Can attacks give rise to Christian extremism?

Mombasa deputy Governor Hazel Katana (right) at the salvation Army Church, Mombasa Central, which was razed following riots by Muslim youths protesting the shooting of Sheikh Ibrahim Ismail on October 5.

By LILLIAN ALUANGA-DELVAUX [email protected]

While attacks on churches have raised fears of insecurity, it has also heightened fears over the emergence of yet another challenge: Could the random attacks on congregations fuel the rise, subtle or otherwise, of Christian extremism?

Such a debate featured among churches in Nigeria that were at some point divided over how to deal with a surge in attacks in the north. While one group favored prayer and calm, another called for self-defense.

An article in Christianity Today captures sentiments similar to those echoed by a section of clergy at the Coast last week, with those supporting self-defense, arguing “they could no longer sit back and watch aggressors attack them”.

One of the pastors, John Praise, of the Dominion Chapel International Churches, even called on churches “to raise young people to defend the church because nobody has a monopoly of violence”.

There were reports at the time that churches in the north were stocking arms and training youths to counter attacks by Islamic militants, leading to emergence of a Christian militia group that vowed to “match blood for blood”.

The larger Christian community did not, however, support the group. Christian leaders like Bishop Wale Oke, vice president of the Pentecostal Fellowships of Nigeria’s South West, maintain that Christians must resist such temptation.

“To fight back is contrary to the position of our Lord Jesus Christ. If they strike you on one cheek, turn the other. He (Jesus) did that when he was arrested. It was what he used to conquer the world,” said Oke.

So far, close to 30 members of churches located in Nairobi, Garissa and the Coast have been killed during Sunday worship services in cases that remain unresolved.

 In an emotional burial ceremony of one of the pastors killed last week at the Coast, the clergy’s frustration over the government’s failure to protect houses of prayer was evident, saying the faithful had “reached their limit”.

“Churches are feeling increasingly threatened because there seems to be no action by government to curb these incidents,” says the Reverend Wellington Mutiso, who is former General Secretary of the Evangelical Alliance of Kenya.

He alleges the government “has been sweeping the matter under the carpet, as churches continue to be targeted. This, he argues, could push churches to seek other ways of protecting themselves, further complicating issues.

Supported Biblically

A section of clergy at the Coast, have asked to be given guns for their protection, sparking controversy on a subject that continues to elicit different views.

Prof Douglas Waruta, who chairs the Department of Philosophy and Religious studies at the University of Nairobi, says any arguments that seem to justify use of violence in the name of any religion could have disastrous consequences.

“It doesn’t matter what religion. Ethically, the request by religious leaders to be armed remains questionable,” he says. Waruta, however, says though misplaced, the pastors at the Coast cannot be blamed for seeking such interventions because they feel frustrated and threatened by their environment.

However, such a move, he says could be counterproductive, especially where such groups feel justified to retaliate when attacked. “People begin to get hardened when constantly under attack and the natural reaction is to want to protect themselves, but this would be unfortunate” he says.

 While maintaining that the Church does not want to be drawn into a religious conflict, Mutiso says the philosophy of self-defence has worked before.

He hinges his argument on three philosophies he says can be explored when dealing with such challenges: “There is the fatalistic approach where those attacked believe it was God’s will that an attack took place. The other school of thought is activism, where faithful become radical and could even target people from other religions. This isn’t what we are after. Then there is the third group that embraces self-defence, which is even supported Biblically,” he says.

But even as churches call for action over attacks on their members and burning of their premises, explosions that have targeted Muslim worshippers and a mosque in Eastleigh, Nairobi, last December, present another argument. “Religion is often co-opted by those that have chosen a route of violence and are committed to acts of violence. Such people, regardless of whether they are Christians or Muslims, hide behind the cloak of religion to mask their true intentions,” says Waruta.

Inter-religious  forums

He argues faithful should team up with the police and government’s legal systems to identify those among them that may be leaning towards extremist views and facilitate rehabilitation of such persons, for a lasting solution.

But this too has its challenges. “Some people are unwilling to criticize those that belong to their faith. The good thing in Kenya so far is that religious leaders of mainstream organizations, both Christian and Muslim, oppose violence,” he says.

Anglican priest Dr. Dickson Nkonge says it’s critical for dialogue between leaders at inter-religious forums to trickle down to members to curtail extremist views.