It’s a thin line that separates feelings when we are confronted with news report after news report about the latest terrorist attack committed in the name of Islam: the thin line between hate of everything Muslim and Christian compassion with the innocent – be they Muslim or otherwise – and condemnation of violence. Emotionally, the choice for the former seems easy and is frequently made, also in Catholic social media: Islam is a threat and Muslims are, by definition, not to be trusted and should be refused intry into western countries.
Bishop Gerard de Korte, in an article about his blessing of 150 bicycles for refugees, has strong words about terrorism – perhaps his strongest yet – and equally about our Christian duty to help those in need, regardless of their background.
“The Gospel of Christ unequivocally calls us to generous assistance to people in need. I don’t think there can be any negotiating about that. He who is our Lord has Himself been a homeless refugee. And in the face of refugees we can discover Christ Himself. But as Christians we should not be naive. There is an Islamic civil war happening in the world today. Through a toxic mixture of social and economic slighting and feelings of humiliation a number of Muslims has been religiously radicalised and become extremely violent. Through terror they not only want to establish an imaginery Islamic dream empire, but also destabilise western society with fear. Our government has the duty to eliminate terrorists as best as possible before they can sow death and destruction. In the meantime Christians especially remain called to offer a helping hand to well-intentioned people in need, including those from Muslim countries.”
^Bishop de Korte blessing bikes in the cathedral of St. John in Den Bosch.
Extreme choices – to either hate all or deny that there’s anything wrong – are rarely the right ones. Bishop de Korte rightly reminds us that terrorism must be fought, but not to the detriment of those who need our help. As Christians, we are not in the business of blaming people for the misdeeds of others.
Photo credit: MIVA
