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Will Iraq war lead to religious retaliation around the world?
As military action begins in Iraq, several news outlets report that Muslims in the U.S. fear retaliatory attacks. "If it's a quick war where not a lot of people get killed, we may be all right; but if it goes badly and lots of people are dying on both sides, all bets are off regarding an anti-Muslim backlash," Council on American-Islamic Relations  (CAIR) spokesman Ibrahim Hooper told the Newhouse News Service.

CAIR says there have been six attacks against Muslims in the last three weeks. But police in at least one of the cases aren't ready to call it a hate crime. (World magazine this week devotes its cover story to criticizing CAIR, saying it attacks Christianity and "sometimes seems to have trouble deciding exactly which side it is on" in the war against terrorism.)

Such fear from Muslims isn't limited to the U.S. If anything, the Australian Arabic Council is even more certain than CAIR that there will be attacks on its community. "We received a 400 percent increase in racial attacks … after September 11 and this is a more direct involvement," said chairman Roland Jabbour, adding that he had "no doubt" that Australian Muslims would be vilified and attacked now that military action in Iraq has begun.

 Other Muslims aren't so worried. "I'm not concerned about safety here," William Abdullah, a leader of a mosque in Montgomery, Alabama, told the Advertiser. "I don't see any reason to be concerned about it because we haven't been bothered by anyone."

So far, no Christians have announced that they'll go on a rampage to attack and kill Muslims wherever they may be found. However, some Muslim leaders have called for retaliation.

In response, the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom is asking the State Department "to remind foreign governments of their responsibility to protect the lives and freedoms of members of minority religious communities."

"The Commission is concerned that extremists have tried to portray military action against Iraq as part of an alleged U.S. attack on Islam, and that retribution will be sought against Christians, Jews, and others throughout the Islamic World, as well as in the West, who are perceived as having some affiliation or affinity with the United States or its coalition partners," says a letter to Colin Powell. The commission says the threat is particularly acute in Pakistan.

The All Pakistan Minorities Alliance agrees. "We are very afraid of retaliation by Islamic militants if there is a war in Iraq. We are appealing to the government for more security for Christians," the group's spokesman said in a call for more security. The group says the government isn't doing enough to protect Christians. "There is much more they can do: Stop the mullahs (Islamic clerics) from making speeches over the mosque loudspeakers and more keenly observe the activities of those organizations that the government has banned," said the spokesman.

Presbyterian high court says leader "acted improperly," but wasn't required to call special assembly
Fahed Abu-Akel "acted improperly … when he 'implored [the Requesters] in the name of Christ and for the good of the Presbyterian Church (USA) to reconsider [their] decision' to call for a special Assembly," the denomination's Permanent Judicial Commission ruled yesterday. Nevertheless, the commission dismissed a complaint against the moderator and said he did not have to call a special assembly to enforce a ban on practicing homosexual clergy members.

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March (Web-only) 2003, Vol. 47