Controversy as Chaplain Likens Bombers to Crusaders

|TOP|The senior member of the Bishop of Blackburn’s staff has sparked controversy by likening the London bombers to Christian crusaders.

Canon Philip Gray, chaplain Bishop Nicholas Reade for four years, claimed that both terrorists and Christian crusaders share the “same religious passion” and added that Christians “rejoice over the bloody deaths of martyrs”.

The controversial comments were made in an article to mark the fifth anniversary of the 9/11 terrorist attacks in America that will appear in the September issue of Blackburn’s diocesan magazine “See”.

Canon Gray stated: “Behind modern fanatical Islamic terrorism lie many spiritual and religious passions and narratives also found in the Christian tradition.

|AD|“Blind Samson, his hairy growth returning, commits an act of suicidal terrorism as he destroys the pillars of the pagan temple. The people of Israel sing their song of triumph — which we echo in the Easter Vigil — as the bodies of the Egyptians float in the Red Sea.”

The Hull-born chaplain continued: “We cannot simply ignore the violent passion of Jesus cleansing the temple with whips. We are never told of the collateral damage possibly resulting from his actions. In the Christians tradition we rejoice over the passionate commitment and bloody deaths of numerous martyrs.”

“We need to consider deeply the fact that the same religious passion and spiritual single-mindedness lies at the heart of a London bomber and a Christian crusader.

“What is our understanding of scripture as we preach such commitment to Christ and his faith? What boundaries must the Church draw between taking up our cross, and the crass immorality of crusaders? When does a freedom fighter become a terrorist?”

“There is a profound religious motivation in the action of a London bomber. Most people of faith would say that’s profoundly erroneous. And, of course, I would echo that,” he told The Church of England Newspaper.

A spokesman for the Church of England stressed in The Daily Express: "These were the canon’s personal views.

"It is fairly clear that most occurrences of terror have been linked to a form of religious expression, but this is a twisting of faith."

A spokesman for the Catholic evangelical group CASE said: "In their time, everyone believed in a Holy War.

"It was justified at the time because of the climate. The Crusades were supported by popes.

"There is no way Christians could justify something like the 7/7 attacks these days. The comments are unhelpful, inflammatory and foolish."