The Pagan Heart
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July-August 2005 Issue
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From the Desk of
I had an editorial all penned for this edition, but then the latest spate of bombings struck my homeland and I changed my mind. This island and her sister, Ireland, have seen so many religious and political acts of violence over the years. We are a nation torn from within by our own passions. Our own convictions and ideologies. Crimes of faith - seemingly a contradiction when so much of our faith - be it Christianity, Islam, or even Paganism - revolves around ideas of peace, tolerance, and justice. The events of 7 July set off new waves of hatred and anger. Within the first three days afterwards London experienced 68 "Faith hate crimes". How many more occurred elsewhere in the country I don't know - but 68 in three days! All against Islam. Are we to be further divided along the lines of Christian and Moslem, ready to treat every "Moslem-seeming" person as a potential terrorist? How does one identify a "Moslem-seeming" person anyway? Of the Moslems I know, only one family is of Middle Eastern origin - and they fled Iran after the Shah was deposed. They are as concerned about and fearful of Fundamentalist Moslem sects as any Christian. But the rest? Well, aside from a few of African ethnicity, the rest are descended from as white-bred European-ancestry as my own lily-white self. What about my Lebanese friends? Families whose association with Christianity stretches back into the Middle Ages�. They certainly look Middle Eastern. Will they become victims of Faith hate crimes? Almost humourous - Christians attacking Christians and having it prosecuted as Faith hate due to a case of mistaken religiosity. Almost. The response to the bombings is something we - as Pagans - can learn from. Not the determination of the Londoners, in particular, and the British in general, to face fear and stare it down, resuming a normal life asap. Although that is an action worthy of emulation in any trial. But the more sordid, less admirable, response. The "tit-for-tat" mentality that has resulted in these Faith hate crimes. These people being attacked are innocent of any role in the bombings. That they are Moslem is immaterial too. We weren't bombed by Moslems because we are a Christian nation - we were attacked for our role in an unjust war. We helped Bush attack Iraq - where many many more innocent people have died as a result. This bombing is a result of that. These Faith hate crimes ignore that reality, arising from fear and anger and a burning need to lash out and punish those who hurt us. Anyone who "looks" like they might be similar to the perceived enemy becomes the enemy in one swift shift in thinking. My friend, Ishmael, runs the Fish and Chip shop down the road. To some in my town, he is now "one of them", an enemy to be hated regardless of who he really is. As Pagans we are often targets of discrimination and hatred. It would be easy to compare ourselves to the British. A small, brave group under attack by the rabid fanatic. And in some ways that is an apt description. But it might be more appropriate to compare ourselves to Ishmael. A man attacked because of some uneducated, erroneous, and fearful misconception. A man attacked not because of his actions but because of his perceived religious beliefs. A man who has to choose how he will now respond, aware that it may make no discernable difference. It is important to determine why we are being attacked and respond appropriately. Most of the time it is due to Faith hatred. Not something we can usually control. But how we respond is very much within our control. In light and love,
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