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Blair, Iraq, and the hand of God

Hasan Suroor

Out ofLondon Prime Minister Tony Blair's attempt to invoke God in a political discussion, unprecedented for a British Prime Minister in modern history, has drawn flak from all quarters.

PRIME MINISTER Tony Blair has been accused of breaking one of Britain's most sacred political taboos — namely, not to mix politics and religion — after he suggested in an interview that it was the hand of God that propelled him into taking the decision to invade Iraq.

In the interview, telecast on ITV on Saturday, Mr. Blair insisted that he had done the right thing in attacking Iraq and would rather let God and history judge him. The controversial bit came when he said: "The only way you can take a decision like that is to try to do the right thing according to your conscience ... I think if you have faith about these things, then you realise that that judgment is made by other people ... and if you believe in God, it's made by God as well."

His attempt to invoke God in a political discussion, unprecedented for a British Prime Minister in modern history, has drawn flak from both secular and religious groups and particularly outraged the families of the soldiers killed in Iraq. They say that he is trying to use religion to justify an illegal war, and to escape personal responsibility for the terrible consequences of his own actions.

"The appeal to the authority of God — like the appeal to the `eternal court of history,' famously invoked by Hitler at his trial in 1924 — can easily become the means of avoiding public censure," argued The Daily Telegraph in an editorial headlined "Blair cannot be sure that God is with him."

Deep concerns

There is deep concern that by bringing religion into the political arena Mr. Blair has gone against the well-established British tradition that God must be kept out of politics. By convention, Downing Street does "not do God," as Mr. Blair's own former communications chief Alastair Campbell pompously told an American journalist when the latter wanted to quiz the Prime Minister about his religious beliefs.

The question that is being asked is: can the affairs of a secular state be decided on the basis of a leader's compact with his God? "Can a Prime Minister get away with murder by saying that his actions would be ultimately judged by God?" was one critic's query.

Commentators have also questioned the wisdom of "dragging God" into the debate over the Iraq war that many in the Muslim world see as part of a Western "plot" against Islam after U.S. President George W. Bush unwisely labelled the "war on terror" a "crusade."

The BBC said: "It raises the prospect of inflaming Arab opinion which often links Christian Western leaders with suggestions of a `crusade' — a charge already levelled at President Bush."

The most angry reaction, however, came from anti-war campaigners and families of British casualties. Rose Gentle whose son, Gordon, was killed in Iraq said she was "disgusted" by Mr. Blair's remarks. "How can he say he is a Christian? A Christian would never put people out there to be killed. A good Christian wouldn't be for this war. I'm quite disgusted by the comments. It's a joke," she said.

Reg Keys, who also lost his son in the war and contested as an anti-war candidate against Mr. Blair in the last general election, called Mr. Blair's comments "abhorrent." "The people who will be his [Mr. Blair's] judge is not God, it will be the families of the bereaved soldiers and it will be the families of the innocent Iraqis who have all been slaughtered in this totally unnecessary conflict," he said.

Christian groups asked how a Christian could defend a war and justify bloodshed.

Although Mr. Blair, a regular church-goer, has never made a secret of his religious leanings this is the first time that he brought it up publicly — and that too in the context of an issue on which he is particularly vulnerable.

"It is the sort of comment he has been repeatedly urged not to make ... because of the risk that a sceptical British public will react badly to politicians who appear to be `preaching'," said The Independent.

President Bush has been ridiculed in Britain for reportedly saying that his decision to "liberate" Iraq was prompted by divine intervention. "God would tell me, `George, go end the tyranny in Iraq' and I did," a senior Palestinian leader quoted him as saying.

A strong religious streak is said to be a common "bond" between Mr. Blair and President Bush and both are rumoured to have prayed together at the latter's ranch in Texas to seek God's "guidance" over their plans to attack Iraq, though Mr. Blair has denied this.

The best comment came from an atheist who said he was inclined to believe Mr. Blair because no man alone could have created such a big mess as Iraq "without a little divine help!"

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