Anglican clerics are good for more than just embarassing the faithful, it turns out:
High-ranking Shiite and Sunni leaders are preparing to issue a religious decree condemning suicide bombings and other forms of violence, according to an Anglican minister who has led efforts to bring the two Muslim sects closer.
The draft decree, also called a fatwa, cites Quranic verses and says, “The prophet Mohammed prevents the spilling of blood, Muslim against Muslim, and thus suicide bombings are totally prohibited,” the Rev. Canon Andrew White said during a dinner Monday with Pentagon officials. The draft calls on Iraqis “to reject and forsake all violence, forsake all killing and provocation,” White said.
“What is new is that this will be a fatwa from Shiite and Sunni,” White said in an interview. “It’s not going to solve all of our problems, but it’s the beginning of the process toward the reduction of violence.”
Bully.
Baby steps -perhaps – to a more general proscription against religiously inspired bloodshed.
Exciting times.
Egypt is in Africa, which has had an interesting Anglican revival IIRC. The Egyptian Anglican leadership apparently have their heads together on this issue, according to a few things I’ve read and an officer I know who is in a very good position to know such things (email for details if you want). The Cairo folks understand the mental territory pretty well, compared to us Americans, and have been working with not only their fellow Anglicans in Egypt but also the Copt and Chaldean folks as well as Shia/Sunni to help get Iraqi people get through this mess. Also of interest is a cultural thing in Iraq of pride in being a mixed-faith society–which took a beating but is still there.
And the fellas I talked to in that branch of Anglican faith seemed pretty embarrassed by that guy in Canterbury…
As a “relaxed” Episcopalian, I can assure you we’re all embarrassed by “that guy in Canterbury.”
Marianne