Joint Statement from The Bishop of Coventry and The Bishop of Bath and WellsWe write as two Anglican Bishops who visited Iraq in 1999 and who witnessed the terrible suffering of the Iraqi people under the double insult of Saddams brutal dictatorship and the UN sanctions regime. We wish to express our dismay at the outcome of events since the end of the second Gulf war and, in particular, the recent attack on Fallujah. Whilst acknowledging that terrible atrocities have clearly taken place in and around that region we are deeply disturbed at the emerging tragedy. In particular we would highlight three issues.

First, the humanitarian fallout from the military attack. Many, perhaps the majority of civilians, left before the battle started. Those remaining were either insurgents or the poor and the elderly who had literally nowhere to go. The figures for co-lateral damage that are emerging are unacceptable in a society that prides itself on civilised values. It is essential that immediate aid is delivered to the most vulnerable in Fallujah and that longterm assistance is guaranteed for the rebuilding of the homes and infrastructure that have been obliterated.

Secondly, we need to acknowledge that huge numbers of Iraqi Muslims (and in particular those from the Sunni Triangle) increasingly regard the current military action as a war between religions. The battle for Fallujah began on one of the holiest days on the Muslim calendar, the day when the giving of the Koran is celebrated. In a culture where symbolic deeds generally carry more weight than in the West we cannot disentangle the actions of what is perceived to be a Christian government from the backlash against local Christians as seen in the bombing of Christian churches.Thirdly, we wish to insist that those waging war on terror take seriously the systemic nature of evil.

There is a perception that bombing cities may at times be thought desirable or even necessary (we demur from that view), but that quasi-territorial approach fails utterly to take account of the deeply held sense of antipathy towards much of what we call western freedoms. Driving the insurgents from Fallujah may prove to be little different from swatting a fly which then goes to lay its eggs elsewhere.We wish to affirm that the kind of dialogue modelled by the Iraqi Institute for Peace is a positive way forward which should be welcomed by both our great faith traditions.

The leadership given by many Iraqi religious leaders in this area is encouraging. We, as Anglican Church leaders, pledge our support for this approach believing that working for justice, peace and reconciliation is a God-given imperative.

ENDS

+Colin Coventry (The Rt Revd Colin Bennetts)
+Peter Bath and Wells (The Rt Revd Peter Price)

For further information Revd Mervyn Roberts (Diocesan Director of Communications) 01926 426922