Page 73 - Encyclopedia Of World History Vol IV

1374 berkshire encyclopedia of world history

The Uttaraadhyayan Sutra,
Chapter 20, verse 60

A person who is free from delusion (who under-
stands things as they are), dinand Marcos illegally declared himself the winner of
an election in 1986. Influenced by Gandhian tactics of
who has good qualities, who has good thoughts,
boycott and noncooperation,Aquino called for a nation-
speech and deeds,
wide boycott of banks, newspapers, beverages, and
and who avoids violence of body, speech and movies. She called upon people to withdraw their funds
mind, from large banks with close connections to Marcos, to
shut down schools and factories, and to delay paying
enjoys freedom like a bird, while living on this
utility bills. Tactics of noncooperation brought govern-
earth.
ment operations to a halt and slowed the economy.
Source: Kothari, S. Concept of nonviolence in Jainism:A system for inner peace and Housewives, priests, workers, and businesspeople alike
happiness. Retrieved April 3, 2003 from http://www.jainstudy.org
supported the movement, refusing to accept the fraudu-
lent outcome of the election. The force of nonviolent
sanctions and boycott ultimately prevailed: Marcos was
KhudaiKhidmatgars is significant not only because of exiled to Hawaii, and Aquino became the duly elected
its struggle against colonialism and authoritarianism, but president of the Philippines.
also because it was an experiment that helped advance
the agenda for a peace army to resolve international con- Quest for Democracy in Myanmar
flicts. Moreover, because of the dedication of such large In 1988, two years after democracy was restored in the
numbers of Muslims to nonviolent action, the Khu- Philippines, Aung San Suu Kyi (b. 1945) led a demo-
daiKhidmatgars helped to dispel the myth that nonvio- cratic movement in Myanmar (Burma). Consequently, in
lence is not consistent with Islam. 1990 elections were held in which Suu Kyi’s democratic
party won. However, unwilling to give up authority, the
Tibetan Quest for Freedom military junta refused to abide by the election results.
Tenzin Gyatso (b. 1935), the fourteenth Dalai Lama, was Inspired by Gandhian satyagraha and Buddhist com-
forced into exile by the Chinese government in 1959. passion, Suu Kyi continued her nonviolent struggle in the
Now based in Dharmasala, India, the Dalai Lama con- face of oppression and remained committed to the cause
tinues to lead his followers in nonviolent resistance of freedom and human rights even when put under
against the Chinese and to serve as a beacon of nonvio- house arrest. Her resistance often takes the form of
lence to the international community. He has declared hunger strikes and active noncooperation with the
that violence by Tibetans would be suicidal and that authoritarian regime because she is convinced that “free-
“nonviolence is the only way” for Tibet to gain inde- dom from fear” is essential for bringing democracy to
pendence. While accepting the Nobel Peace Prize in Myanmar. Large numbers of Myanmar citizens are influ-
1989, the Dalai Lama commended nonviolent resist- enced by the moral strength of Suu Kyi and regard her as
ance, including the hunger strikes of Chinese students at Myanmar’s destiny.
Tiananmen Square in Beijing. The Dalai Lama, like
Gandhi, believes that the cultivation of inner peace and Arrested Democracy in China
integrity is the ultimate weapon for world peace because After the emergence of a democratic movement in Myan-
happiness lies within oneself. mar, in China tens of thousands of college students, led
by student Wu’er Kaixi (b. 1968), demanded democratic
Restoring Democracy reform from the Chinese Communist government in
in the Philippines 1989. As the movement gained momentum, three thou-
Corazon Aquino (b. 1933) led a nonviolent resistance to sand students staged a hunger strike, drawing more than
restore democracy in the Philippines after President Fer- a million people to their side at Tiananmen Square.They