A Muslim trifecta
February 26, 2010, 6:13 pm
Posted by Joseph A. Komonchak
Spiegel online today has three pieces on matters concerning Islam. The first is an article on the persecution of Christians in Muslim lands; the second on the apology of the Danish newspaper that published cartoons of Mohammed that some Muslims found offensive; and the third on Qaddafi’s declaration of a jihad aginst Switzerland.
Islamic fanaticism is as nothing to that of Fr Tom Doyle. Carolyn Disco sent him a collection of my utterances on a thread below, taken out of context, and he instantly goes into attack mode without a moment’s reflection. I want to call him out on this. I think this kind of activity is merely destructive and discourages all humane and rational discussion.
I refer to http://reform-network.net/?p=2637 where my critics resort to composing humorous limericks — hardly a sign of their sincere concern for the welfare of young people.
Fr. O’Leary: If you want to respond to Fr. Doyle, do it on his website. You’ve had your say on this blog. And try to gain some sense of proportion, obviously missing if you could write: “Islamic fanaticism is as nothing to that of Fr Tom Doyle”
OK, but let me put in a good word for Islam. The fanaticism of regimes that hang teenagers for the crime of being in love is NOT typical of Islamic culture — notably Iranian culture. In the long reach of history Islam is a more tolerant and humane religion than Christianity has been.
The Danish cartoon apology is just diplomacy — the Catholic Church demands similar apologies for insults to the BVM (as in the case of the Godard film, Hail Mary — I believe some Catholic zealots planted bombs in cinemas over that).
Gadhafi — he is not typical of anything — it is absurd to take his senile dribblings as typical of Islam.
I think we should be cultivating love and sympathy for our Islamic brothers’ and sisters’ rich and noble traditions rather than pouncing on these news items.
PS I actually did send replies to the above-mentioned website and they were not published. As expected…
I considered going to Iraq for Christmas on a pilgrimage to support our fellow Christians there and hear Mass in Arameic.
http://www.terreentiere.com/ITINERAIRES-SPIRITUELS-ET-PELERINAGES/Paques%20en%20Irak.xhtml
The tone of the article bothers me; the writer seems to have blinders on. It says that Christians may be the most persecuted religion, but that is surely not true in relative numbers, is it? It talks, not only of laws against Christians, but also of prejudices prevalent even in countries where Christians are protected by the law. That immediately brings to mind a parallel with prejudices against Moslems prevalent here. It mentions once that in some Islamic country, there are persecutions against “other religions”: then I would have liked to know a little bit more about those other religions that are under persecution, but there is nothing about them. It mentions that Christianity is viewed as a violent religion. Why do some people believe that? Is it purely historical, or could it have something to do with the war in Iraq?
There was a Dominican sister who was from Mosul. I read an interview with her some time ago. She noted that during the Hussein era (ironically) Catholics and Christians moved unmolested in the cities, convents and places of worship. They have been there for thousands of years and, while minorities, faced no problems.
That has changed now. Granted, many of those groups persecuting Christians in Iraq are associated with jihadist movements that developed outside of Iraq. Still, they are still a force.
I think that there is no question that Christians are being persecuted since, obviously, they represent at least symbolically the West. This in spite of the fact that their particular rites may well pre-date Mohammed.
Some Muslim regions (again like Iraq pre-invasion ironically) had a long tradition of religious toleration but that is becoming less evident.
It would be interesting to trace historically when this militant strain of Islam emerged. I read that it was inspired by certain aspects of Marxist analysis and represents a hybrid of ideologies that are fairly recent in origin. But I am fuzzy on the details.
Of course, we also should remember the Trappist monks killed in Algeria. Their plight was chronicled in a very good book entitled The Monks of Tibhirine,/i> Fr. Christian de Chergé’s last testament is a witness to Christian faith. I reprint it below:
When an “A-DIEU” takes on a face.
If it should happen one day—and it could be today—
that I become a victim of the terrorism which now seems ready to engulf
all the foreigners living in Algeria,
I would like my community, my Church, my family,
to remember that my life was GIVEN to God and to this country.
I ask them to accept that the Sole Master of all life
was not a stranger to this brutal departure.
I ask them to pray for me—
for how could I be found worthy of such an offering?
I ask them to be able to link this death with the many other deaths which
were just as violent, but forgotten through indifference and 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 am an accomplice in the evil
which seems, alas, to prevail in the world,
even in that which would strike me blindly.
I should like, when the time comes, to have the moment of lucidity
which would allow 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 important to state this.
I do not see, in fact, how I could rejoice
if the people I love were to be accused indiscriminately of my murder.
To owe it to an Algerian, whoever he may be,
would be too high a price to pay for what will, perhaps, be called, the “grace of martyrdom,”
especially if he says he is acting in fidelity to what he believes to be Islam.
I am aware of the scorn which can be heaped on Algerians indiscriminately.
I am also aware of the caricatures of Islam which a certain Islamism encourages.
It is too easy to salve one’s conscience
By identifying this religious way with the fundamentalist ideologies of the extremists.
For me, Algeria and Islam are something different: they are a body and a soul.
I have proclaimed this often enough, I believe, in the sure knowledge of what I have received from it,
finding there so often that true strand of the Gospel,
learnt at my mother’s knee, my very first Church,
already in Algeria itself, in the respect of believing Muslims.
My death, clearly, will appear to justify
those who hastily judged me naïve, or idealistic:
“Let him tell us now what he thinks of it!”
But these people must realize that my avid curiosity will then be satisfied.
This is what I shall be able to do, if God wills—
immerse my gaze in that of the Father,
and contemplate with him his children of Islam just as he sees them,
all shining with the glory of Christ,
the fruit of His Passion, and filled with the Gift of the Spirit,
whose secret joy will always be to establish communion
and to refashion the likeness, playfully delighting in the differences.
For this life lost, totally mine and totally theirs,
I thank God who seems to have willed it entirely
for the sake of that joy in everything and in spite of everything.
In this THANK YOU, which sums up my whole life to this moment,
I certainly include you, friends of yesterday and today,
and you, my friends of this place,
along with my mother and father, my sisters and brothers and their families,
the hundredfold granted as was promised!
And also you, the friend of my final moment, who would not be aware of what you were doing.
Yes, I also say this THANK YOU and this A-DIEU to you, in whom I see the face of God.
And may we find each other, happy good thieves, in Paradise, if it pleases God, the Father of us both. Amen. In sha ‘Allah.
Thanks for Fr. Cherge’s “ADieu”. It’s a keeper. As I remembert, those priests are up for canonization. Fr. Cherge certainly seems to be a saint.
The ruthless behavior of the British in Iran in the overthrow of Mossadegh would be enough to turn them anti-British. They also supported the hated Shah. Britain needed to protect its interests in the British-Iranian oil company. As I’ve mentioned on other threads, the scholar of mystical experience, R. C. Zaehner was a spy with the British MI6 and was in charge of the overthrow. He, for instance, bought the votes of two Muslim members of Parliament in support of British interests. He became so disgusted with the lying and skulduggery), he left the service and is said to have vowed never to lie about anything ever again.
Then, of course, there is also the American support of Israel against the Palestinians. I suspect this is the main reason for the terrorist hatred of the USA.
That should be: The British supported the hated Shah.
Few things, in my view, are as important today as Christian-Muslim dialogue, and part of that effort will involve the recognition that many questions facing Islam now are ones that Christianity has faced as well. I am also opposed to panic-stricken and panic-sowing reactions to the growth of Islam in Europe. And it is true that not only Christians are the victims of either official or popular violence in many parts of the world — Bahais in Iran, many groups in China, etc., etc.
All that said, it does not help interfaith understanding or religious tolerance to deny or minimize the persecution and suffering endured by Christians in many Islamic nations.
Sometimes the persecution is simply because they are not of the other religion. Sometimes, as George said, because they represent the West. And sometimes because people have a distorted view of Christianity (the mention that it is viewed as a “violent” religion has stayed in my mind like a fish bone stuck in my throat).
But no one in their right mind would ever want to persecute Christians because they’re Christians, if they understood our faith, would they?