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Americans – Judges of the Earth? |
Metropolitan George Khodr in
An-Nahar, Beirut |
etika.com
thanks An-Nahar newspaper for
the kind permission, 1.2.2002:
Articles used from An-Nahar newspaper are
courtesy of An-Nahar Newspaper s.a.l. @ http://www.annaharonline.com/
Americans:
Judges of the Earth?
Perhaps, the American behavior in the world is inspired by the second verse
of the 26th chapter of Isaiah, as inscribed on the entrance of Harvard
University: "Open the gates, that the righteous nation... may enter
in", but the full verse continues: "which keeps the truth".
America is convinced that it holds the "truth", or what it claims to
be its truth, enabling it to enter the gates of knowledge to rule the world. It
is obvious that the founding fathers [of America] believed that the New World,
which they immigrated to, is their second Promised Land, a land of blessings; and
most Americans today still believe that financial riches are divine blessings.
It is not evident that American rulers have read the gospel, which strictly
cautions against mammon and foremost against dominion.
(the same article: http://www.pravoslavie.ru/english/americajudge.htm )
Translated from the original Arabic, published
in An-Nahar, Lebanese newspaper, on the 22nd of September
We were among those who sincerely
mourned the thousands of victims that felled on the 11th of September, an
absurd death, similar to the daily death of Iraqi children. This death comes as
a result of abhorrence to the "Absolute Giant", and paid its
consequence those innocents living in the Giant's land. This absurd death
saddened me, and soon turned to become an alarming fear for the fate of
threatened family members and friends living there. I prayed that a death like
this might die forever. Mayhap America can now dream of a new life for its own
and for others too.
By the time this article and is
published, this nation might choose to go the way of vengeance. If it were
proven, that vengeance could stop violence, then, this should have been obvious
since Cain killed his brother in the beginning of history. Collective death
could result, since it shall be almost impossible for the US to arrest the
perpetrator, in that that thousands of innocents could soon be
exterminated, to say what?
And if the regime, where the
perpetrator is hiding, is found to be responsible for hosting him, can the US
annihilate the people of that hosting country; does America want to do that? Is
it possible for a great nation, a nation absolute in its greatness, to avenge,
in its bitterness, by wiping innocent peoples? Is this a justice or a reaction? Isn't
this (the) same reaction that is generating the forces
of revolt in the weakened nations -- who will try some day to break their way
out of their miserable situation through what is called terrorism -- trying to
avenge their wounded dignity? Is a
dialogue still possible between the strong and the miserable of the earth? Who
did arm, in the first place, those miserable that the US is going to
annihilate? Does the destruction of the poor produce peace?
It seems now that the "Clash
of civilizations", as
depicted by Samuel Huntington, is underway. The problem of such terminology is
that, that terrorism is not restricted to one civilization: it was German,
Japanese, and for a period of time American (within America itself), Muslims
then, do not monopolize terrorism. But why the US is not asking itself for the
reasons that pushed those miserable to what it identifies as terrorism? Aren't
prejudice, depravedness, and political oppression behind these actions, even
though wars have become impossible between the earth's nations? Since the
little aspire to be liberated from dominion, and since their means of liberty
are in the hands of the big, why then doesn't these strong hands stretch out
for sincere cooperation and help, free from all forms of humiliation, until the
groan of the miserable is appeased?
America may lead an overwhelming
campaign for a while, but how can it eradicate the spots of terrorism all over
the planet? Will it strike all nations it categorized as exporters
of terrorism? Will it not consider that these same nations will come out again
from the rubbles, their grieve multiplied and their hatred concentrated,
re-entering in a vicious and diabolical unbreakable cycle of violence?
And if "terrorism",
"Arabs", and "Muslims" have become synonyms in western
mind, aren't we re-entering a renewed and endless Crusade, based upon two
fairytales? First, that the West is Christian, and second, that Islam, in its
essence, is exporter of war and terror. Will not this lead to the belief, among
Muslim groups, that Christians (wherever they might reside) are allies of the
west and therefore friends of the state of Israel? Political and cultural Islam must stand on its feet
through understanding, creativity and prosperity in all their aspects, in order
to eliminate the danger of Crusades; because its continuing path, of poverty
and feebleness, is triggering its counter-Crusade path or Jihad in Muslim
terminology, and of which, Islam is not capable. And if Islam
was humiliated beyond reason, it will be pressed to suicidal stands, which, in
its own terminology, is called martyrdom. In front of such a predictable madness, the West may
prove to be fragile and impatient, contrary to Islam, and this Crusade will
soon abolish itself in the same manner the Crusades of the Middle Ages were
overthrown from our countries. The Western European alliance with the US, in addition
to Russia, is enough to permanently
convince all Muslims (not only conservatives) that Christianity, in its
essence, is enemy of Islam and opposed to the freedom of Moslem nations, then
we shall witness a renewed colonialism, even after that the forms of the old
one have vanished.
Before
World War Two, we believed, in one way or another, in the missionary role of
the US calling for freedom and democracy. This picture has been shaken a lot,
and possibly terminally, in Palestine,
Africa and former Yugoslavia - we now
witness the nation of Lincoln employing Realpolitik - not shying from
disclosing that it looks after its foreign interests and, consequently, enters
this or that conflict accordingly. The scale of justice is no longer supported
and even this doesn't need to be proved in historical Palestine. Will the US
feel that it is called to change its stand, after the last tragedy, to become
anew a judge not a party in the conflict? Will not this make of it stronger and
more respectable and a hope for the nations of the earth?
This "burst of vengeance"
may be excused if it is limited in space, this may limit some terrorists for a
while. But anger shouldn't last, because, in a later stage, it consumes itself.
For America's sake, I think it better looks to conclude a new era of world
peace. The truly great nation can conclude such peace, through justice and
help.
Perhaps, the American behavior in
the world is inspired by the second verse of the 26th chapter of Isaiah, as
inscribed on the entrance of Harvard University: "Open the gates,
that the righteous nation... may enter in", but the full verse continues:
"which keeps the truth". America is convinced that it holds the
"truth", or what it claims to be its truth, enabling it to enter the
gates of knowledge to rule the world. I even remember that President Clinton stating
something in this context: power facilitates such a rule, with or without
truth. It is obvious that the founding fathers [of America] believed that the
New World, which they immigrated to, is their second Promised Land, a land of
blessings; and most Americans today still believe that financial
riches are divine blessings.
It
is not evident that American rulers have read the gospel, which strictly
cautions against mammon and foremost against dominion. Most
assuredly, typical Americans did not read ascetic literature, which cautions us
from monopolizing wealth. Which
leads us to the American world philosophy: "if a powerful authority can be
successfully overlaid in an American context, why can't this authority, be
overlaid in a worldwide context? All sorts of protest and revolution can be
subdued through pro-US regimes, who benefit originally from oppressing their
own peoples and who continue exiting through American supportive
politics."
But one must read history and learn
how kingdoms have felled: "Say: O Allah, Master of the Kingdom! Thou
givest the kingdom to whomsoever Thou pleasest and takest away the kingdom from
whomsoever Thou pleasest, and Thou exaltest whom Thou pleasest and abasest whom
Thou pleasest in Thine hand is the good; surety, Thou hast power over all
things" (The Family of Imran verse 26). It seems Americans didn't read the
Koran verse. But they must have read the psalms: "Now therefore, be wise,
O kings; Be instructed, you judges of the earth" (Ps 2:10). The problem is that Americans have set themselves
"judges of the earth", establishing their own custom justice, not
the_Justice, whenever they wanted and referring solely to themselves. The
missionary days of President Roosevelt are gone when Americans believed they
needed to establish a United Nations organization, responsible for achieving
world justice, until, they discovered they can do without it whenever it was
necessary; Moreover, they also decided that Israel can dismiss all UN
resolutions, because Israel too, has set itself, or was appointed by the
Americans, "judge of the Middle East".
I beseech God, for the US to
continue prospering in wealth, science and technology which it promotes, and
for God to lead it to the true path of meekness, in which it may discover that
no one has appointed it "judge of the earth". Mayhap this terrible
catastrophe, which hurt us as well, inspires it the wisdom of modesty, and
mayhap it commences counting itself along the same line of other nations,
without haughtiness, and may it start restraining from punishing others, lest
punishment may fell upon it.
May America keep its wealth and may
God increase its riches, but may it never become prideful. May it prosper and
may we prosper too, which requires from it a great deal of self-restraint while
employing its power. No one is expecting the US to become a charitable
organization, but we expect from it not to underestimate our right to existence
and that, we too, have the right to live. We don't want to humiliate the US, because this is
called hatred, but what benefit the US shall gain if it "shall gain the
whole world, and lose its own soul?"
If on the contrary, America begins
employing all its might in the service of the miserable of the earth, terrorism
shall vanish and, God grant, love shall reign.
+ Metropolitan George Khodr
of the Orthodox Christian Archdiocese of Mount Lebanon
September
22, 2001
Articles used
from An-Nahar newspaper are courtesy of An-Nahar Newspaper
s.a.l. @ http://www.annaharonline.com/
An-Nahar Newspaper
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See also:
In Russian:
Patriarch Alexy came out strongly
against the retaliation strikes
Patriarch Alexy cautions US against actions
capable to provoke the full-scale world war