YOU HAVE HEARD IT SAID, ‘AN EYE FOR AN EYE AND A TOOTH FOR A TOOTH…’

Like most people I have found the atrocities which occurred in Paris this week utterly shocking.  As I listened with growing horror and a sense of disbelief to the unfolding stories of brutality and murder carried out in the name of Allah for the defence of the name of Mohammad I first found myself revolted and stunned.  Then I noticed a welling up of anger and a desire that those who perpetrated the crimes should be made to realise the pain and suffering they had caused.  And, as I continued to become aware of my feelings I also had to accept that I wanted to blame Islam for giving sustenance to the belief that such violence is permissible to defend a religion.  Gradually I realised a feeling that Islam must be a cruel and repressive religion and that we need to ban it from our shores.  And I heard other voices saying the same. 

Yet I sensed that such ’voices’ were leading me into treacherous places and that, whilst I needed to acknowledge they existed, to give attention to them put me in danger of opening myself to the very demons – malevolent forces – which animated the killers.  I can’t pretend that they don’t exist: that I am not susceptible to prejudice, anger, rage, violence and a desire for revenge.  After all, I am ‘only human’.  I may have a brain that’s been civilised over millennia but part of it is primal – ‘reptilian’ – and is the repository of those primitive desires commonly referred to as ‘fear’, fight’ and ’flight’.  I can pretend otherwise but that would leave me at their mercy.  ‘An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth’ is a dictum almost as old as humanity because it appeals to our primitive nature.

The I noticed the way that blame for this is not just levied at Islam but all religion which many see as an inhuman force.  Get rid of religion and the world would live in peace, as John Lennon sang.  But I doubt that’s the case for hatred lies deep in the human heart and is not the preserve of religion.  I sense that those who carried out such barbarous acts would still have had hatred in their hearts even if they weren’t driven by religious feelings.  In fact I would argue that religion exists in order to address this very matter.  Knowing that I am capable of good and evil, how do I embrace the one and avoid the other?  That’s the role of religion.  So Jesus recognised that age-old desire for vengeance and said: ‘But I say to you … love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you so that you may be children of your Father in heaven.’  (Mt.5:38;44)  And if we are, individually, susceptible to life-denying forces then that is equally true of societies and cultures and the role of religion concerns the way humanity is called to acknowledge its deepest urges – both for good and evil.  It’s easy to ignore the fact that for every sinner there is a saint whose light, born of faith, enlightens us.  I noticed these words of the Islamic Sufi saint, Rumi:

For those in love,
                        Moslem, Christian, and Jew do not exist....
            Why listen to those who see it another way? -
                        if they're not in love--their eyes do not exist.

And for every Islamic Rumi there’s a St. John of the Cross or a St. Teresa of Avila; a Desmond Tutu or a Dorothy Day.  But the light the saint’s offer can be ignored and I know that the tragedy of the violence that lies within me is the way it can blind me to anything else.  But I also know that the glory of the spirit is the way it can lead me out of blindness into light and raise me above my-self. 

One of the tasks of religion is to bring into the open the forces that drive the human spirit and to offer ways in which they can be used for the greater good.  When S. Francis met the muslim Sultan of Egypt, al-Malik-al-Kamil, it is said that he experienced a ‘conversion into a new horizon’ that enabled him to arrive at a vision of universal peace and reconciliation (Dr. Paul Rout OFM).  But I am bombarded with too many voices and I realise the power that all the media has to convey – consciously or unconsciously – its message, and the power of messages rooted in fear to connect with our primal instincts.  I know that it is easy to project onto the other   But I know that I need to listen to those voices which call me to love the other.  As S. Francis wrote: ‘Let us pay attention to what the Lord says: Love your enemies and do good to those who hate you, for our Lord Jesus Christ, whose footprints we must follow called his betrayer ‘friend’ and gave himself willingly to those who crucified him.’ (Francis of Assisi “The Earlier Rule” Chapter XXII 1-4)

I am called to cultivate those practices which lead to life – for example in Christian terms, the way of the Beatitudes – and to own and acknowledge that my heart is not always set upon them.  Religion calls that repentance.   If I don’t own all that for myself and find a way of dealing with it, then I am truly blind.  William Blake put it well when he wrote:

I was angry with my friend; 

I told my wrath, my wrath did end.

I was angry with my foe: 

I told it not, my wrath did grow. 

And I waterd it in fears,

Night & morning with my tears: 

And I sunned it with smiles,

And with soft deceitful wiles. 

And it grew both day and night. 

Till it bore an apple bright. 

And my foe beheld it shine,

And he knew that it was mine. 

And into my garden stole, 

When the night had veild the pole; 

In the morning glad I see; 

My foe outstretched beneath the tree.

(A Poison Tree)

THE MIDDLE EAST - a short talk at Bloomsbury Central Baptist Church

THE MIDDLE EAST

A Brief Guide

This is the region known as the ‘Cradle of Civilisation’.  Great empires came and went: Egyptian, Assyrian, Persian, Greek, Roman, Byzantine and – lastly – Ottoman.  And a region where one cannot ignore the effect of the Crusaders who wrested parts of the Near East on the edges of the Mediterranean from Islamic rule and established kingdoms which lasted from 1099 to 1291.

Here is where we find what is known as the ‘Fertile Crescent’, arching from Arabia to Israel: that geographic span which enabled civilisations to develop and provided routes for traders and armies.  And here, of course, developed Judaism, Christianity and Islam.  Christianity flourished in the region for 600 years during the dominance of the Roman and Byzantine empires. 

IRAQ was evangelised by Ss. Thomas and Thaddeus (Addai)

EGYPT by S. Mark

TURKEY by S. Paul

Christianity was not as we know it today.  It was in a developmental process when arguments raged over the principle question – just who was Jesus?  A man chosen by God?  God in the appearance of man?  God and man?  And, if so, how?  Various tribal and political groups adopted one or another theory and it wasn’t until 381 at the Second Ecumenical Council of Nicaea that the disparate churches adopted an agreed statement of Faith – the Nicene Creed.  Even then some did not, notably the followers of Nestorius, the Patriarch of Constantinople (Istanbul) from 428 to 431.  They rejected the title of Mary as Theotokos – God-bearer because they believed that Jesus was not God AND man but God IN man. 

Nestorian Christianity flourished throughout the East eventually reaching as far as China and it’s fairly evident that the development and acceptance of Islam was, in part, made possible because it inherited this view.  Islam does not accept that Jesus is God-made-flesh, nor that he died and was resurrected and it is argued many Christians in that region, faced with the growing Muslim influence, accepted Islam as it seemed close to their understanding of Christianity. 

Mohammed was born c. 570 in what is now Saudi Arabia.  The experience he had which led to the writing of the Koran took place c.610 and, subsequently, he began to attract followers to his new ideology and gathered an army together which, eventually, forced most of Arabia to accept Islam.  After his death in 632 the community was ruled by powerful caliphs (rulers) whose armies quickly took control of much of the Middle East. 

A Muslim army, for example, invaded Egypt in 639 and the country fell under their control a year later.  This was a time when the Byzantine Empire was becoming weaker through a series of invasions and Christians who did not convert were forced to pay a special ‘protection’ tax (the ‘Jizya’) which gave proof of their acceptance and subjection to the Islamic state.  It is required by the Koran (9:29) and is still enforced in certain places.  In fact, the tax is being demanded increasingly. 

The basic teachings of Islam are to:

1) worship the one and only one God and believe in his oneness.

2) witness that prophet Mohamed as God's prophet and messenger.

3) believe in, and practice, ritual prayers, paying the compulsory charity, fasting Ramadan, and performing Pilgrimage if possible.

4) have faith in God, all His angels, all His holy books, all His prophets, day of Judgment, and destiny.

5) fully obey God and his messenger Mohamed by obeying what they order him/her to do and what they order not to do. 

6) do good deeds for the benefit of his community, nature, and mankind.

7) observe the rules of the Quran and Islam morals. 

But Islam did not remain a united force for long.  After Mohammed’s death the question of his successor arose. Some soon rejected the view that he had appointed a successor and held that the position of caliph could be attained democratically.  They held that Mohammed had appointed Abu Bakr, a friend of the Prophet and father of his wife Aisha. These became known as Sunni’s and form the largest denomination: in the Middle East they are a majority in Libya, Egypt, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Syria and Turkey. 

Those who believe Mohammed appointed his son-in-law, Ali, to be his heir and supporters became known as Shi’ite, or Shia, and believe their ayatollah’s (leaders) as God’s representative on earth.  

Today, as a rough guide, Sunni’s account for 80% of the Islamic population and Shi-ite for 20%.  In terms of countries, these are divided in the following ways:

LIBYA:                        Sunni                97%

                                    Shia                    2%

EGYPT                        Sunni                90%

                                    Shia                  10%

(Christian: 12 – 18%)

SAUDI ARABIA         Sunni                95%

                                    Shia                    5%

JORDAN                     Sunni                92%

                                    Shia                    2%

IRAQ                           Sunni                40%

                                    Shia                  40%

(Christian: 5%)

IRAN                           Sunni                10%

                                    Shia                  90%

(Christian: 0.2%)

SYRIA                        Sunni                 74%

                                    Shia                  13%

(Christian: app. 10%)

LEBANON                  Sunni                50%

                                    Shia                  50%

(Christian: 39%)

TURKEY                    Sunni                70%

                                    Shia                  25%

(Christian: 0.10%)

(Population figures taken from a variety of sources)

From this it can be seen that only Iran has a majority Shia population.  Egypt has a predominantly Sunni population and the Shi’ite community, along with the Christians (who form between 15-20% of the population), were increasingly persecuted under President Morsi with the backing of the conservative Muslim Brotherhood.  The goal of the Brotherhood, founded in Egypt in 1928, follows the agenda of Sunni Islam – the restoration of the Caliphate and imposition of Sharia law over state and society. 

Syria also has a predominantly Sunni population but Pres. Assad belongs to the minority Alawite sect of Shia Islam. 

Whilst both Sunni and Shia’s consider the Koran to be divine they differ over the traditions that have developed to interpret and define Islamic faith and many believe violent divisions between the two are growing, as witnessed by what is occurring in Syria at present.  Some maintain that Sunni’s sense a loss of power and are seeking to regain their influence through violence and point out that both al-Qaeda and the Taliban are militant Sunni movements.

Whatever the outcome, the shadow of Islam has now stretched over the West and we need to understand it if we are going to live with it.

"BUT WHAT I SAY IS, LOVE YOUR ENEMIES"

We woke to the sound of helicopters circling over Woolwich town centre, just a 15 min. bus ride down the hill.  The terrible murder there yesterday afternoon has left a sense of fear, insecurity and confusion as the consequences unfold.

I am left with an image from today’s newspapers of one of the murderers wielding a blooded cleaver with the bold headline “It’s an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth” and the claim that this act was done as a reprisal for the deaths of Muslims.  So, almost inevitably, there were further reprisals last night against Islamic targets and the threat today of street protests.  So the cycle goes on.

And into my mind comes the only solution: “You have heard that it was said, "An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth." But I say to you, Do not resist an evildoer. But if anyone strikes you on the right cheek, turn the other also … You have heard that it was said, "You shall love your neighbour and hate your enemy." But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you.” (Matthew 5:38-39 and 43-44. NRSV)  These are the words – these ‘hard teachings’ of Jesus – that need to be recalled by those who would claim the cross of Christ.  The flag of St. George is an emblem of Jesus’ teaching, not a rallying point for vengeance. 

Our hearts are capable of the worst atrocities and the most sublime acts of love.  Violence feeds all that leads to hatred and death and needs to be resisted.  Religious faith springs from the depths of our humanity and the Church needs to proclaim, loudly and clearly, the message of Christ at times such as this: to counter the violence that calls for the heart’s attention by directing us to the call that what will bring us to the fullness of life.  

It is right that we question why people feel called to commit such gross acts of violence against a fellow human-being, but we also need to be reminded that, in the end, it is the heart needs to be converted to that compassionate love which Christ showed by his love and taught his disciples.

Testament of Dom Christian De Cherge OCSO

This testament was composed by Dom Christian de Cherge in Algiers, December 1, 1993 and produced in Tibhirine, January 1, 1994. It was opened on Pentecost Sunday, 1996, shortly after Dom Christian and others of his Trappist community were murdered in Algeria.  It is one of the most moving testaments concerning faith in Christ I have ever read:

If it should happen one day—and it could be today—that I become a victim of the terrorism which now seems ready to encompass all the foreigners in Algeria, I would like my community, my Church, my family, to remember that my life was given to God and to this country. To accept that the One Master of all life was not a stranger to this brutal departure. I would like them to pray for me: how worthy would I be found of such an offering?

I would like them to be able to associate this death with so many other equally violent ones allowed to fall into the indifference of anonymity. My life has no more value than any other. Nor any less value. In any case, it has not the innocence of childhood. I have lived long enough to know that I share in the evil which seems, alas, to prevail in the world, and even in that which would strike me blindly. I should like, when the time comes, to have a space of lucidity which would enable me to beg forgiveness of God and of my fellow human beings, and at the same time to forgive with all my heart the one who would strike me down.

I could not desire such a death. It seems to me important to state this. I don’t see, in fact, how I could rejoice if the people I love were indiscriminately accused of my murder. It would be too high a price to pay for what will be called, perhaps, the “grace of martyrdom” to owe this to an Algerian, whoever he may be, especially if he says he is acting in fidelity to what he believes to be Islam.

I know the contempt in which Algerians taken as a whole can be engulfed. I know, too, the caricatures of Islam which encourage a certain idealism. It is too easy to give oneself a good conscience in identifying this religious way with the fundamentalist ideology of its extremists. For me, Algeria and Islam is something different. It is a body and a soul. I have proclaimed it often enough, I think, in view of and in the knowledge of what I have received from it, finding there so often that true strand of the Gospel learned at my mother’s knee, my very first Church, precisely in Algeria, and already respecting believing Muslims.

My death, obviously, will appear to confirm those who hastily judged me naive or idealistic: “Let him tell us now what he thinks of it!” But these must know that my insistent curiosity will then be set free. This is what I shall be able to do, if God wills: Immerse my gaze in that of the Father, to contemplate with Him His children of Islam as He sees them, all shining with the glory of Christ, fruit of His Passion, filled with the Gift of the Spirit whose secret joy will always be to establish communion and to refashion the likeness, playing with the differences.

This life lost, totally mine and totally theirs, I thank God who seems to have wished it entirely for the sake of that JOY in and in spite of everything. In this THANK YOU which is said for everything in my life, from now on, I certainly include you, friends of yesterday and today, and you, O my friends of this place, besides my mother and father, my sisters and brothers and their families, a hundredfold as was promised!

And you too, my last minute friend, who will not know what you are doing, Yes, for you too I say this THANK YOU AND THIS “A-DIEU”-—to commend you to this God in whose face I see yours. And may we find each other, happy “good thieves” in Paradise, if it please God, the Father of us both. . . AMEN!

© Monastic Inter-Religious Dialogue, from Bulletin 55, May 1996