I was, in fact, invited to run for a fledgling political party in a federal election many years ago. I took all of a nanosecond to turn them down — graciously, of course — largely because the sitting MP — the one I would have been running against — was an old friend. She wound up losing, anyway, as would I have, because the riding swung to the far-right on the political spectrum (actually, members of the party that won that particular election look like the “Waffle Faction”* compared to today’s far-right).
Late last week, a Liberal candidate in the current federal election made a statement about the situation in Afghanistan, in which she referred to members of the Taliban as “brothers and sisters”. The backlash — particularly in right-wing media outlets like the National Post and the Toronto Sun — was predictable, and fierce.
Earlier this summer, the leader of the Green Party faced an internal revolt for (are you sitting down?) calling for a peaceful solution in the Middle East, without taking sides. Because she did not condemn Israel and Zionism and come down firmly on the side of the Palestinians, many in her own party were in an uproar and one of their few MPs crossed the floor to sit with the Liberal government.
In the case of the Liberal candidate, Maryam Monsef — who was born in Afghanistan — was doing nothing other than what any Christian would do if criticizing another Christian: we are all brothers and sisters in Christ; even if I vehemently disagree with something another Christian advocates in the name of the Lord (and heaven knows, I do, particularly when it comes to race, women, or welcoming strangers), they are still my brothers and sisters. As Peter reminds us:
Finally, all of you be of one mind, having compassion for one another; love as brothers, be tenderhearted, be courteous;
not returning evil for evil or reviling for reviling, but on the contrary blessing, knowing that you were called to this, that you may inherit a blessing.
For
“He who would love life
And see good days,
Let him refrain his tongue from evil,
And his lips from speaking deceit.Let him turn away from evil and do good;
Let him seek peace and pursue it.“
— 1 Peter 3:8-11
Both she and Annamie Paul, the Green Party leader, are victims of the current state of political discourse, which has degenerated in the past couple of decades to an Orwellian chorus of “Four legs good! Two legs bad!”. “Omigod! Maryam Monsef called the Taliban brothers! Doesn’t she realize that if we’re going to hate and fear them, we can’t see them as humans and especially not brothers and sisters! Hmm … maybe she’s a terrorist herself!”
Hmm … given that terrorism thrives on the people being terrorized fearing and loathing the terrorists, wouldn’t the best way to de-fang a terrorist operation be to regard the terrorists not as sub-human, radicalized automata, but as people no worse than we are? Remember this one?
Repay no one evil for evil. Have regard for good things in the sight of all men.
If it is possible, as much as depends on you, live peaceably with all men.
Beloved, do not avenge yourselves, but rather give place to wrath; for it is written, “Vengeance is Mine, I will repay,” says the Lord.
Therefore
“If your enemy is hungry, feed him;
If he is thirsty, give him a drink;
For in so doing you will heap coals of fire on his head.”Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.
— Romans 12:17-21
(Sadly, many Christians forget those exhortations.)
My 8th-grade English teacher, Don Dashwood-Jones, would be turning in his grave: he taught us to construct our arguments in the “because/therefore” format: “because of X, therefore Y, and if you accept Y then therefore Z”. Today’s dialectic follows a similar pattern, although the steps take a quantum leap from X to Z.
Both Maryam Monsef and Annamie Paul can offer lengthy, well-constructed reasons behind their positions. (Ask Mayim Bialik about shaking the “anti-vax” label, because she happened to tell an interviewer that she didn’t vaccinate her children.) Sadly, in today’s culture, nobody wants to sit still long enough to hear it. Their minds are made up: their points of view sufficiently narrowed down to fit a 15-second sound bite. Maryam Monsef must be a terr-symp; Annamie Paul must be a hater of Palestinians.
Should Maryam Monsef have been more judicious in her words, particularly during an election campaign? One commentator notes that she hesitated before saying the “b-word”. Perhaps, but in speaking as she did, she brought a needed dimension to this situation.
Should Annamie Paul have toed the party line when it came to the Middle East? For one thing, she’s the leader of the party and her words should be the party line, no matter what others in the party think of it. But for another, she brings up another necessary point: that true peace is not a “zero-sum” proposition. True peace comes when both sides win. It’s the way God wants it.
Which is one reason why I wouldn’t go into politics: the horse-trading, compromising and adversarial nature of politics is, I believe, antithetical to letting God’s will be done on earth. But more than that, the current climate of diatribe rather than dialogue, of dumbing down issues to put people into camps from which one cannot stray, just doesn’t work for me.
Will we ever see a shift back to respectful disagreement and abandon the current habit of jumping on the minutiae of a position or statement? It’s something to be hoped for — prayed for — and yet, I doubt it. Jesus told us that there would be a time when “the love of many (would) grow cold,” and while we’ve seen that happen for centuries already, it’s getting worse, and getting worse faster, these days. Of course, He also said that would precede His return, and that is truly something to watch for and pray for.
*The “Waffle Faction” was a group of members of the New Democratic Party, a social democratic movement in Canada. In the 1970s, this group demanded that the party move even further to the left and embrace what today would be called “progressive” policies.
Two Minutes for Cross-Checking! 