Revenge from Jordan won't bring peace: Column
Fury over burning of pilot is understandable, but we must find ways to become friends.
Since the horrific burning of a Jordanian pilot by the Islamic State, the news has been full of talk of revenge.
"I demand none of them amongst us be kept alive," said the pilot's grieving father, Safi al-Kaseasbeh. "I demand the revenge be greater than executing prisoners." A Jordanian army spokesman, Col. Mamdouh al-Ameri, promised: "Our punishment and revenge will be as huge as the loss of the Jordanians." A politician in Jordan, Mohammed al-Rousan, said, "Let's kill their children! Let's kill their women!"
President Obama used more measured language in promising that the Islamic State will be "degraded and ultimately defeated."
The desire for revenge is understandable, but it will not bring peace to the Middle East. Violence is a cycle deeply rooted in human nature, and revenge killings have kept this wheel turning for thousands of years. The maxim "an eye for an eye" is actually an attempt to break the cycle by declaring that you can only take an eye from a person who has taken your eye — you cannot kill their women and children.
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Jesus taught his disciples to "love your enemies" (Matthew 5:44). Abraham Lincoln advised that the best way to destroy an enemy is to turn him into a friend. Mahatma Gandhi said, "An eye for an eye makes the whole world blind." And for the past 50 years, Islamic scholar Fethullah Gulen has led a movement focused on interfaith dialogue, community service, economic development, relief efforts and education in over 150 countries. All of these leaders know that revenge will never succeed in breaking the cycle of violence.
Not that military action is inappropriate. The Islamic State should certainly be degraded and defeated. But the hearts and minds of people in the Middle East will be won only by turning them into friends.
Progress is made in a variety of small but significant ways. The U.S. State Department's TechWomen initiative brings young female technology professionals from the Middle East to Silicon Valley, and then sends them home to improve their communities. After participating in the program, civil engineer Mona Karam returned to Cairo to help create an eco-friendly business culture.
A non-profit called Bridges of Understanding arranges videoconferences between high school students in the U.S. and the Middle East. The divide between Americans and Arabs is bridged by a focus on commonalities.
In Dubai, five dialogues have been held between Muslims and Christians since 2005. The Muslim-Christian Dialogue began when 120 students gathered in a lecture hall to discuss religious differences, and in 2013 over 700 came together to discuss the question, "How can we find forgiveness from a holy God?" Hundreds more participated by live stream from at least eight different countries.
None of these is a quick solution, but they are the best hope for establishing relationships that can break the cycle of violence.
Henry G. Brinton is the pastor of Fairfax (Va.) Presbyterian Church and author of The Welcoming Congregation: Roots and Fruits of Christian Hospitality.
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