VIRTUES VS VICES: what the Gaza conflict exposed
James 3:17-18 But the wisdom that comes from heaven is first of all pure; then peace-loving, considerate, submissive, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial and sincere. Peacemakers who sow in peace reap a harvest of righteousness.
Observing Gaza, with the loss of more than 17,000 souls, it seems like Christians have taken the role of aggressor while Muslims talk peace. Something is wrong.
The general consensus, or at least a logical assumption, would be that Western “Christian” nations, with firm democracies, built on solid institutional legislation protecting human life and dignity, should take the lead as peace brokers in any conflict in the world. This is the DNA of what the West represents. This would be the logical conclusion.
And yet it is these nations that are currently providing weapons to Israel, already one of the strongest militaries in the world, while Muslim nations like Egypt, Qatar, and Saudi Arabia, who share little faith convictions of forgiveness and peace, have now become the peace brokers.
The mutual Humanitarian Pause that was finally settled by Hamas and Israel on 24 November was initially opposed by the USA, the UK, and several EU nations while a number of Arab nations intervened and made it happen. Finally, even Israel’s biggest backer, the US, agreed that far too many civilians have died in Gaza from Israel’s 10,000 strikes over almost two months. The US hasn’t, however, joined the call for a permanent ceasefire.
Something is fundamentally wrong, and this new expression of Christianity, as perceived by Muslims globally, will irreversibly damage the image of Christ, His church, and His followers.
The Western “Christian” world’s contribution to the conflict in Gaza has mainly focused on strengthening their regional ally, Israel, from a military perspective. President Joe Biden has requested $14.3 billion in military assistance for Israel as it seeks to destroy Hamas after the group killed 1,200 Israeli citizens and took more than 200 hostages last month. Though the timing of a new security package remains unclear, the U.S. is by far the biggest supplier of military aid to Israel, contributing around $130 billion since its founding. With the U.S.’s help, Israel has formed the most formidable and technologically advanced militaries in the Middle East.
The Arab “Muslim” world’s contribution to the conflict in Gaza entails quite the opposite. Qatar played a major mediation role in bringing the two parties involved in the conflict together. Hamas has a political office in Doha and the Qatari government has kept channels of communication open with Israel, even though, unlike some other Gulf Arab states, it has not normalised ties with Israel. Egypt, the first Arab state to sign a peace deal with Israel and which has long played a mediation role over the decades of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, was also involved.
Yes, we know it is not as simple as that. And yes, we fully understand that the actions of Western nations are not always aligned with the popular religious beliefs of those nations. We fully understand that the reasons behind these actions are often complex and multifaceted, and can be influenced by a variety of factors such as security, political, economic, and strategic interests. But in the eyes of those who watch from the rubble of bombed buildings, the perceived reality is that Christians are cruel, a friend of their enemy, and that they seek to kill and promote a faith to fear. The Crusades have shown this, and Gaza confirms this.
The reality in the Middle East today is that Muslims are left to believe that the agenda of Christians is to eliminate, not to save, the people of the region. And who can blame them for thinking this? It involves Christian leaders who make public statements in their unwavering support for one group above another. It involves Christian leaders from the West visiting one nation and ignoring the other. It involves public gatherings and prayer meetings for one group – and one group only.
Something is wrong – and it is important that we identify those vices from a Christian perspective and guard our hearts in not falling into the same trap as Western politicians. We are consecrated to be impartial, full of mercy, and bold witnesses of the Kingdom of Peace. If we fail to do so, we will inevitably relinquish our role as peacemakers
Over the next week, I would love to explore five vices that the conflict has exposed and five reasons why Christians in the West have lost their influence in one of the most opportune seasons in history.
- Geopolitical versus Theopolitical
- Alignment versus assignment
- The guilty versus the innocent.
- Clay versus wax
- Them versus Us.
Tomorrow we will look at the vice of seeking a Geopolitical allegiance verses a Theopolitical Kingdom
Photo: https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20161014-international-day-of-peace-gaza-city/#jp-carousel-194141