Remember our shared heritage

Understanding and respect defuses religious violence

A Shepherd Speaks

By BISHOP FRED HENRY
Calgary

Nigeria was among nations where violent riots broke out this past year over the publication of cartoons that satirized the prophet Muhammad. The violence in Nigeria killed more than 120 people during a few days in February.

In their March pastoral letter, the Nigerian Bishops' Conference strongly condemned the horrific killings of innocent Nigerians, both Muslims and Christians.

Nigerian torment

Churches and mosques, shops and homes were set ablaze by arsonists. The bishops said that no Nigerian should be made to feel unsafe anywhere due to religion, tribe or tongue. The riots appear to "have been orchestrated by people with dubious intent" and faulted the government and security agencies, saying that they did not come to people's rescue.

"In Muslims who ensured the safety of Christians during the riots we see hope. In the Christians who ensured the safety of Muslims we see hope. In religious leaders who . . . ensure that religion is not hijacked by fanatics and terrorists we also see hope."

Human dignity demands that people have the freedom to worship and to practise their faith both personally and communally regardless of where they live. A commitment to sustained engagement, persistent dialogue and collaborative efforts is needed to improve and strengthen religious freedom.

At the same time, serious tensions and religious conflicts do exist between Christians and Muslims in some Islamic countries, and the denial of religious liberty in these situations is a painful reality that cannot be ignored or minimized.

In Saudi Arabia, for example, Catholics do not enjoy freedom to worship; Saudi law forbids it. There are no churches and no public expressions of Christian faith. Strong societal pressures backed by government decree to conform to a strict version of Sunni Islam create a situation of extreme discrimination and a clear and ongoing denial of the fundamental right of religious freedom.

Of course the historic presence and role of Islam in Saudi Arabia needs to be acknowledged, but the persistent and complete denial of religious liberty to persons of other faiths living in the kingdom needs to be addressed and overcome.

In Sudan, there is a violent struggle for ethnic identity, of which religion forms an important component, as well as a struggle for control of the country's natural resources, especially for oil.

For many years the government in Khartoum has aggressively pursued a program of Islamization. This has resulted in attacks on and war with the Christians and other non-Muslims in the South, attacks against innocent civilians and a vicious war that still rages against African Muslims in the western region of Darfur, and continued harsh discrimination against religious minorities, including Christian, in the North.

Conversion from Islam is a capital offence in the North.

In addition to addressing forthrightly infringements on religious liberty, we need to be cognizant of a number of other social, economic, political and military factors that contribute to situations in which religious intolerance towards religious minorities is likely to grow.

Many Muslims perceive the powerful forces of secularization and materialism that often accompany globalization as threatening traditional Islamic values.

Many in the Islamic world interpret aspects and tactics of the struggle against terrorism as struggle against Islam itself. This misinterpretation precipitates a reactionary impulse to equate anything Western with Christianity. Indigenous Christians, who in most cases have local roots that predate the arrival of Islam, are erroneously identified and targeted as allies of adversaries of Islam.

The abuse and humiliation of prisoners and detainees by American and British forces has reinforced negative perceptions of the struggle against terrorism in Islamic countries.

Christianity takes many forms, as does Islam. Over-generalizing can become an exercise of prejudice.

Nevertheless, religious nationalists, political extremists such as al-Qaida and other terrorist groups misuse religious language and imagery to pursue their own political objectives, along with coercion and terrorism, to inflame hatred and prejudice.

Muslim leaders must denounce these distortions and abuse of religion by militants and extremists.

The failure to secure a just and peaceful end to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, with its resulting occupation of Palestinian lands, contributes to some Muslim suspicions and hostilities towards the West and its Christian majority and sometimes spills over into prejudices and distrust.

Mutual respect

Peace can only be assured by respect for the religious convictions and practices of others in a reciprocal way in all societies.

I also see hope when the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community of Calgary, the Calgary Council of Churches - with representation from Anglican, Lutheran, Presbyterian, Roman Catholic and United Church communities - the Hussaini Association of Calgary, the Ismaili Muslim Council for the Prairies, the Jewish Council of Calgary and the Muslim Council of Calgary can issue a joint statement which says:

"The Christian, Jewish, and Muslim communities have common roots and share common values. It is this shared heritage that reminds us of the importance of holding what is sacred with the utmost respect.

"Each of our religious communities values freedom of expression; however, all forms of freedom come with responsibilities and so our traditions expect respectful attitudes toward the sacred elements of our faiths.

"Lack of respect is offensive to all communities, be they Christian, Jewish, Muslim or any identifiable group. Calgary prides itself as a growing pluralistic community and, as such, can set an example for communities everywhere by its member's sensitivity to the concerns of others."

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