No-one could have failed to see the media coverage showing the events in Manchester last week when one person decided to take his own life along with the lives of many others by becoming a suicide bomber all in the name of his faith.
We live in a multi-cultural and multi-faith world and our local communities are no different. We as onlookers see what we want to see and have little understanding of the similarities or differences between ourselves and our neighbours.
Media coverage often highlights the differences but rarely highlights the similarities between Christianity and Islam. Those who are extremist, who kill and maim, are just as abhorrent to the Muslim faith as they are to the Christian faith. We find good and bad in all walks of life.
Many lives will have been affected and changed forever by this act of violence, too many men, women and children either died or were seriously injured and my heart and my prayers go out to their families.
Hatred is a terrible thing, as is fear and suspicion and these are exactly the outcomes that those who take such actions want to achieve. United we stand, divided we fall -is a phrase that was first used in Aesop’s fables – but it can be applied to the situation we find ourselves in today.
All of us have to work for a greater understanding, a greater openness, and a greater trust within our differing cultural and faith communities. We may never agree on several basic tenets of faith, but we can and should agree that this act of violence is not in accordance with the Bible or the Qua’ran.
In my opinion, these attacks are designed to instil fear, prejudice and divisiveness in our society and we simply cannot let that happen.
In the June Parish News, there are two articles, one outlining the similarities and differences between Christianity, Islam and Judaism, (see P34) the other an article from the Guardian which discusses radicalisation and our failure to comprehend what this is (see P11). I urge you to take the time to read them.
A huge thank you goes to all those who responded to the events in Manchester, the police, the ambulance service, the doctors and nurses, the people who opened their homes, the taxi drivers who offered their services. Many will have been Christian, many will have been Muslims, many will have no faith – but all are the very best of humanity – who recognised that United we stand and Divided we fall.
Revd. Sharon