It’s not often you see a religious verse featured on the cover page of Time Magazine. But today, the publication did just that in relation to the work of the White Helmets!
The verse – “whoever saves one life, saves all of humanity” – is common to Muslims and Jews, and is quoted in the Qur’an (5:32) and the Talmud (Sanhedrin 4:1). It is the motto of the courageous humanitarian organisation operating in Syria, run by volunteers who risk their lives to help anyone in need – and it informs everything they do.
The White Helmets, aptly named for the distinctive headgear that they wear at work, are an impartial and unarmed group made up of 3,000 volunteers whose job it is to step in “when the bombs rain down”. This week, they were nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize and we couldn’t be happier for them here at Ummahsonic central! We want to extend a warm congratulations to the tirelessly hard-working volunteers who risk their lives daily to look out for Syrians and pull them from the rubble. Despite the fact they didn’t get a win, the nomination alone is a huge honour and one that they should be very proud of.
What’s more, their response to missing out on the prize is nothing short of inspirational. They said: “It is not the Nobel we long for most, but peace itself.” The White Helmets have previously been featured in a film on Netflix, that shows striking and emotional scenes of rescue operations, babies being saved from the devastation and mushroom clouds emerging from bombsites.
We would like to thank them for persevering in this admirable work with quiet determination over the past three years and we wish them all the best for the future.
