How religion could help save Iraq
26 August 2009
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Canon Andrew White, the vicar of Baghdad, says that the recent horrifying escalation in violence could be due to the unfortunate disbanding of the council of religious leaders
Baghdad
Not so many months ago we all heard a lot about Iraq. The terror and destruction here made the headlines. But then our troops came home and things seemed to be getting better. News of Iraq moved to the centre pages, then practically disappeared altogether.
A few weeks ago, things seemed to change again when — to the despair of all those who hoped Iraq was on the road to recovery — there was another spasm of violence. More bombs, more fatalities. It was widely attributed to the diminishing number and reduced role of US troops, but was it simply that? My suspicion is that religion is at the root of these recent problems, and that it’s only religion that can really cure them.
I’m not underestimating the significance of the presence of the Coalition military here. But this land, between the two great rivers of the Tigris and the Euphrates, is not like Western society, where there is an automatic separation between religion and state. Here, religion and political leadership are intrinsically linked. Here, religion can be both the cause of and cure for the problem.
‘When religion goes wrong, it goes very wrong,’ said Archbishop William Temple. And religion has gone very wrong here. Remember John’s gospel, chapter 16? ‘The time is coming when anyone who kills you will think he is offering a service to God. They will do such things because they have not known the Father or me.’
This is what we are seeing here in Iraq; people who really think they are doing the work of the Almighty by killing one another. This is why it’s a mistake to think the problems can be fixed by Western liberals who do not seem to believe in much at all. In Iraq, these people have little credibility. Here people believe fervently in their God, and expect others to do the same.
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Bickers
August 27th, 2009 11:07am Report this commentWhy does your council need money to function?
Surely, these clerics are already well funded?
Isn't there a danger that 'money' to 'support' the council is seen as a form of extortion?
This may seem a cynical viewpoint and is probably not true, but I wouldn't be surprised if it was!
terence patrick hewett
August 27th, 2009 11:41am Report this commentHow I wish that the Rev. Richard Dawkins was the Vicar of Baghdad and the Vicar of Baghdad was the Archbishop of Canterbury.
Gordon Mackley
August 28th, 2009 6:14pm Report this commentCanon White's comments are so true. We need people to understand that everywhere is not the USA or western Europe. Outside of the apathy of a secular materialistic west, religion can either hold society together or tear it apart. The excellent work of religious conciliation in which Andrew White is involved needs to be fully supported (including financially - I'm sorry Bickers but you can't do aught with nought!). Each $ or £ spent in that will probably ultimately be more effective in saving both Iraqi and western lives as any £ or $ spent on military hardware.
I think Andrew White would be wasted as Archbishop of Canterbury As for Richard Dawkins (not ordained to the ministry as far as I know!), his nice cosy middle class western atheistic philosophy of 'everything happens by cosmic accident but we should all still be nice people' would I fear have no more effect in solving any of Iraq's problems than it does solving the (rather different) problems in our western culture. Reconciliation and harmony are brought about by love. That is what Andrew White (and sadly so few others) shows to the world. It is a lesson we should learn from here in the west also.
Canon Andrew White
August 28th, 2009 8:18pm Report this commentI am afraid that the Council needs money to function as most of Iraqs key religious leaders are now out of Iraq. We can not meet in Iraq. The security and cost of meeting in Iraq is so huge. We have done it unless you are here you do not realise the complexity of it. It is not like getting together in London. So you need transportation, Hotels, Staff to make things happen that is not to and that is not to things like my phone bill which is over £2000 per month.Religious leaders do have money but you cannot compare here with the West. Plus some of the Sunni leaders have had all there money removed from them under de bathfication. One of our group had $72m taken so it is all very complex.
Andrew White
Baghdad
Sue Taylor
August 30th, 2009 4:49pm Report this commentHow much money per month do you need? Can you mention figures?
a minimum? a satisfactory amount towards it?
cheaper and less damaging than military hardware quite apart from human issues! Surely this is part of the work for peace and always listen to the people with local knowledge when they show signs of thoughtfulness and effectiveness....
JB
August 30th, 2009 5:13pm Report this commentI, too, was curious as to why the council needed funding when head's coffers must already be bulging, due to donations from elsewhere. I thank Canon White for explaining this, but can't help wondering why the funding was taken away in the first place as the council seemed to be doing some good. It probably would have cost a tiny fraction of the total expenditure to maintain the links. Perhaps there is an ulterior motive afoot!
Canon Andrew White
September 1st, 2009 10:12am Report this commentI am afraid our money went after the little election in the USA. In the USA a lot of the staff are political employees. All of our contacts were the political appointees. So we no longer had the contacts with the key people.
All we need is $95,000 a month so a lot less than the cost of one tank each year.
Stephen Sharpe
September 3rd, 2009 3:44am Report this commentThis is the most Groundbreaking, positive,practical, UNPUBLISCISED statement about the war in Iraq.
?"When this group was brought togeth1er in Baghdad" Who promoted it? , Why have we not heard about it before ??What do the
allied Politicians think about it?, Where are the comments from the Established Church??
This story has got to be one of your Front Runners.
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