Thoughts on the (Un)Islamic State

I have finally decided to voice my opinion about the atrocious acts of Islamic State (IS), and contemplate on the question that everybody is trying to answer, “How to respond?” Unfortunately some have already responded to the question with violence. My perceived radical Christian views tell me that responding to an already violent conflict is in contradiction with The Way that Jesus gave us about 2,000 years ago. The previous point can be argued extensively, if the followers of Jesus should use any type of violence. I will continue with my post on the assumption that the followers of Jesus should refrain from using any types of violent force. I also believe that a non-violent resolution is philosophically approachable by atheists and other religious communities, not just Christians.

                The answer that most governments, like the United States, have reached, is to use violence to eradicate the perceived enemy. The perceived enemy might even be considered by some as a created enemy, or an enemy that could have been prevented if certain past violent actions or economic sanctions were not taken. Did the US and other Western countries create the enemy we see today? I don’t know the answer to the question, but I do believe we should consider the origin of IS in order to accurately assess the path that should be taken in order to eliminate the current violence.  

                We obviously can’t let the violence continue. The recent massacre of yet to be confirmed Ethiopian Christians in Libya as showed on a recently released video is inexcusable, but it seems that the recent rise in martyrs hasn’t stopped even though some territories have been taken back from the opposition. Creating a conservation with IS seems to be an appropriate first step. The dilemma that we confront is the lack of negotiation that IS leaders have. I am far removed from the situation, so coming up with real solutions without being on the ground is next to impossible. I only hope that confessed Christians would find a different way to “fight” the violence that both the supposed good and bad are producing. In the end, I think, the choice between someone dying and living should be in the hands of God, not in the hands of drone pilot sitting in a comfortable chair a thousand miles away, or the wielder of a very sharp sword.

                Back to starting the conversation with the “enemy”. IS appears to want a supposed Islamic Caliphate, but most of the over 1.5 billion Muslims would agree that ISIS is creating an “Un-Islamic State”, which I would agree with. I am not a Qur’an scholar, so I couldn’t say if the Qur’an actually supports the view of IS, but after reading the five pillars of Islam, I could say that none of the five pillars support the violence that is being used by IS. An outsider view of the Bible would also display the same image, that killing is not allowed, hints the 5^th commandment given to Moses. There seems to be just as many “Christians” who support killings as there are “Muslims”, and maybe even more “Christians” supporters considering Christianity has almost one billion more followers.

                Rather than trying to talk to the leaders of IS, we should talk to the folks behind the scenes. The people giving money to the cause, the people trying to live within IS’s territory. Starting a grassroots movement against IS supported by former members of IS is one idea. The amount of lives lost has not reached the toll left behind the Third Reich, and within the Third Reich there was opposition. Some lost their lives to supporting the truth, like Sophie Scholl of the White Rose non-violent resistance group. The resistance groups trying to undermine the Nazis were small and probably a bit unorganized, but they sought a kind of peace that can’t be achieved through the use of violent force. The end of the Third Reich was brought down by violent force, but have we really seen the end of groups like the Third Reich?

                The answer to the problem of IS won’t be found in my blog post, but it also won’t be found in bombs and bullets. The answer might be found in government budgets. The amount in the military defense budget of the US far exceeds the amount of foreign economic aid that the government gives. Does this mean that US tax dollars are killing people more than they are helping people; this might be true. I wonder how the world would look like if the spending was flipped.

                My view of the subject might seem unrealistic and naïve, but I think the naïve view is the one that most governments support. Obviously it is not working! We can’t stand by and watch our fellow brothers and sisters in Christ parish (meaning all humans). I call for all Christians to become supporters of proactive nonviolence that Jesus teaches us, and may we never concede to support a war or any war that could never be just under the eyes of God.

I offer up a simple prayer-

Dear Lord,

I ask that you might strengthen our faith in the words and actions that your son Jesus Christ gave us many years ago. I also ask that you be with the families that are suffering from violence and persecution. May you also guide those that have vast amounts of control over the lives of your people, ALL humans. I pray that you will guide those individuals and ourselves to always choose non-violence when faced with evil. May you always be with us, Lord! Amen