471 days. 47,000 dead officially. Most of them are children and the elderly. That is how long ”the first live-streamed genocide” ¹ lasted before a temporary ceasefire took place on 19 January 2025. The violent images we saw of a young boy carrying a plastic bag full of the bloody remains of his brother, the lifeless body of a young girl hanging on the side of a wall, and layers upon layers of unclaimed dead bodies dropped into a large mass grave. It is enough for Palestinians to feel that they “are subhuman” ². We have yet to fully account for the loss of innocent lives from massacres in Sudan, Congo, Lebanon, Yemen and Myanmar. 

What is the value we place on human life? Is life not the most sacred gift given to us by Allah s.w.t. to be cherished, nurtured, loved and protected? People of faith and conscience need to urgently ask ourselves; how did we get here? What does religion (and specifically Islam) say about the sanctity of human life in this world we live in? And is it, not a moral imperative to save not just human lives in danger but also the future of humanity if this incessant violence continues?

The Banality of the Dehumanisation Process 

In Hannah Arendt’s book, “Eichmann in Jerusalem: a Report on the Banality of Evil”, she explains how chilling the temperament of Eichmann was. He was a soldier on trial for executing Jews in the Holocaust, and he displayed no guilt or anger for his actions. While this banality was also chillingly depicted on the silver screens through Jonathan Glazer’s Oscar-winning film ‘Zone of Interest’, it is horrifyingly depicted in real life with the images of IDF soldiers playing with the toys of children they had killed. Nonetheless, dehumanisation (the act of denying someone their full humanity, often treating them as less human) can start from something as simple as indifference. 

Richard Sennet speaks of indifference and complacency as fundamental features of alienation in modern life. And that we are in danger of becoming indifferent to the destiny of others. “The individualised withdrawal seems the perfect recipe for complacency. You take for granted people like yourself and simply don’t care about those who aren’t like. More, whatever their problems are, it’s their problem. Individualism and indifference become twins” (Sennet, 2012).

On this, Mona Siddiqui posits that the struggle for individual rights demands giving attention to universal rights. “Our environment is created by the way we interact with others, our engagements to the people around us; there is no turning away from mutual recognition of others” (Siddiqui, 2021).

Many experts and scholars have studied and raised awareness on how to identify when genocide happens, and before that, how dehumanisation happens³ that elicits a belief that one is less human than the other, and explicit in that, less worthy of respect, dignity and life. 

The Srebrenica Genocide Memorial, officially known as the Srebrenica–Potočari Memorial and Cemetery, honours the victims of the 1995 Srebrenica massacre.

While genocide is the extreme result of dehumanisation, it starts from a more banal form of indifference and prejudice. The Anti-Defamation League’s framework “Pyramid of Hate” illustrates the prevalence of bias, hate and oppression in society. It is organised in escalating levels of attitude and behaviour that grow in complexity from bottom to top. Like a pyramid, the upper levels are supported by the lower levels. Bias at each level negatively impacts individuals, institutions and society, and it becomes increasingly difficult to challenge and dismantle as behaviours escalate. 

When bias goes unchecked, it becomes “normalised” and contributes to a pattern of accepting discrimination, hate and injustice in society. While every biased attitude or act does not lead to genocide, each genocide has been built on the acceptance of attitudes and actions described at the lower levels of the pyramid. When we challenge biased attitudes and behaviours in ourselves, others and institutions, we can interrupt the escalation of bias and make it more difficult for discrimination and hate to flourish⁴. 

Many anti-racism and anti-hate groups have referred to this overarching pyramid and customised it to suit their respective work, for example, fighting white supremacy and preventing violence against women. This can easily be applied to our lives here in Singapore and how we treat each other respectfully, regardless of race, religion or socio-economic status. And to be in tune with what some refer to as micro-aggressions and “gaslighting” other people’s experiences of being discriminated⁵. 

Religion as a Moral Advocate: Safeguarding Human Dignity in the Public Sphere

In September 2024, Pope Francis visited Indonesia and co-signed the “Joint Declaration of Istiqlal 2024” with Grand Imam Nasaruddin Umar during the Interreligious Meeting held at the Istiqlal Mosque in Jakarta. The declaration posits that the world faces two severe crises: dehumanisation and climate change. The global phenomenon of dehumanisation is marked primarily by widespread violence and conflict, frequently leading to an alarming number of victims. It is particularly worrying that religion is often instrumentalised in this regard, causing suffering to many, especially women, children and the elderly. The role of religion, however, should include promoting and safeguarding the dignity of every human life⁶. 

Achille Mbembe, a Cameroonian philosopher who writes on the consequences of colonialism and its violence, made a significant contribution to debates about the loss of human agency and contemporary state violence. Mbembe introduced “necropolitics” to explore the relationship between a state’s right to kill and the creation of ‘death worlds’ for large segments of the population⁷. In other words, the exercising of power to dictate how some people live and how others must die. According to Mbembe, these death worlds are justified through the state of exception and the construction of fictionalised enemies (Mbembe, 2019). This is something we see in the construction of sinister narratives against Palestinians trying to save their land, thus justifying their killing. Palestinians, the Kanabi in Sudan, Rohingya in Myanmar are killed because they are ‘bad’, not because they are weak. Once you are taught to cease to identify with others based on humanity, the work of necropolitics is complete. The result is a world that currently feels as if it’s in the jarring middle of that transition. 

While it is easy to feel despair to be at the will of hard power politics, religion and religious leaders must join other voices of conscience and human rights bodies and decry this immoral violence that goes against all religious and universal values. While religion in public discourse is often spoken of its potential to motivate violence, religion should, and must, play a significant role that advocates to safeguard human life in all areas and help move the world towards a better life for all.

The Sanctity of Human Life in the Quran

All religions centre human life as precious, sacred and to be protected. Human beings are called to live a life of purpose and virtue. Muslim jurists have developed principles that underpin Shari’ah (Islamic Law), which are five higher objectives (maqasid) that must be protected: the preservation of life, religion, property, intellect and family lineage or dignity. The preservation of life comes first before religion, which is deliberate. This refers protecting physical life, providing basic physical needs, and preventing harm to the body (Rauf, 2015).

Read: What You Need to Know About Maqasid Al-Shariah

Basma Abdelgafar argues that measures that support human security, social inclusion and community bonds are critical dimensions of this objective (Abdelgafar, 2018). This means that resources should be utilised to preserve life and prevent loss. The protection of human life should not be reduced to the parameters of legal criminal retribution in the event of murder, but it is equally central when there is systemic violence such as ethnic cleansing, which is the extreme outcome of human-made systems of exclusion and oppression. “The sanctity of human life, the notion that it cannot be terminated without the highest justification, is what separates us from barbarism.”⁸   

To better understand the centrality of human life in Islam, we refer to what the Quran says about the creation of human beings and their place in the world. Imam Zaid Shakir stipulates that the Quran affirms our humanness and describes four aspects of the human- our physical creation (Q38:75), our spirit (32:9, 15:29, 38:72, 21:91), our natural disposition (fitrah) (30:30, 51:56), and our light (57:12, 66:8) – all of which have an unmediated origin from God and combine to make the human a distinctive and special creation. (Shakir 2018) This is described clearly in the Quran during the creation of the first human, Adam a.s, emphasising the unique and elevated status of human beings, as stated:

فَإِذَا سَوَّيْتُهُۥ وَنَفَخْتُ فِيهِ مِن رُّوحِى فَقَعُوا۟ لَهُۥ سَـٰجِدِينَ. فَسَجَدَ ٱلْمَلَـٰٓئِكَةُ كُلُّهُمْ أَجْمَعُونَ

“’So when I have fashioned him and had a spirit of My Own (creation) breathed into him, fall down in prostration to him.’ So the angels prostrated all together—”

(Surah Al-Hijr, 15:29-30)

Imam Zaid continues that it is in a human's innate fitrah that the human proceeds directly from God, thus illuminating the sacredness of the human being himself/herself (Shakir 2018).

وَٱعْتَصِمُوا۟ بِحَبْلِ ٱللَّهِ جَمِيعًا وَلَا تَفَرَّقُوا۟ ۚ وَٱذْكُرُوا۟ نِعْمَتَ ٱللَّهِ عَلَيْكُمْ إِذْ كُنتُمْ أَعْدَآءً فَأَلَّفَ بَيْنَ قُلُوبِكُمْ فَأَصْبَحْتُم بِنِعْمَتِهِۦٓ إِخْوَٰنًا وَكُنتُمْ عَلَىٰ شَفَا حُفْرَةٍۢ مِّنَ ٱلنَّارِ فَأَنقَذَكُم مِّنْهَا ۗ كَذَٰلِكَ يُبَيِّنُ ٱللَّهُ لَكُمْ ءَايَـٰتِهِۦ لَعَلَّكُمْ تَهْتَدُونَ

“And hold firmly to the rope of Allah all together and do not become divided. And remember the favour of Allah upon you – when you were enemies and He brought your hearts together and you became, by His favour, brothers. And you were on the edge of a pit of the Fire, and He saved you from it. Thus does Allah make clear to you His verses that you may be guided.” 

(Surah Ali-Imran, 3:103)

Classical Muslim scholars throughout the years have given their studied views on how to understand verse 103 of surah Ali-Imran. Many have interpreted it to be about how one’s relationship with God is inseparable from his/her relationship with other human beings. This is encapsulated in the concept of ‘hablu-min-Allah’ (relationship with Allah) and ‘hablu-min-annas’ (relationship with other people) as has been taught by contemporary Yemeni scholars by the likes of Habib Omar Bin Hafiz and Habib Al-Jifri. 

In Taif, despite being insulted and pelted with stones, the Prophet s.a.w. chose to focus on hoping his adversaries or their descendants would embrace guidance. After the Battle of Uhud, where he suffered personal loss, including the death of his beloved uncle Hamzah r.a, the Muslims began cursing the Quraysh. The Prophet s.a.w. forbade this and reminded them that some among the Quraysh were destined for goodness and to embrace Islam – a reality confirmed later by history (Habib Omar, 2014).

Jabal Uhud located in Madinah, holds profound significance in Islamic history as it was the site of Battle of Uhud, and serves as a lesson on immense patience and perseverance. 

Even when the circumstances prompted hate to develop and thrive, the Prophet s.a.w. chose to view those who hurt him as fellow human beings instead of dehumanising them. This consistent display of honourable character maintained his connection to both God and His creation.

Read: How Did the Prophet s.a.w. Deal With Grief?

Inclusivity and Acceptance of Diversity in the Quran

With this current massacre in Gaza and more conflicts happening around the world, it is a moral imperative to reaffirm our commitment to protect human life. People of faith need to engage with those who still uphold human life through the framework of human rights and international law, albeit through what Abdullahi Ahmed An-Naim says can be through “expose (ing) the myth of legal enforcement and promote more effective and sustainable practice of human rights norms through cultural transformation and political mobilisation” (An-Naim, 2021). We are seeing significant shifts in consciousness and social awareness of how the world works and how unequal these norms are utilised to benefit those more powerful. 

Islamic Principles as a Moral Compass in a Post-Secular World

Muslims take inspiration from the Quran's core principles that guide our behaviour and actions. Commenting on the role of religion in a post-secular world, Azza Karam says, ‘how can we interact with the world without referring to our faith?’ She goes on to say that Islam had already accorded the rights and dignity of the human being before the advent of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (Karam, 2025). The sacredness of human beings and our relationship with each other is connected to our relationship with God. Suppose we start with this as a central point. In that case, it can be a moral compass used for all ethical issues we face today, from public policy, polarisation, generative AI, and immigration to how we treat the poor, marginalised and incarcerated in society. We will do all we can to protect human life from harm. Islam sanctifies life, it does not desecrate it.

Thus, in the question of upholding human life, the Quran equates the act of preserving a single life to saving all of humanity, while conversely condemning the act of killing one life as equivalent to the destruction of all of humanity:

مِنْ أَجْلِ ذَٰلِكَ كَتَبْنَا عَلَىٰ بَنِىٓ إِسْرَٰٓءِيلَ أَنَّهُۥ مَن قَتَلَ نَفْسًۢا بِغَيْرِ نَفْسٍ أَوْ فَسَادٍ فِى ٱلْأَرْضِ فَكَأَنَّمَا قَتَلَ ٱلنَّاسَ جَمِيعًۭا وَمَنْ أَحْيَاهَا فَكَأَنَّمَآ أَحْيَا ٱلنَّاسَ جَمِيعًا ۚ وَلَقَدْ جَآءَتْهُمْ رُسُلُنَا بِٱلْبَيِّنَـٰتِ ثُمَّ إِنَّ كَثِيرًۭا مِّنْهُم بَعْدَ ذَٰلِكَ فِى ٱلْأَرْضِ لَمُسْرِفُونَ

“That is why we ordained for the Children of Israel that whoever takes a life – unless as a punishment for murder or mischief in the land – it will be as if they killed all of humanity; and whoever saves a life, it will be as if they saved all of humanity. [Although] Our messengers already came to them with clear proofs, many of them still transgressed afterwards through the land.”  

(Surah Al-Maidah, 5:32)

Read: Bani Israel: Who Are They, and Why Does the Quran Mention Them?

Mauritanian scholar Shaykh Abdallah Bin Bayyah in his 2017 Muis Lecture in Singapore entitled “Faith, Compassion and Human Dignity”, reminded us of the shared essence of humanity. This understanding has its roots in “the idea of unity of being which was advanced by the various spiritual traditions of most religions. The understanding is conscious of our shared humanity and that, in essence, we are all one inter-connected human family” (Bayyah, 2017). Both the devastating loss of innocent life and the moral decay of the perpetrators pains us so much because it is a moral injury that goes against our natural disposition, our fitrah, our covenant with God. For Muslims, this distress and suffering is felt even more deeply when it affects our fellow believers. As reported by Al-Nu’man ibn Bashir, Prophet Muhammad s.a.w. said: 

مَثَلُ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ فِي تَوَادِّهِمْ وَتَرَاحُمِهِمْ وَتَعَاطُفِهِمْ مَثَلُ الْجَسَدِ إِذَا اشْتَكَى مِنْهُ عُضْوٌ تَدَاعَى لَهُ سَائِرُ الْجَسَدِ بِالسَّهَرِ وَالْحُمَّى

“The parable of the believers in their affection, mercy, and compassion for each other is that of a body. When any limb aches, the whole body reacts with sleeplessness and fever.”

(Sahih Al-Bukhari)

Yet, as an epitome of mercy, we have seen in the Prophet’s life how such attitudes of loving one another and striving for mutual virtues are not exclusively for Muslims but extend to all of humanity. Without distinguishing between Muslims and non-Muslims, the Prophet said:

لَا يَرْحَمُ اللَّهُ مَنْ لَا يَرْحَمُ النَّاسَ

“Allah will not be merciful to those who are not merciful to people.”

(Muttafaqun ‘Alayh)

Read: The Prophet of Mercy: Showing Care and Concern for Others

Acknowledging diversity and pluralism are core values in Islamic tradition. It recognises diversity and tolerance of differences based on gender (49:13; 53:45); skin colour, language (30:22); beliefs and ranks. (64:2; 6:165) Harmony between the different social groupings and communities is praised, and competition and control of any person is condemned. There are many Quranic verses that support this notion of appreciation of differences (2:213; 10:19; 7:38; 13:30; 16:63; 29:18; 35:42; 41:42 & 64:18). The Quran asserts that differences are inherent in human life. Thus, ethnic, tribal and national differences have no real bearing on closeness to God (Abu-Nimer, 2018).

Read: Addressing Misconceptions: Islam and Diversity

For Nimer, tolerance of “others”, particularly people of other faith, is repeatedly accepted and emphasised in Islam. The equality of followers of different religions is often reiterated in the Quran and hadith. Muslims are asked to remember that there is no difference in the treatment of people of other religions except in their faith and deeds: (3:113-114), (2:62) and (5:69). 

Quranic Lessons for Tolerance and Appreciation of Differences

A few principles (usul) can be derived from the Quran supporting human dignity and coexistence:

(1) Human dignity deserves absolute protection regardless of the person’s religion, ethnicity, and intellectual opinion or orientation (17:70). This dignity is a form of individual protection given by God;
(2) All humans are related and from the same origin; (4:1; 6:98; 5:32)
(3) God designates differences among people and are part of His creation and rules (sunnah). Thus, differences in ethnicity, race, culture, etc. are a natural part of life. (30:22; 10:99; 11:118; 11:199) God had the power to create us all the same, but He did not; (11:118)
(4) Islam acknowledges other religions and asserts their unity of origin; (42:13; 2:136) Because differences are a given in Islam, there is no justification for violating people’s rights to exist and move due to their different religious affiliation (42:15)
(5) Muslims have the freedom of choice and decision after the calling, or the message has been delivered (2:256; 18:29; 17:107; 109:4-6)
(6) God is the only judge of people’s actions. People are responsible for their decisions and deeds when they face judgment. The Prophet only carried the message, only God is responsible for judgement (42:18; 16:124; 32:23; 88:25, 88:26)
(7) Muslims should observe good deeds, justice, and equity in dealing with all human beings. (5:9; 4:135; 60:8)

Read: 5 Incredible Lessons from The Prophet's ﷺ Last Sermon

Concluding Reflections: Working Towards a Shared Future

The senseless killings we have witnessed throughout genocides and wars go against our natural disposition (fitrah). As does the emotional pain we feel at the unjust loss of life. Through the pyramid of hate, we learn that dehumanisation starts at the interpersonal level before moving at a deeper us-them divide, finally leading to bigoted actions towards a particular group if not curtailed. 

Religion and religious leaders in the public sphere can be one of society’s moral advocates who fight to uphold the sanctity of human life and dignity and steer us towards human flourishing. In inter-religious spaces, the Golden Rule of reciprocity underpins human relationships that are based on compassion and deep respect. We nurture a more compassionate world when we treat others as sacred, with mutual recognition, all worthy of a dignified life. In these areas of diversity where people encounter “others”, make mistakes and learn to live with each other, “this is where hope lies” (Siddiqui, 2021).

Being human is not just about understanding our Self in relation to others or the world, it is about the awareness that we are tied to the fate of all humanity. Being human is not just a state of being; it is in the act of being: dispelling hate for others from our Self, seeing the sacred humanity in others and caring for them. 

In a hadith narrated by Anas Bin Malik r.a, the Prophet s.a.w. said: 

انْصُرْ أَخَاكَ ظَالِمًا أَوْ مَظْلُومًا‏. قَالُوا يَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ هَذَا نَنْصُرُهُ مَظْلُومًا، فَكَيْفَ نَنْصُرُهُ ظَالِمًا. قَالَ تَأْخُذُ فَوْقَ يَدَيْهِ

“Help your brother, whether he is an oppressor or he is an oppressed one.’ People asked: ‘O Allah’s apostle! It is alright to help him if he is oppressed, but how should we help him if he an oppressor? ‘The Prophet Muhammad s.a.w. said: ‘By preventing him from oppressing others.’”

(Sahih Bukhari)

We should do small acts of kindness for our family, friends and neighbours, contribute philanthropically and speak out against injustice to those affected by war and conflict anywhere in the world. Hold on to God and each other, and have faith in God’s promise that any life saved is akin to saving all humankind. Prophet Muhammad s.a.w. said:

مَن رَأَى مِنكُم مُنْكَرًا فَلْيُغَيِّرْهُ بيَدِهِ، فإنْ لَمْ يَسْتَطِعْ فَبِلِسانِهِ، فإنْ لَمْ يَسْتَطِعْ فَبِقَلْبِهِ، وذلكَ أضْعَفُ الإيمانِ

“Whosoever among you see an evil action, then let him change with his hands. If he cannot, then with his tongue. And if he cannot, then with his heart...”  

(Sahih Muslim)

Read: Enjoining Good and Forbidding Wrong

I’d like to dedicate this essay to family, friends, and colleagues specifically from Muslim.Sg and Harmony Centre, who throughout these 15 months have given me hope and strength to continue for work together towards a more peaceful world. And a special thank you to Muhd Mateen and Aufa, for assisting with some of the important research and editing of sources. And especially to the people of Gaza.

References

¹ Amnesty concludes Israel is committing genocide in Gaza; Israel’s Crime of Extermination, Acts of Genocide in Gaza | Human Rights Watch; Summary of the Order of 26 January 2024 | INTERNATIONAL COURT OF JUSTICE; Application of the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide in the Gaza Strip (Source); Rights expert finds ‘reasonable grounds’ genocide is being committed in Gaza | UN News

² You Feel Like You are Sub-Human’: Israel’s Genocide Against Palestinians in Gaza, Amnesty International, London, 5 December 2024.

³ See Lemkin Institute for Genocide prevention and Human Security, named after Raphael Lemkin, who studied the Armenian and Simele massacres and was first to coin the term “genocide”. 

⁴ See Anti-Defamation League. Source.

⁵ More needs to be done to combat racial microaggressions in S’pore: ST Webinar panelllists’. Source.

⁶ Fostering religious harmony for the sake of humanity. Source. 

⁷ Achille Mbembe, Necropolitics, Durham: Duke University Press (trans: Steve Corcoran), 2019.

⁸ Nesrine Malik, “A New terror has entered the Gaza War: that it is ushering in an age of total immorality.”, The Guardian, 29 July 2024.  

Zaid Shakir, “The Human in the Qur’an”, The Art of Being Human, Renovatio, The Journal of Zaytuna College, Spring 2018.

Hannah Arendt, Eichmann in Jerusalem: A Report on the Banality of Evil, New York: Viking Press, 1963.

Basma Abdelgafar, Thriving in a Plural World: Principles and Values of the Singapore Muslim Community. Singapore: Muis Academy. 2018.

Abdullahi Ahmed An-Naim. Decolonizing Human Rights. Cambridge: Cambridge Univesity Press. 2021.

Feisal Abdul Rauf. Defining Islamic Statehood - Measuring and indexing contemporary Islamic states. New York: Palgrave. 2015.

Mohammed Abu-Nimer, “A Framework for Nonviolence and Peacebuilding in Islam.” Muis Occasional Paper Series. Singapore: Muis (Islamic Religious Council of Singapore). 2018.

The Vatican Website.

Azza Karam, “Rethinking Social Cohesion in Troubled Times”, Network of Centers for Christian-Muslim Relations Webinar, 16 January 2025.

Richard Sennet, Together: The Rituals, Pleasures and Politics of Cooperation, London: Allen Lane, 2012.

Mona Siddiqui, Human Struggle: Christian and Muslim Perspectives, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2021.

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