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2001-290

Religious leaders urge caution as US, UK launch strikes in Afghanistan

(ENI) Following the launch of military strikes by the United States and the 
United Kingdom in Afghanistan, religious leaders cautioned against the pursuit of 
revenge, with some voices calling for an immediate end to the action. 

The World Council of Churches-a fellowship of more than 340 Protestant and 
Orthodox churches world-wide-urged the US and the UK to "bring a prompt end to 
the present action" and implored other nations not to join it.

"We do not believe that war, particularly in today's highly technologized world, 
can ever be regarded as an effective response to the equally abhorrent sin of 
terrorism," said Georges Lemopoulos, WCC acting general secretary, in a statement 
October 9.

In his statement, Lemopoulos drew attention to Muslim and other religious 
communities who "despite President Bush's and Prime Minister Blair's affirmations 
to the contrary, are likely to consider themselves the targets of this and the 
other military actions."

In the United States, H. George Anderson, presiding bishop of the Evangelical 
Lutheran Church in America, reminded Christians that they had a duty to seek 
alternatives to war.

However, in a statement issued last night after the first military strikes, 
Anderson also referred to "certain circumstances" in which military force may be 
the only way "to offer protection to innocent people." He called on military 
leaders to "do all they can to protect civilians from harm" and urged diplomatic 
efforts to promote peaceful solutions.

Archbishop of Canterbury George Carey, and other UK religious leaders attended a 
meeting with the British prime minister, Tony Blair, at 10 Downing Street on 
October 8. The group also included Roman Catholic Archbishop Patrick Kelly, 
standing in for Cardinal Cormac Murphy-O'Connor, who was in Rome at a synod of 
Roman Catholic bishops, the Church of Scotland moderator, John Miller, and Yousuf 
Bhailok, secretary general of the Muslim Council of Britain.

Afterwards, Carey, leader of the world-wide Anglican Communion, issued a 
statement on behalf of the group declaring that the crisis "is not, and must not 
be seen as a confrontation between religions-or with a particular religion."

In Geneva, the Council of European Churches, representing more than 120 
Protestant, Anglican and Orthodox churches, warned of a "vicious spiral of 
violence" that could be unleashed from "disproportionate retaliatory and vengeful 
responses."

The September 11 attacks on the US "demand[ed] a response not least in justice to 
the victims and their families," said Dr. Keith Clements, CEC general secretary, 
and Metropolitan Jeremie Caligiorgis, CEC president, in a letter to its member 
churches.

But, they added, "In seeking justice for victims, [responses to terrorist 
violence] should seek to produce a result which is more just after the event than 
before." They also called for responses in keeping with international law.

Dr. Ishmael Noko, general secretary of the Lutheran World Federation, which 
groups 133 churches in 73 countries, said that "military action must as soon as 
possible be superseded by strong, constructive efforts on other levels.

"A drawn out military campaign cannot be sustained without generating a wider 
conflict, which could easily get out of hand," Noko said in a statement issued 
today which also called for the strengthening of diplomacy to deal with the 
"underlying causes of terrorism."

Dr. Setri Nyomi, general secretary of the World Alliance of Reformed Churches, 
which links more than 200 member churches throughout the world, condemned the 
attacks of September 11 against the US, but urged people of all faiths "to look 
for ways of overcoming the violence other than using violent means."

"We do not see an answer in retaliation or any other form of violence," he told 
ENI. "We urge Christians, Muslims and people of other faiths to stand together in 
overcoming violence and terrorism from whatever source it comes."

In Germany, Manfred Kock, chair of the council of the Evangelical Church in 
Germany (EKD), described the decision to launch military action in Afghanistan as 
"high risk."

"It is not yet clear whether the methods chosen will really serve the aim of 
combating terrorism, and whether the Afghan civilian population can really be 
protected to the extent that has been proclaimed."

In a statement, Kock said that action to combat the terrorist organizations 
behind the September 11 attacks must not be a form of revenge, "but solely a 
question of punishing those who are guilty and preventing future threats."

He called on Christians to continue praying for peace, and remembered 
particularly the Christian aid workers on trial in Afghanistan "whose fate is 
more uncertain than ever."

Eight foreign workers-four Germans, two Americans and two Australians-and 16 
Afghans from the German organization Shelter Now International were arrested in 
Afghanistan in August and charged with propagating Christianity. 

After military action, Pakistani Christians express concern

(ENI) With violent protests erupting in Pakistan against the military strikes by 
the United States and the United Kingdom in neighboring Afghanistan, leading 
Pakistani Christians have expressed concern about the situation.

"The situation is not good. There are protests in all major cities including here 
in Lahore," said Victor Azariah, general secretary of the National Council of 
Churches in Pakistan (NCCP).

Speaking to ENI by telephone from the NCCP's headquarters, Azariah said that the 
protesters were claiming that the military attacks were an "attack on Islam."

The protesters are reported to oppose both the military strikes and the support 
offered to the US and its allies by the country's president, General Pervez 
Musharraf.

In one incident, according to news reports, police used tear gas in the city of 
Quetta to keep thousands of protesters away from the Serena hotel, where hundreds 
of foreign journalists are based.

At a news conference, President Musharraf attempted to reassure Pakistanis that 
the military action in Afghanistan would be "short" and "targeted."

He said that the "vast majority" of Pakistanis backed his government's support 
for the air strikes, the British Broadcasting Corporation reported from Pakistan.

Asked about the NCCP's reaction to the attacks, Azariah said that "this is not 
the time for us [Pakistani Christians] to make statements.

"This is the time for us to remain quiet and alert. If we say we support the 
government stand now, we would be inviting trouble," Azariah said, adding that 
Christians needed to be "extremely careful to avoid unnecessary provocations."

Though there have so far been no reports of assaults on Christian targets in 
Pakistan by Muslim protesters, Azariah said that foreigners, especially those 
from western countries, could be targeted by the protesters.

The NCCP groups the Church of Pakistan, Presbyterian Church, Salvation Army and 
Association of Reformed Presbyterian Churches, accounting for nearly half of the 
three million Christians in Pakistan.

"Everybody is scared," Peter Jacob, executive secretary of the Justice and Peace 
Commission of the Catholic Bishops' Conference of Pakistan, told ENI, saying that 
the situation was "tense."

At the same time, he added, "right now the situation is not panicky and 
Christians don't have to flee for life."

Jacob hoped the government would be able to "keep the protests within hand and 
control the agitation" though there could be a "few instances of intolerance."

"In principle, we condemn war and terrorism as well," said Jacob, when asked 
about the propriety of the attacks on Afghanistan.

The US and its allies, he said, should "be prudent and exercise caution to limit 
the military action, to eliminate terrorism and should not indulge in adventurism 
and punish the innocent  [Afghan] civilians."