The Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. would urge peace for Yemen | Opinion

World leaders are silent on the war and famine taking place in Yemen. But we know the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. would have spoken out against the violence and suffering. While Rev. Dr. King is not here to preach for peace in Yemen, we surely can carry forward his message.

For seven years Yemen’s civil war has raged between the Saudi Arabia led coalition fighting the Houthi rebels. Hundreds of thousands have died and a major humanitarian crisis has unfolded, impacting over 20 million Yemeni civilians.

Dr. King would be horrified that Yemeni infants are starving to death in this civil war. War inevitably leads to famine and in Yemen it has placed millions of small children in constant danger of deadly malnutrition.

The Oscar nominated film Hunger Ward showed how devastating the war and hunger in Yemen is for children. Dr. King would also be disturbed that the United States and other countries have supplied weapons that have enabled the conflict.

Dr. King’s philosophy of nonviolence and peace needs to be heard in Yemen. Dr King’s words can encourage the soldiers to put down their arms. There can be no victory for anyone in Yemen if the fight continues, only endless bloodshed and famine. And you can’t build a peace with bombs.

As Dr. King said “We must pursue peaceful ends through peaceful means.” We must reject violence and those who have encouraged it in Yemen. We must bring the sides together to talk peace and how to build Yemen, not destroy it which the civil war is doing.

As The Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. said, “I believe that what self-centered men have torn down, men other-centered can build up. I still believe that one day mankind will bow before the altars of God and be crowned triumphant over war and bloodshed, and nonviolent redemptive goodwill will proclaim the rule of the land.”

Yemen’s law of the land must be nonviolence and goodwill toward men. It must be start with a ceasefire and arms to be put down. Other nations, including the United States, must stop providing arms and military aid for either side. We must be peacemakers in words and actions.

As Dr. King said “Nonviolence is a good starting point. Those of us who believe in this method can be voices of reason, sanity, and understanding amid the voices of violence, hatred, and emotion. We can very well set a mood of peace out of which a system of peace can be built.”

To bolster this peace effort we must provide more humanitarian aid to Yemen. There is too much emphasis on arms sales to Yemen, and not enough on humanitarian aid. The UN World Food Program (WFP) is feeding at least 11 million Yemenis a month but recently had to reduce rations for some because they did not have enough funding. So while arms are supplied by other nations to Yemen, war victims are having less food to eat. WFP also warns that infant nutrition and school feeding for Yemeni kids may see reductions in rations.

Dr. King would speak out against this injustice. You can too and encourage our leaders to act responsibly and help Yemen’s people with food and peace.

On Martin Luther King Jr. Day, let’s all spread the message of peace and nonviolence for Yemen. We must be that hope for peace for the millions of innocent Yemenis who face the horror of war and hunger on a daily basis.