Solidarity With Churches in Kenya and Pakistan

Monday September 23 2013

Following the terrorist incidents in Kenya and Pakistan over the weekend, the Church of Scotland has sent messages of support to partner churches in the two countries.

A Church statement said: "Following the attack on Westgate Centre in Nairobi, Kenya and the subsequent siege, the Church of Scotland World Mission Council has sent a message of support to our partner church, The Presbyterian Church of East Africa and to our partner organisation, PROCMURA (Programme for Christian Muslim Relations in Africa.
 
"At this time we have not yet received any direct communication from them although we have been in touch with Rev Edwin Kibathi who is minister of the PCEA congregations in both London and in Glasgow.  We hold them and all people involved in any way are in our thoughts and prayers at this time.
 
"We are deeply saddened by the news from Pakistan of the bomb attack on All Saints Church in Peshawar which has claimed so many lives. We are in contact with our partner the Diocese of Peshwar and our thoughts and prayers are with all those who have been affected.
 
"This is a tragedy which has affected not only those in Pakistan but Pakistani people here in Scotland. All Saints is the family church of one of our Church of Scotland ministers, the Rev Aftab Gohar, who has tragically lost his mother, a niece and a nephew in this attack. He has flown to Pakistan to be with his family.
 
"The Very Rev Andrew McLellan, Convener of the World Mission Council of the Church of Scotland, said: 'News of both these incidents has been a shock, we assure our partners and the people of both Pakistan and Kenya of our prayers and support in these difficult times. This is not about religion, but about people who are seeking to do wrong.  We ask for your prayers for peace in the days that lie ahead'."

Comments

Malcolm Duff - Thursday, September 26th, 2013

“Great to see the Church of Scotland expressing support for partner churches in Kenya and Pakistan following the awful terrorist attacks last weekend. However I am surprised that the convener of World Mission Council, the Very Rev Andrew McLellan, has said that "this is not about religion, but about people who are seeking to do wrong."

In my view, that is to trivialise both the experiences of the terrorists and that their victims. In Nairobi Muslims were allowed to go free, while in Peshawar Christians were specifically targeted as they left a church service. Today I spoke with two Scottish Muslims who were appalled at what had been done in the name of their own religion, and who said that ignoring the religious element of Islamic terrorism would not help matters. Perhaps this extreme case will highlight the plight of our Christian brothers and sisters in Syria, Egypt, Iraq, Iran and many other Muslim countries, where people are prepared to kill and be killed for what they believe is the cause of God. It is precisely the religious element that makes these attacks so horrific, but which also gives hopes of resolution through constructive inter-faith dialogue.

I have just listened to an interview with one of our own ministers, Rev Aftab Gohar, on BBC http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-tayside-central-24276911?SThisFB He has lost his mother, a nephew and niece and other friends and relatives in the attack, and I think that it would be better to get a comment from him.

Maybe we need a lesson from the Archbishop of Canterbury, who is quite clear that those who died in Peshawar are indeed Christian martyrs. http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/religion/10334556/Christians-now-suffering-mass-martyrdom-says-Archbishop-of-Canterbury.html
”

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