Thursday, November
27, 2014, His Eminence Metropolitan Sotirios participated in the Committee’s
study of Canada's Response to the Violence, Religious Persecution and
Dislocation Caused by the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL).
During his statement, His Eminence
spoke about the dangers and harm of religious-inspired terrorism and the
importance for all governments – especially governments from predominately
Muslim countries – to respect and promote human dignity, rights and freedom. He
stressed the need to reform the teachers and factories that produce terrorists,
making them factories of peace-makers. Metropolitan Sotirios also urged
governments to defend and protect innocent people around the world who suffer
at the hands of Islamic terrorists, including many Christian communities who
are systematically targeted, persecuted and killed.
His Eminence expresses his gratitude
to the Committee Chair, MP Dean Allison, and to all Honourable Members of the
Committee, and wishes them well in their efforts to study the evil acts
perpetrated by the Islamic State.
The
Speaking
Notes of Metropolitan Sotirios follow:
Did the Crusades profit humanity and
advance Christianity?
Did the
Inquisition profit humanity and advance Christianity?
The truth is
these historical events harmed Christianity immensely including the sacking of
Constantinople and devastation to the Byzantine Empire during the Fourth
Crusade.
The truth is
these historical events deviated from authentic Christianity and the teachings
of Jesus Christ – the true Messiah, the only Redeemer and Saviour of the world,
the only true God.
These sinful
acts were recognized and stopped; glory be to God!
Evil acts
done in the name of religion only serve to hurt and diminish that religion.
Are these
experiences applicable today? Are there lessons that we can learn from them?
How can we
as Canadians join together with peace-loving people around the globe to combat
the self-righteous fanaticism that tragically pervades so many parts of the
planet?
Is it not
true that Christianity, hand-and-hand with ancient Greek democracy, established
peace-loving and prosperous societies, namely, Western democratic countries?
How would
peace-loving people have reasoned, for example, with the Canadian-born jihadist
who said before his death this year, “We kill and pray to be killed to
join Allah in paradise.”
Is it not
the mentality of terrorists to fiercely, yet incorrectly, believe that they are
right and we are wrong; that they are true believers and we unbelievers,
infidels?
Can we describe the acts of
al-Qaeda, al-Shabab, Boko Haram and the Islamic State – the jihadist in general – without
using words like “pure evil”?
How do we
address the practice, for example, in Egypt, where it is illegal for Muslims to
convert to Christianity and where Christian girls are forcibly converted to
Islam, or in Pakistan, where blasphemy laws are abused to persecute and kill
Christians?
How do we
address the horrific violations against the dignity and freedom of men, women
and especially children being carried out by the Islamic State?
According to
a November 2014 United Nations report, Rule of Terror: Living under ISIS in
Syria, “ISIS has executed women, as well as men, for unapproved contact
with the opposite sex [and] ISIS prioritises children as a vehicle for ensuring
long-term loyalty, adherence to their ideology and a cadre of devoted fighters
that will see violence as a way of life.”
These and so
many other associated actions are so heinous that governments, including
Canada’s, must defend and protect their citizens from all such enemies, as well
as defend and protect innocent people around the world who suffer at the hands
of Islamic terrorists.
Is it
reasonable to believe that one of the greatest threats in our world – to our
way of life, to our freedom and to all people – is not Islamic-based extremism?
How do we
respond to a self-righteous fanatical who systematically and without regard
slaughters Christians – as well as different followers of Islam – in the name
of “God”?
How do we
respond to the perverted notion that terrorists (jihadists) are innocent
or, put differently, not responsible for their actions, because they are only
doing the will of “God”?
These individuals are misguided and require rehabilitation.
We should note that not all
terrorists are Muslims; and, while some are self-radicalized, are not most
Muslim terrorists led astray by fanatic teachers in their factories?
As a consequence, should not every
effort be made to reform the teachers and their factories that produce
terrorists, to produce peace-makers?
If the focus is only on killing
terrorists, we know from experience that they will become like Lernaean Hydra from Greek mythology.
We know that
an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure; we also know that
prevention is less expensive than cure – both in human and financial terms.
Is it not of
utmost importance that all governments, but especially governments from
predominately Muslim countries, sponsor and promote the observance of proper
moral principles among their citizenry including respect for human rights and
freedom?
Canada’s
response to the Islamic State, like all governments but especially governments
from predominately Muslim countries, should focus on reforming the factories
that produce terrorists (jihadists) and that sponsor and promote
radicalization.
Alone,
however, governments will not be able to succeed; they need to engage both the
leaders and followers of Islam.
It is the
duty of all governments and all people of good faith with proper moral
principles to defend the innocent from Islamic terrorists (jihadists)
and to work to reform the factories that produce terrorists, making them
factories of peace-makers.
Only this
way will we be able to untie the Gordian Knot of Islamic extremism, perpetrated
by the Islamic State and other similar terrorist organizations.
From the
Office of Holy Metropolis
November
18, 2014
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