Ordinary Eve
Suicide is painless
How do we respond to suicide bombers?
How well do you know the Koran? How well do you know the Bible? Are you aware that all over the world Christians, Muslims and Jews oppose each other in the name of the same God? We use the same first five books of the Bible as the basis for our understanding of how God chose to and spoke to his people. Much of the activity of the Hajj (the pilgrimage to Mecca that each Muslim must take once in their life) is related to old Testament events, such as Abraham's willingness to sacrifice his son Issac.
How then can we approach the recent events in London in the light of our own faith? A faith that springs from the same tradition and worships the same God.
Understanding
How often have you felt an indescribable urge from God a call to action? And can you honestly say that you have never felt what later appeared to be an urge from God to be instead an urge from within yourself or ourside yourself that you misinterpreted? There are few of us who can.
And as Christians we of all people should understand the guilt, the sense of unworthiness, that can arise when we think about the infinite and our relationship to it. We are lucky when we realise that there is nothing we can do to bridge that gulf but accept God's love for us. However one of the aspects that characterises islam is that it is a religion of doing more than of being. Muslims themselves describe it as a "way of life" - which all true religion should be - but the emphasis is on acts that form the mind, rather than the other way around. And we all know we can't act our way to God.
So if you are a person who already feels displaced and unworthy and are given, by men you consider holy, an act to perform that (you are told) opens your soul directly to God - no equivocation - wouldn't you take it?
Freedom and wealth
More than this, we live in a society with a free media, with wealth and with long term stability. We were last threatend 60 years ago, long enough for us to become complacent about our freedom. We also live in one of the richest nations in the world and our main ally is one of the most economically imperialist in the current world situation. We benefit from that every day and can't imagine, really imagine, what life would be like in a world where it seems that other people hold all the cards and take decisions that dictate your life. And I am not just talking about American and Uk governments, I am also talking about the oppression and power that many of the leaders of countries that breed suicide bombers excercise over their own people. Think about Saudi Arabia and Somalia as two perfect examples.
Narrow path
It is easy for us to hate and be angry at the destruction that was done in the London bombings - and I would argue that it's natural. It is comfortable for us to distance ourselves and not feel empathy with the bombers - they aren't like us after all. Who ever heard of a Christian oppressing others?... But the path that we have chosen is a narrow path and the road of hatred is a long highway, tarmaced and without speed cameras to stop us speeding out of control.
I am not condoning the actions of July 7 or September 11 or the bombs that go off every day in Jerusalem and all over Israel. Jesus himself is described as "snorting with anger" several times before he casts out demons or heals the sick. But his anger is directed against the evil that caused these things to happen not the people whom he was healing.
Lucky
I am lucky I speak from the easy position of not knowing anyone who has been killed or affected by recent events. It is easy for me to preach tolerance. But what I find myself struggling with is an anger against the old men that exploit insecure, sincere, young men for their own political ends. I too have to put that into the context of God's love for me. If he can love me unconditionally you know that he can love them unconditionally too. Our role is to work to create pockets of peace and understanding so that his nature is revealed and leave the hard work to him.
