When religion inspires terror

#953 for broadcast on 2CH Sydney, 31 Aug 2014.

The Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby, has described persecution of Christians in Iraq as “off the scale” after Islamic militants reportedly ordered non-muslims to leave the country, convert to Islam, or die by the sword.  Some have already died.

Speaking to WorldWatch Monitor, Archbishop Welby said members of the terrorist group ISIS were “particularly savage,” and “the international community must document the human rights abuses in northern Iraq so that the perpetrators can later be prosecuted.”

UN high commissioner for human rights, Navi Pillay, denounced the “grave, horrific human rights violations” IS fighters were committing “on a daily basis,” branding them as amounting to “ethnic and religious cleansing.”

It appears we may be entering a period of unparalleled religiously-based violence and terror, with struggles in Iraq and Syria extending to neighbouring countries and spreading across north Africa. Pray for our world, our leaders, and the innocent who suffer for their faith.

I’m Rod Benson for the NSW Council of Churches.