For Moscow Patriarch, Arab uprisings are ambiguous, Europe not to be perceived as aggressor
by Nina Achmatova
The head of the Russian Orthodox Church warns that Arabs should not perceive Europe as an invader. In the Middle East, the “interreligious factor” should be avoided “because this all can backfire very painfully” in Europe. He calls on the world to protect the Copts of Egypt.
Moscow (AsiaNews) – It is important that the situation in the Middle East and North Africa not be perceived as a confessional clash between Christians and Muslims and that Europe not be seen as an aggressor in the Arab world, warns Kirill, patriarch of Moscow an All Russia. In an interview with the Russian news TV channel Rossiya-24 in Chisinau, he said that it was not wholly clear how much the uprisings from Libya to Syria were the “spontaneous and natural” expression of people’s will.
“It is absolutely unacceptable if Europe is perceived as an aggressor in the Arab world's eyes. This must be prevented by any means, because, although Europe today is, excuse me, godless and secular and does not associate itself too much with Christianity, the deeply religious Islamic population still sees Europe as Christians,” Kirill said.
“At the market and street level, many see Europe's engagement in the problems of the Arab world—not only political but also military—as some combat between Christians and Muslims,” he noted. Thus, it is important to prevent "an inter-religious and inter-civilisational factor, because this all can backfire very painfully in the globalizing world, and not only in the Middle East, but also in European counties.”
Sharing the Kremlin’s point of view, Kirill expressed concerns about the difficulty in understanding the uprising that brought down various regimes in the Muslim world. No one, “neither you, nor me or the international community understand clearly what share in everything that is going on there today belongs to the people's initiative and what share is a result—let's choose the mildest wording possible—of assistance to this process from abroad," he said.
In the interview, the patriarch made a plea to the United Nations and international organisations to protect Christian Copts in Egypt, following last Sunday’s clashes, saying that "Christians must raise their voice in defence of their Coptic brothers", asking the world "not to be indifferent".
In a direct appeal to religious leaders, he said that on such occasions, which threaten the future of Muslim-Christian dialogue, they must show a "commitment to peace and mutual understanding".
“It is absolutely unacceptable if Europe is perceived as an aggressor in the Arab world's eyes. This must be prevented by any means, because, although Europe today is, excuse me, godless and secular and does not associate itself too much with Christianity, the deeply religious Islamic population still sees Europe as Christians,” Kirill said.
“At the market and street level, many see Europe's engagement in the problems of the Arab world—not only political but also military—as some combat between Christians and Muslims,” he noted. Thus, it is important to prevent "an inter-religious and inter-civilisational factor, because this all can backfire very painfully in the globalizing world, and not only in the Middle East, but also in European counties.”
Sharing the Kremlin’s point of view, Kirill expressed concerns about the difficulty in understanding the uprising that brought down various regimes in the Muslim world. No one, “neither you, nor me or the international community understand clearly what share in everything that is going on there today belongs to the people's initiative and what share is a result—let's choose the mildest wording possible—of assistance to this process from abroad," he said.
In the interview, the patriarch made a plea to the United Nations and international organisations to protect Christian Copts in Egypt, following last Sunday’s clashes, saying that "Christians must raise their voice in defence of their Coptic brothers", asking the world "not to be indifferent".
In a direct appeal to religious leaders, he said that on such occasions, which threaten the future of Muslim-Christian dialogue, they must show a "commitment to peace and mutual understanding".
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