part of the country led to unfairness in the whole nation. This meant that the injustice that existed in the southern part of the nation led to the unfairness in all regions of America (Tiefenbrun 70). Luther also meant that the segregation of the black people was a sign of immorality of the whole nation including the whites. This indicated that the white people would be considered as immoral even when they acted fairly in other things in the south and in other regions in the country. This means that even if nations and people conduct themselves in all things except one, they will still be unfair and they will lack development. King demonstrates this by giving the example of how Africa was moving towards independence at a high speed while America was wasting time segregating the black people. The activist argued that Americans were lagging behind by taking the longest time to serve Africans only a cup of coffee (King 79). This meant that the injustice of the laws would cause injustice in the country by slowing down freedom and development like that which Africa and Asia were experiencing at that time. Martin postulates that “the oppressors who are mainly the leaders do not award the minority groups their freedom voluntarily” (King 80) Therefore, he argues that there is need for civil disobedience by the oppressed groups to force the leaders to grant them their moral rights. This argument justified King’s act of disobeying laws by conducting demonstrations instead of negotiating with the leaders. He further justifies himself by pronouncing that he was tired of being asked to wait for negotiations. Luther argued that the word wait had become a synonym of never because he and his fellow Negros had heard it for numerous years before deciding to disobey the law (King 82). Thus, according to Martin, leaders should award their people with justice on time to avoid the disobedience of the law. However, when the leaders fail to create fair regulations, they should be reminded through non-violent civil demonstrations. The support for civil disobedience indicates that Luther meant that the means of acquiring fairness justifies the end. This is as long as the means used is peaceful. This means that the public may hold peaceful demonstrations to persuade the state to grant them justice in case negotiations fail (Ellis 49). The message of King to the clergy and his explanations of the justness and unjustness of the law and how to acquire it may be applied in the War in Syria. The war in the country began in 2011 when the public began opposing the presidency of Al-Assad Bashar and his family. This is because Al-Assad had taken over the leadership from his father who ruled the state from 1971 (Barker 63). The war also aims at protesting against Baath, the ruling party that has controlled the public since 1963. The United Nations declared the war as civil in 2012 when they found out that the protests were increasing leading to the death of numerous civilians. The United Nations argues that the war has led to the death of over 100,000 civilians and militants from Syria and countries such as the US, Turkey, Iraq, and Lebanon. (Ellis 50) The unjustness that led to the war is the fact that a single family and party have led the country since 1971. This is unfair because there are leaders from other races and families in the country who have not gotten a chance to express and practice their thoughts and leadership skills (Ellis 52). However, the Assad family and their supporters considers their actions and leadership to be just. According to Martin Luther, even if the leadership of Assad is fair to him, his family, and supporters, the fact that some members of the public consider it as unfair means that it is unreasonable. Assad and his family should surrender to the wishes of the people to ensure that justice prevails to both his supporters and protesters (Barker 65). Luther advises the public to hold peaceful demonstrations in cases where leaders fail to create time for negotiations (King 80). The protest in Libya began peacefully, but it soon became violent leading to the killing of civilians using chemical weapons. When the United Nations declared the war to be civil, more armed protests rose in the country causing the death of even more civilians using chemicals, physical weapons, and bombs that contain a large number of citizens simultaneously (Barker 67). This indicates that the protesters began to break the law in the quest for fairness in the country. This should not have been the case because it led to the killing of civilians, an act, which against the laws of morality. The natural laws argue that killing of fellow human beings is unacceptable meaning that citizens should avoid the vice. This means that the citizens of Syria who oppose the Assad regime caused injustice to their counterparts who died as a result of the violence. The activists should refrain from the use of violence by conducting unarmed and peaceful demonstrations to ensure that fairness exists in the nation (Ellis 57). The United Nations held negotiations of how to end the war in Syria in September 2013, in Geneva. The negotiations include the countries that have an interest in Syria, which are mainly Russia and the United States. The negotiations were meant to find a solution on how to eradicate the use of chemical weapons that are mainly held by Assad and his supporters (Barker 78). This move to eliminate the use of the weapons arose because the UN banned the possession of these chemicals in all countries in 2000 (Tiefenbrun 98). This is a just law according to Martin Luther because it aims at protecting the population of the whole world. The UN, United States, and Russia were justified to conduct the negotiations because they aim at improving the welfare of the public. This is also in accordance with the theory of utilitarianism, which argues that individuals, nations, and organizations should conduct activities that benefit the society at large rather than those that promote the welfare of few members of the society (Tiefenbrun 100). Despite the fact that the US and Russia conducted negotiations to eliminate the use of chemical weapons in Syria, there are some rules that arose from the talks, which were unjust. President Obama proposed a rule that stated that the US military would bomb Syria if Assad failed to surrender his chemical weapons to the UN (Barker 84). The bombing of the country would lead to the death of more civilians and soldiers, an act that is against the moral law of nature. This regulation of Obama is more unfair and destructive to the citizens of Syria. The unfairness arises because the act would lead to the punishment of innocent civilians through cruel means. The end would not justify the means in this case even of Assad surrenders his chemical weapons to the United Nations. Therefore, Obama should reorganize this rule before planning an attack on Syria because he would be promoting even more violence in the country. The negotiations should be peaceful and involve Assad personally because he is the cause of the unrest in his country. This way, fairness will be obtained in Syria and the war will end leading to the development of the nation (Ellis 59). Martin Luther wrote the Letter from Birmingham prison when he was detained in the center for breaking the law of demonstrations. Luther wrote the letter to the clergy that responded to his arrest by advising the public to follow the civil rules strictly. The letter argued that just laws are those that are naturally acceptable while unfair ones are those that are against morality. Luther also argued that whenever there is an unfair law, it leads to unjustness in the whole nation. Martin advised the public to conduct peaceful demonstration in order to acquire justness because leaders are reluctant to grant it voluntarily. The letter is applicable in the war in Syria which is a result of the public opposition of the Assad regime. According to Luther, Assad should resign and surrender his chemical weapons to the UN in order to achieve fairness in the country. The UN, Russia, and America should also use fair techniques that are based on moral laws to help Syria to achieve peace. Works Cited Barker, J C. "The Responsibility to Protect: Lessons from Libya and Syria." The Liberal Way of War : Legal Perspectives. (2013): 63-85. Print. Ellis, Evan. "Obama No 'wuss' but at What Cost to Syria?" Eureka Street. 23.12 (2013): 48-59. Print. King, Martin L. Why We Can't Wait. Boston: Beacon Press, 2010. Print. Tiefenbrun, Susan W. Decoding International Law: Semiotics and the Humanities. New York: Oxford University Press, 2010. Print. Read More