US President Donald Trump and his Israeli ally Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's shambolic war has shut the Strait of Hormuz, creating a diplomatic fallout with US allies. Photo: Avi Ohayon (GPO)
This time of year when believers begin their Easter pilgrimage, we publish the God Edition. This has been a tradition at the Mail & Guardian for 26 years.
Our young, dynamic team who produced this year’s edition reflects our diverse religious heritage and our collective fears of a world imploding in real time before
our eyes.
This year’s edition lands in the middle of war. Literally. The theme, God of War, is a reflection of the times we live in today: a time of war. A time when, collectively, the world asks God for answers and prays for sanity to prevail.
The geopolitical shifts in the Trump era of renewed American hegemony has reached the Middle East, the birthplace of Christ, which is in turmoil after the US-Israel military attacks on Iran, which began in February.
The senseless US-Israel war has caused economic tremors across the world and sucked all of us into an unprecedented crisis characterised by soaring oil prices, the wanton destruction of infrastructure, killings, a humanitarian crisis and uncertainty.
Trump and his Israeli ally Benjamin Netanyahu’s shambolic war has shut the Strait of Hormuz, creating a diplomatic fallout with US allies, among them Britain and others in Nato, who have refused to participate in his uncalculated and costly Middle East mission.
Trump’s insatiable desire for war, which began with the abduction of Venezuelan president Nicholas Maduro in January and regime change in the oil-producing South American country, has ignited a global crisis in the Middle East. The crisis has reached nearly every nation, including South Africa.
The Easter pilgrimage will cost us more this year as thousands of believers travel to several destinations for the annual ritual. The fuel price hikes caused by the crisis in the Middle East will hurt our wobbly economy and send ripples across several sectors including food production. Several fuel stations have reportedly run dry. Some companies are urging their employees to work from home to save fuel in these uncertain times.
But the real impact of the war on many countries, particularly in Africa, will be felt long after the guns have stopped blazing and the missiles have stopped raining on Iran and its neighbours.
We don’t know when the war will end, because the world has learnt not to believe a word that comes out of Trump’s mouth. What we do know is that by the time it does, the world would have changed forever.
This Easter, we join hands with those calling for an end to the bloodletting and destruction of nations by those whose military budgets are being deployed to extend superiority over others.
We call for peace.