War again indeed, and yet it's a date that rings no bells. Was it a real war, or just a pretend war, war manoeuvers. It sounds like we were involved in some way, but no mention of any casualties, which usually hits the headlines and needs to be dealt with. Oh well, just another common or garden everyday war then, the forever war.

War again. More chess board manoeuvrings with knights in armoured vehicles, and pawns shuffling in lines up to the barbed wire. Not much changes at the sharp edge of war except the power of the weapon that might kill you. But even on the fuzzy fringe of modern warfare things could yet jump up and bite us.

We try to fight remote-controlled risk-free wars with trade sanctions and the like. We talk of smart high-tech long-distance war, but ultimately if you’re going to kill, you have to be prepared to die (and it’s hard to imagine this thing ending without some death on our side), and we’re all vulnerable to bio-hazard and hacker attack, no matter how high-tech our armoury.

So what’s worth dying for? Just survival? Or some kind of freedom? Or like Superman are we for Truth, Justice and the American way? Well, two out of three ain’t bad. I think most muslims looking to justify the struggles of any Holy War would come up with Truth and Justice. Truth, the absolute need of humanity to have freedom to voice their belief in the ineffable, combined with Justice the essential requirement for peace in our society, protecting life and property.

Qur’an says of war: ‘Permission to fight war is given to those against whom war is wrongfully waged, and truly God has the power to help them: Those who have been driven from their homelands against all right for no other reason than their saying, ‘Our Lord and Sustainer is God’.

For if God had not enabled people to defend one against another, all monasteries and churches and synagogues and mosques - in all of which God’s name is abundantly extolled - would surely have been destroyed. And God will most certainly help the one who helps God’s cause.

For truly God is all powerful, Almighty, Aware of those who, if We establish them on earth, remain constant in Prayer, and give in charity, and enjoin doing what is right and forbid doing what is wrong.

And with God rests the final outcome of all events.’