Much has been written
and spoken about the recent terrorist attacks on America and
on the ‘prime suspect’ Osama bin Laden and his supporters.
Whether or not bin Laden is proven to be the mastermind behind
the terrorism that was visited upon the USA, the fact is that
the Western Christian world is now fully awake to the reality
of a strain of Islam that is gaining considerable popularity
across the world. At the heart of this belief is that the Muslim
world is being corrupted by infidels and that the only way
to deal with this is to drive out the enemies of Islam and
establish strict Islamic rule. Bin Laden’s genius is that
he has been able to forge a global Pan-Islamic network that
has moved well beyond a Pan-Arab Islamic network – he
recruits from across the whole world. This is a new phenomenon.
The roots of this
Islamic militancy can be traced as far back as the crusades
of the Middle Ages. It is a great historical irony that Christianity’s
own jihad, the crusades, sowed the seeds of present
day Islamist militancy. The aim of these crusades was to rid
the Holy Land of the Muslim ‘infidels’. The origin
of the word can be traced to the CROSS that formed a badge
on the outer garment of the soldiers that took part in these
military expeditions. The holy warriors took vows, received
a cross from the Pope or the Pope’s legate and then went
off into battle. The first crusades against the followers of
Mohammed were led byvarious kings and knights and extended
from 1095 to 1270.
Now President Bush
has reclaimed that word. He has described the response of the
USA to the terrorist attacks as a ‘crusade’ of civilisation
against barbaric terrorism. Given the historical background,
the use of this word, with all the historical and religious
overtones it conjures up, is troubling. Without a doubt the
perpetrators of this terrorism must be brought to justice and
stand accountable for their deeds. But the pursuit of this
objective should not evoke the same kind of religious fanaticism
that appears to have generated the attacks in the first place.
People of all faiths must work together to end crusades and
jihads, to dismantle organised violence and soften the hearts
of stone that would kill and maim the innocent – and we
need to find a language to give expression to this. Given the
weapons of mass destruction now accessible to nation states
and non-state actors, we have little option. Apart from any
high moral motives, in the end it is really a matter of enlightened
self interest for us all.
On 4 October, the
Church celebrates the feast of St Francis of Assisi – the
role model of peace-making. Francis was once a soldier. He
experienced war first hand, both as a fighter and as a prisoner
of war. It is believed that his experience brought him to a
realization of the futility of war and the need for peace-making.
The relevance of the Peace Prayer of Saint Francis has survived
many centuries. It is a profound prayer and one which the world
desperately needs now in the aftermath of the terrorist attacks
in the USA.
Lord,
make me an instrument of your peace.
Where there is hatred, let me sow love;
where there is injury, pardon;
where there is doubt, faith;
where there is despair, hope;
where there is darkness, light;
and where there is sadness, joy.
Grant
that I may not so much seek
to be consoled as to console,
to be understood as to understand,
to be loved, as to love.
For it is in giving that we receive,
it is in pardoning that we are pardoned,
and it is in dying that we are born to eternal life.
Without diminishing
the tragedy and the grief felt so deeply by the loved ones
of those killed in the USA, many are hoping and praying that
these tragic events will be a stimulus for peace-making rather
than for war-making – that humanity will follow the way
of Saint Francis.
