On March 16th, 1968, American forces led by Lieutenant William Calley" surrounded the Vietnamese village of "My Lai" and killed everyone in it; around 400 civilians, including women and children.
In Islam, Prophet Mohamed, peace be upon him, directed his companions during their battles against those who aggressed against them:
"Whoever puts down his weapons is safe, and whoever closes his door is safe."
He also said,
"Do not kill children, each soul is born on the natural disposition to be Muslim"
Abu Bakr Al-Siddiq, the first caliph of the Muslims and the Prophet's companion, advised his army commander before heading to war saying: "You will find people who have secluded themselves in monasteries; leave them to what they have secluded themselves for. Do not kill an old person, nor a child, nor a woman. Do not demolish buildings, do not cut down a tree, unless for a good purpose. Do not burn a palm tree. Do not be treacherous, do not be dishonest, do not be cowardly, do not be lethargic."
From 1962 to 1971, the United States sprayed 11 million gallons of Agent Orange, an internationally prohibited chemical weapon, over Vietnam, leading to the birth of thousands of permanently disabled children.
On the tenth of January in the year 630 CE, the Islamic army led by the Prophet, peace be upon him, succeeded in capturing Mecca and establishing Islamic control over it.
The time had come for retribution against all those who had tortured Muslims, stolen their wealth, looted their homes, and killed many of them.
However, the Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him, chose a different path. He forgave all these criminals who deserved the severest punishment for what they had done to the Muslims.
Even if he had killed them one by one, he would not have been blamed by anyone. They were soldiers, not peaceful civilians.
Yet, he forgave when he had the power to retaliate.
The numbers of casualties on the Vietnamese side during the war vary significantly. The lowest estimate is a million and a hundred thousand, while some statistics go up to 2 million. However, that's not the worst part. The worst is that the majority of these casualties were civilians.
Umar ibn Al-Khattab is the second most important companion of the Prophet, peace be upon him. When he was the calif, the Muslims conquered the lands of the Persians and the Romans, and Islam spread throughout the world. One day he knew one Muslim warrior said to a parsian "You are safe" and then he killed him. Umar wrote to the commander of the army, "If that happens again from any soldier, I will cut off his neck."
In the year 1971, American journalist "Daniel Ellsberg" published "Pentagon Papers," which shifted public opinion by revealing that America knew it wouldn't win but still aimed to destroy Vietnam to save face.
"24 hours" was the duration of the most significant battle in Islamic history, the Battle of Badr. No battle fought by the Prophet, peace be upon him, lasted more than a day, except when Medina was besieged by the enemy in the Battle of the Trench. On that day, the Muslims were the attacked, not the attackers.
The primary objective of war in Islam is to establish peace. Islam acknowledges that wars are part of human history and doesn't advocate weakness or peace in the face of injustice. However, everything is subject to divine laws that place humans above all else.
Since the entire world signed the Geneva Convention to stop war crimes, almost no year has passed without a war crime being committed. Laws lose their value when those in power refuse to uphold them.
For this reason, America committed all those heinous crimes - and hundreds more in other countries - without being held accountable.
Atheists often discuss the possibility of human intellect discovering the right laws and noble ethics without divine revelation. However, that's not the right question.
The question is: Why would anyone adhere to them?
Islam solves this problem in one verse: "And to your Lord is the final destination."
There is always a supreme power that will punish the wicked and reward the faithful. This power is Allah, the creator of heavens and earth. And there is no running away from meeting him.
