When Sanity is Vaporized in the Chamber of Hypocrisy

Those who once introduced nuclear terror to the world now style themselves as guardians against it— writes Mujeeb Jaihoon.

Sanity suicides a thousand times as a mere 250-year-old burger-nation dares to demand surrender from a civilization that has endured for over 5,000 years.

This is a cry against the erosion of dignity in a world order ruled more by intimidation than by introspection, by warning rather than wisdom. As military aggression continues to be justified under the cloak of “preemptive defense,” we are forced to witness not just bombs dropping, but sanity itself collapsing under the weight of hypocrisy.

The ancient are asked to kneel to the arrogant. And justice, once thought to be a shared global pursuit, has become a tool wielded selectively.

Consider the unbearable irony: those who once introduced nuclear terror to the world now style themselves as guardians against it. They preach virtues of disarmament while hoarding weapons of mass destruction. While the superpowers reserve the right to judge and punish, others are expected to obey and remain silent.

What’s more, the aggressor delivers strikes then forbids response. Retaliation is criminalized, while provocation is legalized. This dangerous imbalance reveals a dangerous truth: in today’s world, only one deterrent seems to matter. Unfortunately, nuclear capability has become the ultimate insurance policy for a dignified existence. It appears as if the bullies are permitted to carry weapons, and those who resist are painted as villains.

The problem lies not in the pursuit of peace, but in its perversion. “Might is right” has morphed from a cautionary phrase into a governing principle. Sovereignty has become conditional. Restraint is demanded only from the weak. And morality is measured in megatons.

When a civilization, rich in history and proud in heritage, dares to resist the diktats of a far younger and more volatile power, it is branded as reckless. But perhaps that resistance is not recklessness—it is remembrance. A refusal to forget who one is, despite the roar of those who forgot what justice means.

This is not about nuclear ambitions—it’s about the dignity of a civilization unwilling to be bullied into amnesia. About saying no to a system that silences, shames, and subjugates in the name of order. The question is not whether confrontation can be avoided, but whether conscience can survive it. When the world shrinks its conscience to fit inside a warhead, it is not just one nation that is endangered—it is the future of civilization itself.

(Mujeeb Jaihoon is a writer exploring faith, culture, and society in the modern Muslim world. More at www.jaihoon.com)