Image: Jewish, Christian and Muslim leaders unite in 2015 after a terrorist attack
September 21 was World Peace Day and the UN gives it a flavour for local action: “let us all be inspired by the courage of those who champion peace in neighbourhoods, classrooms and communities.” The Secretary General adds: “And let’s call on world leaders to invest in a peaceful future for all people”.
Religion is a salient cause of 9 of the 20 wars raging at present.
Here I want to develop an interesting form of action that could have a real impact on world peace, but can only be carried out by local groups; Governments cannot do it. The action is for us to approach out local Christian Churches, Muslim and Jewish groups (if we have one) and politely but firmly ask them to publicly dissociate themselves from their brand’s particular form of terrorism – defined as violence directed at civilians for political purposes.
The approach should be made simultaneously to avoid challenges of Islamophobia, Antisemitism, and Churchophobia (or whatever the term is for anti-Christian bias).
The issue with Christians is their tacit endorsement of nuclear deterrence, which is deferred terrorism. Nuclear war is clearly a form of unimaginable terror and cruelty against the civilian population of Russia or whichever country our leaders decide to destroy.
Christians seem to have taken the position that while an actual all-out nuclear war would be sinful, nuclear deterrence is pretty much acceptable, because it is only a threat designed to keep the peace for ever and ever amen. This assumes that the human-designed deterrence system is infallible, which contradicts the Christian doctrine that only God is infallible, and all human efforts are fallible. Therefore we are on solid ground when we approach our local vicars, rectors, ministers, priests (and bishops even) requesting that they publicly reject nuclear deterrence and call for a nuclear free world.
Jewish Rabbis need to be asked to speak out publicly against Israel’s horrific bombing campaign in Gaza and Lebanon which is killing thousands of children, women and men, including doctors, nurses, first responders and journalists.
Muslims need to be asked to join with leading Muslim scholars who have pronounced a fatwa against terrorism. Fatwas cannot be requested by the Government; the request must come from ordinary people.
This is why it is our responsibility, as ordinary people, to approach our local religious groups and ask them to publicly condemn the terrorism associated with their brand.
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