Martyrdom is again in the news as shocking footage of the savagery and bestiality of the jihadists against religious minorities in north Iraq hits the internet. The term martyr has been corrupted by the phenomenon of Muslim suicide bombers.
However, martyrdom for Christians refers to those prepared to die for their faith. It does not involve suicide or the murder of others.
At a Lenten vigil on April 8 this year, Lord Alton of Liverpool, a Catholic and former Liberal Democrat MP, made an impassioned appeal to raise awareness of the unspeakable atrocities being inflicted on defenceless Christian communities.
Lord Alton refers to Article 18 of the 1948 Declaration of Human Rights that says: “Everyone has the right to freedom of thought, conscience and religion; this right includes freedom to change one’s religion or belief, and freedom, either alone or in community with others, and in public or private, to manifest one’s religion or belief in teaching, practice, worship and observance.”
Lord Alton also refers to the callous remark of Adolf Hitler when he quipped “who now remembers the Armenians?” as he began the slaughter of Jews, gypsies, homosexuals, people with disabilities and many others.
This century has revealed that we have learnt nothing from past history. Rather, we do not know history. Over a million Armenians were brutally killed by the Turks almost 100 years ago in a classic case of ethnic cleansing. Unlike the Shoah, whose remembrance is rightly observed, the genocide of the Armenians has been airbrushed out of the historical narrative.
The carnage in Iraq has also brought to our attention the predicament of the Kurds. Despite numbering 25 million people, they have been denied autonomy, let alone independence. The region where they live encompasses areas of Turkey, Iraq, Iran and Syria. Due to their geographical location and the presence of oil, the Kurds have been persecuted mercilessly by their neighbours.
The sustained persecution of the Kurds has no news value. Turkey, as a member of Nato and a country which has applied for EU membership, has a particularly disgraceful record in ruthlessly suppressing the legitimate political and cultural development of the Kurds.
For too long, short-term economic and political interests have trumped human rights
History also reveals the connivance and duplicity that the western governments of the US and UK have played in denying the Kurds their rights. As early as the 1920s, the British used aircraft to bomb the Kurds into submission. Bombing of civilians has a long history. Even now, in the so-called democratisation of Iraq, it is glaringly obvious that the Kurds were excluded from effective power-sharing and in participating in the formation of the Iraqi army.
Ironically, now, they seem to be the only group capable of standing up to and stopping the Jihadist slaughtering spree in north Iraq. Yet, despite the critical situation the US and western European states are still dithering over supplying them with much-needed weaponry to defend their homes and families.
For too long, short-term economic and political interests have trumped human rights. Now, the consequences are staring us in the face. The promotion of human rights is in the interest of the wellbeing of us all and is not a sectarian issue. This applies to Gaza, South Sudan, Syria, Ukraine, Nigeria and so many other regions that do not elicit media interest.
However, the issue in north Iraq is definitely a most urgent reality. The international community must not allow such a ruthless and brutal force as that of Isis to go unchecked.
As never before, these tragic events underscore that the disappointing role of the UN has to be revitalised and restructured. The mess in Iraq and Afghanistan has also showed up that peace is not being fostered when despicable regimes are then only replaced by corrupt governments.
Pope John Paul II, in his World Day of Peace address of 2000, insisted that respect for human rights and for the dignity of every human person was essential for peace. He went on to state that crimes against humanity cannot be considered any country’s internal affair and that humanitarian intervention is an obligation in cases of real and impending genocide.
Will our political leaders in the West live up to their responsibilities and address the disastrous situation in the Middle East which is, after all, partly of their own making?