Army bishop praises Taliban's 'conviction to their faith'
Tuesday, 15 December 2009
, Posted by Ed Allen at 07:14
The Rt Rev Stephen Venner, recently appointed Bishop of the Armed Forces, has angered much of his new flock with comments he made during an interview.
Bishop Venner initially suggested that it would be difficult to find a peaceful resolution to the conflict if the insurgents were portrayed too negatively and that the West has adopted an overly simplistic view of the Taliban.
He then went on to say: "The Taliban can perhaps be admired for their conviction to their faith and their sense of loyalty to each other".
Out of context it is easy to see how such a comment could be seen as unpatriotic, particularly given the significant rise in casualties suffered by the British troops serving in Afghanistan during 2009.
Bishop Venner's apparent admiration for the 'conviction' and 'loyalty' of the Taliban could also be interpreted to mean that he sympathises with a group of Islamic fundamentalists responsible for the deaths of 237 British servicemen and women, simply because of their professed faith.
Secular and atheist individuals may be disturbed by the view implicit in Bishop Venner's statement, namely that devout conviction to a violent and oppressive form of faith is better than having no faith at all.
It is unlikely that moderate British muslims will appreciate the Bishop's respect for an extreme, violent and altogether unpleasant branch of their religion.
Col Richard Kemp, a former commander in Afghanistan, accused Bishop Venner of being naïve.
“We clearly need to understand our enemy but that is more of a military issue rather than a religious one,” he said.
“Elements in the Taliban do not act from a religious perspective and it is important to turn them around. But there are many others who will not be persuaded. Their central creed and ethos is about violent oppression."
Bishop Venner has since apologised publicly for the opinions put forward in the interview, yet his reputation will likely be damaged for some time yet.
Regardless of what message Bishop Venner intended to impart, the views expressed in his interview demonstrate a lack of media awareness. Public figures and the statements they make are subject to disproportionate scrutiny, especially regarding sensitive issues like the occupation of Afghanistan; consequently taking care to make statements that aren't wide open to interpretation should have been obvious.
Source: Press Association & Telegraph
Bishop Venner initially suggested that it would be difficult to find a peaceful resolution to the conflict if the insurgents were portrayed too negatively and that the West has adopted an overly simplistic view of the Taliban.
He then went on to say: "The Taliban can perhaps be admired for their conviction to their faith and their sense of loyalty to each other".
Out of context it is easy to see how such a comment could be seen as unpatriotic, particularly given the significant rise in casualties suffered by the British troops serving in Afghanistan during 2009.
Bishop Venner's apparent admiration for the 'conviction' and 'loyalty' of the Taliban could also be interpreted to mean that he sympathises with a group of Islamic fundamentalists responsible for the deaths of 237 British servicemen and women, simply because of their professed faith.
Secular and atheist individuals may be disturbed by the view implicit in Bishop Venner's statement, namely that devout conviction to a violent and oppressive form of faith is better than having no faith at all.
It is unlikely that moderate British muslims will appreciate the Bishop's respect for an extreme, violent and altogether unpleasant branch of their religion.
Col Richard Kemp, a former commander in Afghanistan, accused Bishop Venner of being naïve.
“We clearly need to understand our enemy but that is more of a military issue rather than a religious one,” he said.
“Elements in the Taliban do not act from a religious perspective and it is important to turn them around. But there are many others who will not be persuaded. Their central creed and ethos is about violent oppression."
Bishop Venner has since apologised publicly for the opinions put forward in the interview, yet his reputation will likely be damaged for some time yet.
Regardless of what message Bishop Venner intended to impart, the views expressed in his interview demonstrate a lack of media awareness. Public figures and the statements they make are subject to disproportionate scrutiny, especially regarding sensitive issues like the occupation of Afghanistan; consequently taking care to make statements that aren't wide open to interpretation should have been obvious.
Source: Press Association & Telegraph
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Imperialism.
Why can't the priest say what he wants to say?
He has the right to free speech.
Yes, he has the right to say what he wants to say, but he has no "Right" to the position he was appointed to, and is responsible to the people he represents. The author is correct in stating the Bishop should be careful to not make statements open to wide interpretation. Are the Taliban religious? Of course. they love their religion. Are they Murderers? Of course.