tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15677863.post1864939900828282567..comments2024-01-24T22:55:50.619-05:00Comments on Political Spaghetti: Canon Harmon drops the "Shar'iya" bombMatt Thompsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05688340803579138040noreply@blogger.comBlogger3125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15677863.post-30014393774244829642007-03-04T11:32:00.000-05:002007-03-04T11:32:00.000-05:00OK, I am back.Words cannot express how horrified I...OK, I am back.<BR/><BR/>Words cannot express how horrified I have been to hear over the years of the violence that has raged between Christians and Muslims in Nigeria. I do not wish in any way to belittle the suffering that has been caused by inter-religious conflict, nor do I wish to say that Archbishop Akinola is not right to want to protect his flock from harm.<BR/><BR/>However, it has always been my impression that these conflicts are, at their root, more political, ethnic, and economic than religious. Non-indigene Igbo living in Maiduguri or Sokoto (are there still any?) are more likely to be the subject of violence that is not purely "religious" in origin, but tainted by the history of the Biafran civil war.<BR/><BR/>Muslims living in Onitsha are likely to be the subject of violence by Igbo long bitter over the genocide perpetrated against the Igbo during the Biafran civil war by a heavily Muslim Nigerian army.<BR/><BR/>When an Anglican bishop is attacked in Katsina, it is not simply because he is Anglican, but also because he "represents" non-Hausa cultural traditions.<BR/><BR/>I may be deeply mistaken about all this, but is it not true that much of the conflict in Nigeria bears the mask of religion, but that it reflects much deeper conflicts, especially with regard to control over the Niger Delta?<BR/><BR/>Second, if we grant that Shar'iya represents a serious threat (and I do), does Archbishop Akinola believe that he will be able to assuage that threat by endorsing legislation that would curtail the civil rights of a common enemy? (Isn't the major complaint of most Muslims about Christians that they proclaim the divinity of Christ?) Is it morally justified to throw one group (gay and lesbian Nigerians) under the bus in order to save face in front of another?<BR/><BR/>In other words, is it right to let Shar'iya dictate the standards of decency for all?<BR/><BR/>My response is no. Archbishop Akinola has a stern and difficult task ahead of him, but he must prove to the world that his is the nobler path. Endorsing legislation that would put gay and lesbian Nigerians in jail for disagreeing with him shows only that he seeks the lowest common denominator.Matt Thompsonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05688340803579138040noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15677863.post-10240328731654813262007-03-04T01:03:00.000-05:002007-03-04T01:03:00.000-05:00I am honored to have a Nigerian voice on this blog...I am honored to have a Nigerian voice on this blog. I wouldn't dare to instruct you on your own country, yet I have many questions. More soon.Matt Thompsonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05688340803579138040noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15677863.post-51477148124052200772007-03-03T20:39:00.000-05:002007-03-03T20:39:00.000-05:00I know it looks as if the Nigerian Church is tryin...I know it looks as if the Nigerian Church is trying to out shari'a the muslims. This is not the case.<BR/><BR/>I want to bring up another issue. Most of the world's anglicans live in areas where radical islam is a living and present danger. We are not talking of people like Omar Brookes or the "hook hand", we are talking about people who can and are actualising their threats.<BR/><BR/>The question is; before those of you in the West criticise us for being too radically "islamic" - have done as much as to lift a finger in support of your persecuted brethren? What has the Archbishop of Canterbury (or any senior Church man for that matter) done about close to 100,000 people murdered (many of them Anglican) over the past ten years in Nigeria alone?<BR/><BR/>The people who are actively following the religious situation in Nigeria and making sure our voices are heard like Baroness Caroline Cox and Rev. Dr. Patrick Sookhdeo are firmly in the evangelical camp. Akinola is much villified but he is a much more useful leader in these circumstances than say, Rowan Williams.<BR/><BR/>Many of us doubt the usefulness of our brethren in the West since they are one-track people (homosexual rights), who could not be bothered to even study the tense religious situation in sub-saharan Africa. They carry on is if priests are not being killed and churches are not being razed in Northern Nigeria.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com