The murder of Alan Henning by Islamist terrorists is not only an atrocious and horrific act of violence, it is also a revelation of the true nature of Islamic State. The murderer and his IS companions have shown themselves to be not only incapable of compassion and mercy but also contemptuous of their own Islamic law and Muslim leaders. Henning was by all accounts a deeply compassionate man, willing to risk his own life in order to relieve the suffering of others. On an often-repeated video from last Christmas, he talked of his pleasure at seeing relief supplies reaching their destination. The pleas for mercy, on the basis of his completely nonpartisan mission to Syria, fell on deaf ears as far as IS were concerned. Furthermore, even the appeals from conservative Muslim leaders and scholars failed to impress them. These are real fanatics, blind and deaf to the needs of others, incapable of recognising goodness when they see it, and having no respect for their fellow humans. Their unspeakable cruelty and barbarism is truly a manifestation of evil.
Tomorrow, I am returning to St George's, Everton where I used to be Vicar. They are inviting former incumbents back to preach in their bi-centenary year. I am preaching from the prophet Isaiah, and in preparing, I found that nearly 3000 years ago, another crisis involving extreme violence was being visited upon precisely the same area of the world. In Isaiah's time, the Assyrians (not to be confused with the Syrians) were dominant, and were renowned not only for their advanced weaponry but also for the cruelty they inflicted upon their victims. Then, as now, the strategy was to create such a climate of fear that they could simply impose their regime with little resistance. However, then, as now, evil empires tend to be short-lived and were eventually overcome by a more powerful force - at that time, the Babylonians.
I was interested to read, in a statement responding to Henning's murder by 'Muslims of the North of England', that 'the killing... represents the beginning of the end for this group (IS)' I wonder whether the death of an innocent man, with all that it reveals about IS, will in fact not only make opposing forces the more determined to overcome them, but also cause them to lose whatever support they might originally have had from fellow Muslims.
However, many are concerned about the military response to IS. I can understand how this seems to be the only option, and does seem to match the criteria of 'just war' theory. But while military force might rid the world of an evil aggressor, history shows that it leaves a legacy of hatred and bitterness which only leads to further bloodshed in the longer term. Furthermore, precisely as IS intends, the culture of fear causes people and nations to react irrationally and hastily, which can also have longer term consequences.
This is what happened in Isaiah's day. The beleaguered country of Judah tried both to buy off the Assyrians, and to form alliances with neighbouring countries, formerly their enemies. Sounds familiar? In response to which Isaiah called upon the people to trust in God: 'in quietness and confidence shall be your strength'.
As it happens, today the Church remembers St Francis of Assisi, author of that famous prayer, 'Make me a channel of your peace'. The weapons God would have us use are love, forgiveness, faith, hope, light, and joy. Tragically, lives of innocent people like Alan Henning will inevitably be lost but this is the Jesus way, and in the perspective of eternity, wars will cease and the good will be vindicated.
