Some Middle Eastern Christians are speaking up against “holy war” in Syria
Oct 21st 2015, 5:23
by ERASMUS
AT THE beginning of this month, when Russian jet fighters went into action in Syria, it was widely reported that Russia and its national church had proclaimed a "holy war" against Islamic State. In the Western world, some people groaned ("not another warring party that claims to have God on its side"
and some quietly approved, on the grounds that just maybe, the only antidote to jihad could be counter-jihad.
In fact, these reports somewhat distorted what the Russian Orthodox church said. It would have been amazing if (given that he maintains, with official encouragement, cordial ties with Muslim leaders inside and outside Russia) the Patriarch of Moscow had made any statement that implied a generalised conflict between Christianity and Islam. What Patriarch Kirill, speaking as de facto chaplain to the nation, said was a bit more cautious:
The "holy war" headlines were prompted by one of the Patriarchate's blunter spokesmen, Father Vsevolod Chaplin; and even he didn't exactly call for an inter-religious or inter-cultural war. What the cleric said, word for word, was as follows: "The struggle against terrorism is a blessed [literally, sanctified] struggle and today, our country is the most active force in the world that is taking part in the struggle against [terrorism]. Not because she has any selfish interest in this, but because terrorism is an amoral force."
Regardless of the exact words of Russia's religious leaders, the talk of "holy war" has in recent days triggered some powerful and articulate responses from Orthodox Christians in Lebanon, who are among the most influential exponents of Christianity in the Middle East. Hundreds of people have signed a statement circulating, in French and Arabic, on Facebook entitled "Petition against Religious Wars" which reads in part: "We unreservedly condemn the idea that the "protection of Christians" can serve as an excuse in the service of ideological or political objectives, as some have tried to do in support of the Russian military intervention in Syria.
http://www.economist.com/blogs/erasmus/2015/10/russia-syria-and-holy-war
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