So the London bombings inquest begins today. Sky is covering it as unfolds: 7/7 Inquest Live: The Hope For Answers .The events of that dreadful day will be regularly paraded across our TV screens and newspapers for the next few months. It does not take any remarkable forsight to predict that while the official focus is on the security services, police etc and what could have been done on their side to stop it, there will a subtext in the proceedings that will regularly be drawn out by the media to stand alongside it. Islamic extremism, Islam and ordinary Muslims will once again be under the spotlight.
The power of the media to multiply and perpetuate the impact of an event is at times like this begas many questions. Terrorism thrives on this ability to captivate our minds with ... terror. A time limited event can now more powerfully be imprinted on our minds. The media in a highly questionable way does the job of the terrorist in reminding us of what happened. "Never forget!" can easily be replaced by "We won't let you forget!"
And quickly "Never Forget!" becomes wedded to "Never Forgive!" Already this morning we have had interviews with Julie Nicholson who as a Church of England priest found she was unable to forgive the murder of her daughter on that dreadful July day. Bombers "should not be forgiven" says priest. [I'll link to the BBC interview later.]
Mine here is not to write again about forgiveness. Julie's article in The Times in 2006 explaining her position is behind the Times paywall and I am not going there. However there is a long piece written around her story here on Rachel from North London's blog whose article appeared with it in the The Times that day. I may venture forth on that subject another day, but for now my focus is not on forgiveness, nor really on forgetting, but rather moving on.
My hope is simply that we can move on, and quit forever stirring up the anger associated with that event. We need to move on.
And we need to stop beating the very very large majority of the Muslim population who were deeply shamed by 7/7. I'll write more on that, but for now I am stating my position.
Browsing through tweets while we waited to see Four Lions I read this: "Saw Four Lions ... Last Night. Very funny, very brutal. Many 'not sure if I should be laughing' moments." (Thanks to HolliesDragon !).
Trying now to process my thoughts after laughing for most of the 96 minutes I would agree. I would simply add the counterpoint: Many 'not sure if I should be crying' moments." Seeing the movie at a Luton screen with several Pakistani lads certainly helped -- their laughter at the ineptitude of the failed Jihadis, the cultural stereoptypes and the lapses into Urdu profanities was the loudest, and their verbal protest at the occasional negative stereotyping and police and security service ineptitude the strongest.
Its brilliant contemporary tragicomedy with a twist.
I am not going to review it per se; that has been done extensively. I think Peter Bradshaw in the Guardian gets it as right as anyone. He really says what needs to be said at the beginning:
... a satirical black comedy about Islamic
suicide bombers, crucially targeting his sacrilegious energy not at all
at the tenets of Islam – what could be more tiresome or irrelevant? –
but simply at the activity of suicide bombing itself. It is not treated
with the cowed, shocked respect habitually to be found in drama or on
the news, but rather cheerful scorn. This is a film in which suicide
bombers are not martyr-warriors, or powerful enemies to be hated and
feared, but ridiculous bunglers. In the tradition of Chaplin sending up
Hitler, Chris Morris depicts a movement of violent berks and prats. In
this film, everyone is stupid. The suicide bombers are stupid; the
coppers are stupid; even the clever suicide bomber with the gentle,
loving marriage and adoring son is stupid: he is the most culpably
stupid of all. And this never looks like a cop-out or a moral
equivalence of stupidity, but the comic enactment of a generally
degraded and absurd culture of paranoid futility.
There is also a very good review from The Scotsman by Alistair Harkness that was republished in our local Luton Today. But there are two groups I want to hear from: relatives of victims of terror, and the Muslim community. BBC Radio One looked with two short pieces reported here. For me the laughter around me through so much of the film told me what young Muslims think, though I await with interest the view of any religious leaders I know who may have seen it. (For that view I expect to have to wait for the DVD release in September.)
But does humour go together with terror, especially where the impact of that terror is so recent? Bradshaw in the Guardian wrote that he was "... brutally unimpressed with the moral idiocy of suicide bombing and
suggests that the only sane response is derisive laughter. I think he is right. The impact of terroism is purely and simply that it inspires terror. Terror numbs; it dominates the mind; it clouds vision; it forces irrational responses. That is its power. It is an instrument of darkness, and its power is in maintained darkness. For me humour breaks that open, and robs it of its power.
But another thing. This movie showed bungling people getting it wrong. But think back over recent years, at the stories that have emerged of real failed attempts at terror. One realises that the picture presented in Four Lions is not quite so far from truth -- and one suspects that even those we come to view as so evil were tempted on (many?) occasions to make light of their task and each other. The trouble is that many have so absolutised terrorism, and of course its Jihadist ideology, that it becomes absolute evil in our mind. And we assume, or are told, that the only thing that can deal with it is another absolute. That is certainly how many Christians read it. Trouble is, that even if this were true in heaven and hell, white and black, good and evil terms, life here on earth is never so absolute. We live with a whole raft of shades of grey. But read the right wing Islamophobic blogs and you can end up with a very glum view of our chances to defeat this thing. In my mind the humour of Four Lions totally breaks that image down.
As to whether you will like it or not, and whether it achieves this. A very unscientific survey here based on two responses. I thought it worked; I laughed right through, it was very definitely my style of humour, and I came away with the evil very definitely put in its place. But my wife Anne has a good sense of humour, its just different, and she didn't laugh nearly as much. Consequently evil wasn't quite so roundly exposed in her perception, and she came away not so sure it worked, and more uneasy at the laughter.
Later: It was late when I wrote the above and I forgot this most important conclusion. I can see why some wouldn't want to or shouldn't see it. The words of Esther Hyman, the sister of a victim on 7/7 quoted in the Radio One piece above are probably helpful:
"I get what the director's trying to do and I understand it. For me
personally, the bottom line is the same as with the events of 7/7 and
with life in general. It doesn't really matter how I feel about the
film.
I appreciate her wise words. She is recognising her terrible pain and vulnerability, but understands there is more to it than that. As a nation, indeed nations, we cannot remain held in the grip of terror. Our own governments response to the terrible events of this decade. 9-11
and 7/7 and the US war on terror need a sense of perspective. And for me Four Lions helps us break that grip and provide that perspective.
In any story of terror theres a very important "why". And its never convenient to listen to the answer. For the shoe thrower (according to his brother) the why seems to have been:
he was ‘incensed by bullet-riddled Koran’, that is a Koran that seemed to have been used for target practice by an American sniper.
he was traumatised by the war. "The war changed Muntathar’s psyche as a result of the horrific scenes he saw, as well as the cruel tragedies ..."
" .... the incident that made Muntathar cry most was the story of Abir, the daughter of Mahmoudiya.” In 2006 US soldiers raped and kiled a 14 year old girl, and shot her mother, father and little sister.
I do not jest when I say I am suprised it was only shoes. For Mohammed Atta (of 9/11 infamy) it seems to have been the Qana massacre in S Lebanon in 1996 that radicalised him. ( see my 2006 post Discontent during the Lebanon War, summer 2006 -- mentioned in the first part "I must add my voice" where I mention a little of the Qana and Atta story.) And Atta went off and hijacked a plane, and we know what happened then.
The shoe throwing incident continues to keep people's attention.
Muntadar al-Zaidi, an Iraqi TV journalist took the opportunity on Sunday afforded by President Bush's last visit to Iraq while in office to make his own feelings known about the US President's actions in Iraq. He threw first one shoe and then another, shouting: "This is a goodbye kiss from the Iraqi people, dog." CNN told the story at: Iraqi journalist throws shoes at Bush in Baghdad The Presidents response apparently was to shrug it off:
"So what if the guy threw his shoe at me?" Bush told a reporter in response to a question about the incident. "Let me talk about the guy throwing his shoe. It's one way to gain attention. It's like going to a political rally and having people yell at you. It's like driving down the street and having people not gesturing with all five fingers. ... "These journalists here were very apologetic. They ... said this doesn't represent the Iraqi people, but that's what happens in free societies where people try to draw attention to themselves."
Muntadar al-Zaidi, the journalist is in custody; and his story after being taken into custody is unknown. The Government expressed their shame at the incident. Shia's have been protesting on the streets and demanded his release and parliamentary a debate.The latest news from Iraq is: Iraq MPs rage over shoe thrower The Iraqi parliament has had its session suspended amidst uproar as different views were expressed on the shoe throwing incident.
There was general enthusiasm for the incident around the region: Mid East press glee at shoe throw . It seems everyone but the American allied Iraqi parliament was in agreement.
The shoe was more than just the only 'weapon' the man could get into the press conference. The BBC reports: Bush shoe-ing worst Arab insult "Around the Arab world, if you want to escalate a situation, by saying for example "I'm going to thump you", add the words "with a shoe" and you're adding serious insult to the threat of possible injury. ..."
The blogging Bishop of Buckingham, writes more on this with some focus on the ancient traditions of Biblical times, where God threatened the Edomites with the shoe. George Bush the Edomite tells us all.
A view from generally radical US multicultural church leader Eugene Cho is interesting, as are the many comments posted ranging from disgust at the incident to full support: george bush and the shoe-throwing journalist.
So what are we to make of the incident? The President was right in one way: he had the freedom to do it. But to be honest he is one of the few who had that freedom, and the scope of that freedom is pretty limited.
But why did he need to do it? Anger at what the US and their allies (including my own nation) had done to Iraq. It was probably all he could do, and perhaps the only way he could be heard by the president and the people of the nations still as good as occupying his nation.
Am I insulted? If I am I had better get over it. We need to hear the heart of a man who had to do what he had to do.
Has it helped? Who can tell. If it means the president finally heard before leaving office that people disagree with his policy, well maybe. But if it further hardens positions, probably not.
ReconciliationTalk.com follows the teaching of Jesus and believes in non violent protest. But we also believe in the need for people to be heard. And that sometimes in that hearing change comes to those who hear. We don't believe in redemptive violence (ie a justification for violence), but we do believe in redemption when there has been violence. And we believe in prayer. So we hope ... and will keep our shoes on lest we be tempted to cast them at someone.
"These prosecutions have been politically motivated from the start, are designed to ensure quick convictions at the expense of due process and transparency, and are structured to prevent the revelation of abusive interrogations and torture engaged in by the U.S. government," said the 24 relatives who signed Wednesday's statement, which was distributed through the American Civil Liberties Union. They said any verdict in the Guantanamo proceedings, which are formally known as military commissions, would leave them wondering if justice had been served. "No comfort or closure can come from military commissions that ignore the rule of law and stain America's reputation at home and abroad," they said. "It is time for our nation to stop betraying its own values and the values of so many who died on 9/11."
By contrast the five familes of victims attending the current trials are saying: "...they were proud of the rights the defendants were afforded and marvelled that they were offered prayer breaks and respectful treatment even as they seemed to boast of their guilt." One suspects however that the justice system knows it is on show, for the whole context of the trials is suspect.
It take a lot to move past the pain that was inflicted by the horrors of 9/11 and casll for real justice, so all honour to those that have rsen above the desire for vengeance and have condemned the trial. They are walking the way of seeking which truth and justice, mercy and peace, which is thre true path to reconciliation.(Pslm 85.10)
It was good today to be able to gather as leaders of various faith communities in Luton with students and staff from Bedfordshire University to commemorate the terrible events in Mumbai 9 days ago.
students gather with leaders from Luton's Christian, Hindu and Muslim communities.
It was especially appropriate that one of the assigned Bible passages for the day in the Anglican church was from the very end of the book of Revelation. We read it in our team meeting at St Mary's this morning and it inspired my hope once again for what we do:
"And the leaves of the tree of life are for the healing of the nations." (Revelation 22.2)
The Student Union president read the passage from Revelation, and words from Beds Uni Chaplain Andrew Goodman, Uni staff, and leaders from Luton's Indian community, both Hindu and Muslim made it it a moving event. Several in the gathering, which included a good number of Indians from the University, had friends who had died, been injured or who witnessed the events in Mumbai.
Events like the Mumbai massacre are awful, but the one heartening thing we are increasingly seeing is the way that such events catalyse moments of hope like this. Luton is one of those places where peoples from much of the world are gathered in a fairly small place. Bedfordshire University brings together young people from around the world as well as a section of the cosmopolitan population from Luton into an even smaller community. Living that close to each other gives a wonderful opportunity to engage with each other, escape the confining stereotypes of each other, and become friends.
As a Christian I have the opportunity to bring the peacemaking resources of my faith to the table in a very practical way. So do my Muslim and Hindu friends! How will we live our faith in the light of a broken and divided world? Does this wonderful promise of healing in heaven make a diference in the here and now. Its not a competition as far as I am concerned, but it is a challenge.
Meanwhile on the wider stage, in Mumbai, in India and in Pakistan the bigger picture is slowly emerging. Two new articles in Time, After the Horror and Opportunity in Crisis present the challenges. It is my prayer and that of my friends from Luton that they will find the way of peace.
The Washington Post' On Faith blog has some interesting responses to the question:
In response to the terrorist attacks in India how would you advise President-elect Obama and his new foreign policy team to confront religious extremism and terrorism?
The Chief Rabbi Sir Jonathan Sacks has warned that hate is contagious and called for the love of God to be invoked to defeat those behind the Mumbai attacks. Speaking ... shortly before a memorial service in north London hosted by the United Synagogue and Chabad-Lubavitch UK to honour those killed in Mumbai, he said that if there was any religious motive behind the attacks, it represented the 'ultimate perversion' of the Abrahamic roots of the three faiths of Christianity, Islam and Judaism
Chabad Rabbi Gavriel Holtzberg, his wife Rivkah who was five months pregnant, the four other Jewish people died at the Jewish Chabad mission in Mumbai. There is more about the Chabad Lubavitch and a lot of their writings are to be found.
The story of the Holtzberg is told in a very moving video: Mission of Love and in a shorter tribute: Senseless Love The summary of the videos: we should fight senseless evil with an outpouring of senseless love!
I am deeply touched by the message of what I read. Yet I have to say I cannot endorse all that is on the site, especially when they write of Israel. They touch deep truth, but I believe there is a deeper truth, a truth that will reconcile all in that land.
I conclude with words of Jonathan Sacks, reported by Ruth Gledhill:
'Eventually it dawned on me that it is part of the truth. This was a man who lived through the Holocaust. Jewish mystics, and he was one, believe in the Tikun, a mystical philosophy that says we can redeem evil by acts of good. .... We can receive fragments of the divine light from the heart of darkness. That was a very mystical approach. I suddenly realised that he had posed the ultimate question: How can we redeem the evil of the Holocaust, evil for evil’s sake?'
For my sins I was on the local radio this morning talking about Mumbai and terrorism. Very similar stuff to what I last night in Thinking about Mumbai & Terror. But if you want to listen its at the recording of Stephen Rhodes on Three Counties Radio, about 1hour, 6 minutes 20 seconds in, and last about six minutes. I will have a recording downloaded later.
It was about 7am this morning and I was a bit tongue tied, but it was good to do it.
The whole world is reeling from the shock of the attacks in Mumbai.These attacks were aimed at our people, our prosperity and our peace. But their top target was something else: our unity.
If these attacks cause us to turn on each other in hatred and conflict, the terrorists will have won. They know that hatred and chaos feeds on division. They also know that as radical extremists, their only hope of disrupting society as a whole is turning the rest of us against each other.
Let's deny them that victory. We're launching a message to extremists on all sides, and our fellow citizens, one that will be published in newspapers across India and Pakistan and delivered to our political leaders within one week. The message is that these tactics have failed and we are more united than ever. And we are determined to work together to stop violent extremism, and call on our political and religous leaders to so the same. If hundreds of thousands of people sign it, our message will be unmistakable.
We citizens of India, and countries around the world, from all faiths, backgrounds and walks of life, declare with one voice that the terrorist attacks in Mumbai have not divided us, will not divide us, and that we stand together, as one people, against all violent extremists who shamefully target the innocent. We call upon all our political and religious leaders to come together at this moment, and take effective action to prevent the spread of violence.
Over the next few days there will be some changes to the design of reconciliationtalk.com. The structure is changing so some links may not work or lead to blank pages. Please bear with me and my wonderful son who is implementing these changes.
China Reconciliation Initiative Exploring new ways of thinking about and relating to China, in the light of negative history.
Luton: The New Face of Britain! Exploring unity, embracing diversity and making peace in a town disregarded by many as 'crap town UK'. Lessons for multicultural UK.
A Church That Makes Peace Taking seriously the call of the church to be the followers of the man called "Prince of Peace".
Religions: Holy War or Holy Peace? Pulling down barriers, building understanding and making friendships between people of different faith.
Over the next few days there will be some changes to the design of reconciliationtalk.com. The structure is changing so some links may not work or lead to blank pages. Please bear with me and my wonderful son who is implementing these changes.
Peace in Luton
The peace of our town, Luton, is being challenged by the views of a few that seek to polarise the rest of us. As Christians and Muslims our commitment is:“in the face of extremist minorities that seek to separate us, we are united in the teaching of both our faiths, to love God and love our neighbour as ourselves.”
And to consider the political dimensions of opposing extremism and especially the hate politics of the BNP we suggest a visit to the Hope Not Hate website below.
Seeking Peace in Luton – and multicultural UK. Extremist Muslim protests; concern at the Islamification of the UK; rising nationalism; a British National Party election campaign; economic crisis causing a “British jobs for British people” campaign; attempts to safeguard the Christian heritage of Britain; derision of “multiculturalism” and political correctness; and competing claims on “Englishness” – all these are strands in ferment that we are experiencing at the moment.
www.ReconciliationTalk.com is at home here in Luton and is following the action, analysing trends and seeking to brings its own wisdom from the teaching of Jesus to the table.
Read more here and the latest posts in the category Luton and and Multicultural UK
Peace for the Holy Land?
Israel's war on Gaza has raised many questions. Read my posts on the subject here and the latest posts in the category Peace for the Holy Land?
Some 200 million people had a vote in the recent US elections. Yet the future course of global politics depended to a great extent on those votes. single issues. What difference will the Obama presidency make to the rest of us. Read more here and the latest posts in the category 2008 US Elections.
The Olympic Year in China
Peter and Anne Adams spent Summer 2008, the Olympic Season, in China. While there they wrote regularly on things they saw and did, people they talked to, and news articles they read. They tried to provide a different take on things from that which often comes across in the media. Read more about them and their thought about China on China Encounters
openDemocracy -- Paul Rogers Probably the best weekly review (usually Thursdays; latest article at top) on the "War on Terror" as played out in Iraq, Afghanistan, Iran, etc, and beyond.
