You may have noticed by now that our newsletter is inspired by a particular verse in the Qur’an and is reflective of such sentiments expressed in other books of revelations. This verse 181 in Chapter 7: The Elevation in the Qur’an reads as follows: “Among Our (God’s) creation is a group that seeks and guides with truth and does justice thereby.” This verse was preceded by another verse (7:159) – “Among the followers of Moses is a group that seeks and guides with truth and does justice thereby” – giving credence to the fact that each of Abrahamic faith contains group who strives for truth and justice. One could extend this argument or thesis that each religious group that is inspired by scriptures from God have groups that remain faithful to God, to truth and to justice.
Truth and justice are two sides of the same coin. A person who does not know the truth or does not seek the truth and therefore is not guided by truth cannot be an instrument for justice. Similarly, a society or a community (by extension a nation) which does not lay its foundation on truth will not be able to establish justice among its people. The world we live in today is awash with lies, false narratives, and manufactured truths that there is a real danger that our democracy, religious freedom and communal harmony – however fragile, will fracture even further unless we make a concerted effort to seek the truth, guide our personal lives, our laws, our institutions with truth and establish justice, peace and harmony in society based on such truth. Each branch of our government – be it legislative, judicial, or executive and people in them, including average citizens – must affirm our individual and collective affinity and obligation to truth and justice to sustain our democracy, civil society, and prosperity
