Fleeing from a holy land

There are some books that stay with me and every so often I re-read them. Ian Rankin’s Inspector Rebus detective novels. (I have them all by the way.) Kenneth Graeme’s “Wind in the willows”. And William Dalrymple’s “From the holy mountain”

I first read “From the holy mountain” around 15 years ago. I bought it in one of the 3 for 2 offers bookshops have during the summer holidays encouraging people to buy books to take away with them. (I clearly though I would have plenty of time on my hands that particular holiday as I vaguely recall that I also bought Pat Barker’s “Birdsong”.)

“From the holy mountain” recounts William Dalrymple’s journey through the Middle East following the footsteps of a 6th century monk John Moschos who travelled through the Eastern Byzantium world, culminating at Constantinople, where Moschos wrote his book Pratum Spirituale or The Spiritual Meadow.

Dalrymple's journey in the footsteps of Moschos starts at Mount Athos, Greece, proceeds to Istanbul, and thence to Eastern Turkey. Here he crosses the border and enters Syria. The next stop is Lebanon which is just at the end of its civil war, after which he crosses into Israel, the West Bank and concludes his trip in Egypt at the monastery of Deir ul-Muharraq which had just been attacked by the Gemaat al-Islamiyya.

Along the way, Dalrymple encounters several communities where Christians and Muslims worship in the same places. And Dalrymple comments how in Syria (then being ruled by President Assad senior) the regime actively protected Christians (perhaps because the Christians were willing to support President Assad in return.) Dalrymple was aware that tensions were high in places. But nevertheless Christians and Muslims coexisted failry peaceably for the most part.

It was in Israel that Dalrymple felt that Christians were most under threat. I can’t put my hand on the book at present, (the joys of moving – though I know the book is in the house somewhere) but he mentioned how many Palestinian Christians were fleeing Israel as they felt they were being pushed out by the influx of Jewish settlers coming to Israel from elsewhere in the world – notably the USA. He commented (and this is from memory) that if the numbers continued to leave at the same rate, by the middle of 21st century, there would be virtually no Christians in Israel.

When I started the process of candidating for the ministry around 2003, we had to review a book and discuss the contents at interview. One of the suggested books was “From a holy mountain”. Even then, the Middle East was a different place from the when Dalrymple conducted his journey. The invasion of Iraq by Britain and the USA had seen to that.

10 years on things are different again. In Iraq ancient Christian communities such as those in Mosul are under threat.

Apparently they are being told by a hard line Muslim group called ISIS that they must either convert to Islam or pay a large fine or “face the sword.” ISIS are marking Christian houses with this symbol.

The Arabic equivalent of “N” and it stands for Nazrani i.e. Christian. Unlike the Passover in the time of Moses, when Jewish people marked their houses so that the Angel of Death would “pass over” this symbol could mean the Angel of Death pays a visit.

In The Independent newspaper today (28th July 2014) Robert Fisk has written an excellent article analysing the situation. The article notes how Muslims and Christians have coexisted throughout the Middle East for centuries, on the whole fairly peacefully. But, as I noted earlier, there is now a major change happening with the Islamic extremists in Iraq chiefly (but also in Syria) seeking to impose strict Islamic rule – a caliphate – across many of those countries. This will mean that Christians will be persecuted but also there is a threat to moderate Muslims too.

Fisk quotes the Lebanese Catholic Maronite Patriarch, Bechara Rai asking “What are the moderate Muslims saying? We do not hear the voices of those who denounce this” A very fair point.

Fisk notes that Koran demands respect for minorities.

Meanwhile, in a separate report, in the same newspaper on the same day, Muslim Palestinians, who have been seening their homes destroyed by the current Israeli action to combat Hammas rocket attacks, have taken refuge in the church of St Porphyros in Zaytun.

I find it very concerning that the media is so silent on the fate of Christians in Iraq. But equaly I find it very concerning how Israelis are attacking Muslim (and Christian) Palestinians. That said Hammas should know better than to poke a stick in to the cage of the Lion of Israel.

You have to wonder what on earth George W Bush and Tony Blair thought they were doing going into Iraq as these two Christian men should now be hanging their heads in shame at what is happening to Christian and Muslim minorities in Iraq and Syria. And whilst recognising that Israel should not be subject to terror attacks from Hammas,why does the USA (on the face of it, a far more Christian country say than the UK) support Israel in the killing of Christians and Muslims in Gaza?

The wonderful singer song writer Beth Nielsen Chapman wrote a song on her 2007 album Prism, called “My religion”. It contains these words:

My religion
I am a Hindu-Buddhist-Jew-Islamic-Christian
Combining one soul, one vision~
Living peacefully where music is the only divinity
And sharing your art, the sacred creed~
My confession of faith is to struggle, go out of my way~
And find love to the end of my days

She has a point. Trouble is I can’t imagine she is listened to very much on Caliphate FM.

The power of prayer

On 30th June Pastor Christian Fuhrer died in in Leipzig aged 71. The name will mean nothing to many - it didn't to me if I’m honest . And yet Christian Fuhrer was a one of the great Christian leaders of the late 20th century. But until I stumbled cross his obituary in The Independent newspaper last week, I wasn’t aware of him – though I was well aware of his actions.

Mr Fuhrer was born during the Second World War in Nazi Germany. With the ending of the war he found himself in East Germany living under Communist rule.

He worked initially in a car factory and at other times had jobs as a telegram delivery boy and as a waiter on a train. But all the while he was being called to ministry and from 1968 to 1980 he was a pastor of several different churches. In 1980 he became pastor of the Church of St Nicholas in Leipzig.

It was at this church he started Monday evening prayers for peace. Gradually over several years these became the focal point for East Germans protesting against the regime led by Erich Honecker.

On Monday 9th October 1989 about 70,000 people took to the streets – in peace at Pastor Fuhrer’s urging – to protest, after 500 Honecker loyalists had occupied the seats of the church during the prayer session. Clutching candles and flowers the people peacefully protested. There were few arrests and no bloodshed. One police officer said afterwards “We were ready for anything except candles and prayer”

“What I saw that evening still gives me the shivers today,” Führer said in an interview in 2009. “And if anything deserves the word 'miracle’ at all, then this was a miracle of Biblical proportions. We succeeded in bringing about a revolution which achieved Germany’s unity... It was a peaceful revolution after so much violence and so many wars that we, the Germans, so often started. I will never forget that day.” (Quoted in his obituary in the Daily Telegraph 1st July 2014)

The following week 120,000 people turned up for the vigil. The week after that 320,000. On 9th November the Berlin Wall came down.

I am one of those Christians who really struggles with prayer. I know I should pray more than I do. I find it difficult to find the right words. I lead prayers week in week out for peace in the world and look at the state the world is in. I look at the divisions in this country and know I’ve prayed about that and things continue the same way. And I wonder what is the point?

But then I read Christian Fuhrer’s story and I have to think again. For this story shows me the power of prayer. Yes, I still wonder why if so many people are praying for transformation between Israel and Gaza say, why doesn’t God do something? But then maybe the secret lies in the story of Christian Fuhrer and the Leipzig protests. Not only were the people in his church praying for peace, they ensured peace was practiced not just preached as it were. (Surely though there must have been something miraculous in a protest of 70,000 not turning violent?)

"We experienced it together," he said of his role in toppling the old regime. "Thousands in the churches, hundreds of thousands on the street around the city centre. Not one broken shop window. The unbelievable experience of the power of non-violence." (Quoted in his obituary in The Independent 9th July 2014)

Maybe if we in our churches were more focused in our prayer things would be different? Or maybe Christians, powered by prayer, need to take to the streets on occasion?

Perhaps the obituary writers thought it would be tactless to comment on Christian Fuhrer's surname which is of course the same word as Hitler used to describe himself. But the word translates into English as leader and, I believe, guide. Pastor Fuhrer truly was a great spiritual leader and guide. (And for people who notice these things, I know the "U" in "Fuhrer" should have an umlaut, but I don't know how to create one of these on my computer)