War not in our name

by Editor · April 2, 2003

The unilateral decision by the United States and Britain to invade Iraq inevitably will have enduring repercussions, whichever way the war goes.

By ignoring the will of the international community, President George W Bush and Prime Minister Tony Blair have undermined efforts to foster a culture of understanding and equanimity across the world’s civilisations.

Inevitably, the Iraq war will be seen by many as a clash between West and East. This, of course, is a fallacy: the West was deeply divided over the war, with France and Germany particularly vocal in their opposition.

Ominously, some also present the war as a conflict of religion, of Christianity versus Islam. This is a false and precarious notion. It disregards the reality that all mainline churches were united in opposition to the war. Indeed, no institution or government did more than the Vatican in seeking a peaceful resolution to the Iraq crisis. The Southern African bishops reflected the Church’s position when they described war on Iraq as “immoral and illegal”.

This war has no basis in Christian teaching, or even in religion. Whatever motivated Messrs Bush and Blair in invading Iraq, their privately held Christian convictions evidently did not appeal to their conscience. Likewise, the murderous Saddam Hussein is an unlikely symbol for Islam (most of his victims, it must be remembered, were Muslims themselves).

It is crucial that Christians make it clear to the followers of Islam that this war is not fought in the name of the Christian faith.

Encouragingly, this has already happened on the level of religious leadership, in South Africa and elsewhere. This message must now be proclaimed on all levels, between heads of state as well as between fellow workers or neighbours.

At the same time, Christians must counsel caution to those who engage in exhibitions of anti-Americanism.

While peaceful demonstrations against US foreign policy are entirely valid, and backed by mainline churches, the burning of American flags and effigies of political leaders serves only to reinforce a polarisation of opinion.

Such actions also may undermine South Africa’s influence in world politics and economics, which (despite the government’s deplorable policy on Zimbabwe) is undesirable.

Christians must emphasise that the war on Iraq is not a clash of civilisations, but the distressing consequence of a myopic pursuit of self-interest by the Bush administration (one which has found little support elsewhere), and the defiant obstinacy of the brutal tyrant Saddam Hussein. By their actions and inactions, both sides have long abandoned any claims to the moral high ground.

Significantly, neither side is a legitimate representative of any religion.