By Saber Azam
GENEVA, Nov 12 2026 (IPS)

This is the final article in a four-part series with related titles, highlighting the responsibility of mainstream media and religious leaders for the world’s current appalling state and the calamities that may await future generations if proper measures are not taken in time. When megalomania is given a “human face,” historical facts are distorted, acts of aggression are whitewashed, unlawful wars are portrayed as vehicles of “democracy, human rights, and morality,” other people’s intelligence is undermined and mocked, bias overshadows international norms, and religion becomes an instrument of bigotry, I sustain my accusation:

Saber Azam

The media is often described as a primary mechanism for informing the public about crucial social, political, and economic issues that can directly or indirectly affect society. Across mass, community, and small- and medium-sized outlets, it also educates and connects people, shapes public opinion, and gives whistleblowers a platform. Impartiality, truthfulness, and investigative rigor are among the principal pillars of its credibility. The most important red lines no media outlet should cross include the propagation of hatred in any form, racism, lies and defamation, deliberately false information, and violations of privacy and personal data. Core principles also include freedom of expression, pluralism, and fact-based reporting.

To date, no single body of international legislation governs the media. Countries and regions apply their own laws and regulations. Since World War II, many powerful countries have funded mainstream media outlets that primarily serve as tools for domestic and foreign-policy propaganda and narrative control. Some wealthy individuals and institutions have done the same to advance their own interests.

In some wealthy and powerful countries, domestic injustices and violations of human dignity are often overlooked, while political assassinations, bloody regime changes, covert subversive operations, denial of facts, and other harmful policies and practices carried out abroad against less powerful countries have been presented to the public as necessary responses to alleged “violations” of certain principles or rights.

In many cases, blatant falsehoods have been transformed into absolute truths, and unlawful acts of aggression have been whitewashed. Without diminishing the good work they have accomplished, these media networks bear responsibility for “justifying” many unjustifiable acts, resulting in countless deaths, material destruction, and shattered lives. The tragedy is that this continues: even when hundreds of journalists are brutally murdered, many mainstream media outlets still fail to denounce these misdeeds.

However, with the rise of the internet, mobile phones, social media, independent podcasters, alternative news networks, and other tools, timely information can now reach vast audiences instantly, while independent audio and video creators and hosts dig deeper to uncover facts. Anyone can capture a photo or video of an event and share it immediately on social media. Younger generations across continents seek facts about the past and present to build a better future. They consult historical archives and draw on multiple sources to form informed opinions on issues that matter to them. Of course, they are not immune to misinformation or malicious manipulation. Yet many people can find accurate information from well-informed alternative sources, even if those outlets lack the political backing and financial power of mainstream media organizations, which bear an even greater responsibility to speak the truth, especially when it matters most.

I Accuse the Religious Leaders

Religion may be understood as a divine philosophy through which God establishes principles intended to ensure harmonious, respectful, equitable, and peaceful living. It can also define the relationship between the Creator and the created, among human beings, and between humans and their environment. Some religions also outline political, economic, and scientific frameworks or rules. Scholars have long sought to explain the foundations of religious belief and have advanced testimonial, philosophical, and extraordinary arguments. Faith, however, is rooted in a profound qualitative appreciation of life and its meaning. Human values and dignity form important common ground among monotheistic, polytheistic, pantheistic, and atheistic convictions. Therefore, those who carry the banner of any belief bear a great responsibility to denounce violations of the principles they profess.

Over time, politics intruded into the sphere of faith and influenced decision-makers, business leaders, and society at large. Rulers often defined their own versions of particular beliefs. Divisions followed, and people of the same religion began killing one another in the name of God. Later, interfaith conflicts arose, leading to devastation and massacres.

One of the most despicable developments in recent human history was the initiation, expansion, and full implementation of the Doctrine of Discovery, through which faith became a justification for bigotry, discrimination, oppression, and expansionism, contributing to centuries of slave trading, gratuitous exploitation, and the devastation of the colonial era. Shamefully, some so-called scholars have characterized the decrees issued in this regard as “international law,” enabling the promulgation of appalling “codes,” political statements, and acts of violence. In the process, hundreds of millions of people were massacred, their treasures looted, and their capacity for self-defense crushed. In some parts of the world, native peoples were nearly erased. Serious crimes continue to be committed in the name of religion; yet, for various reasons, few leaders have come forward to say, “Not in our name!”

The intertwining of religion with politics and business has pulled faith away from its moral and social foundations and placed it in the service of those in power. In some cases, religious principles are invoked to sow division and violence among peoples.

Many faith leaders who persuade people to accept their teachings fail to demonstrate the moral courage and vision needed to take concrete action against injustices committed in the name of their beliefs and to oppose present-day misdeeds. They bear a heavy responsibility for the loss of innocent lives and for the world’s deteriorating condition.

Final Words

It is painful to witness dictatorships commit transgressions, but it is even more devastating to see “democratic societies” commit or condone similar acts. We may be approaching a major and extremely violent global calamity. Will the leaders mentioned in my four-part series of related articles realize they have strayed, take the needed corrective actions, or step aside and let younger, talented, and responsible generations take over and lead our world toward a more secure, promising, and prosperous future? If not, will the world’s youth launch a billion-signature vote-of-no-confidence petition to help save the planet and humanity?

Saber Azam is a former UN official. He is the author of Soraya: The Other Princess and Hell’s Mouth: A Journey to the Heart of West African Jungles. His third book, Nowhere to Go, will be published soon.

IPS UN Bureau

Excerpt:

This is the final article in a four-part series.