Catholic Archbishops have condemned the burning of a mosque effigy atop a unionist bonfire this past weekend, describing it as “grossly offensive.”
The display, which was accompanied by banners that read “End the threat of radical Islam” and “Secure our borders,” was lit up and burned ahead of the Orange Order’s marches on Sunday.
The marches are a celebration commemorating the Battle of the Boyne in 1690, where King William III (William of Orange) led the Protestants in a victory over James II and the Catholics to assert Protestant dominance.
As a result of the burning, the Catholic Archbishop of Armagh, Archbishop Eamon Martin, and the Church of Ireland Archbishop of Armagh, Archbishop John McDowell issued a joint statement of condemnation, describing the event as “grossly offensive” while urging folks to “reflect carefully on their actions which can ignite violence against innocent people, all of whom are made in God’s image and are therefore worthy of respect and compassion.”
“Jesus tells the story of the Good Samaritan [Luke 10:25-37] to teach his disciples that they have a duty to those who differ from them in terms of religious belief and cultural tradition. Jesus teaches that people who differ from us are not simply to be tolerated; they are to be respected, cared for and loved.”
“The targeting of the Muslim community through crude symbols and threats of violence by sinister forces undermines these Gospel principles of respect and compassion as well as freedom of religion which is a fundamental principle of a democratic society.”
For their part, the Bonfire Association who sponsored the effigy were unapologetic, explaining on social media:
“Our display may well shock, offend or outrage others, but nonetheless it is an exercise in our rights under Article 10 of the ECHR, and we note with some irony that it is the ECHR which has so often paved the way for mass illegal immigration and a failure to deport foreign criminals who have come here unlawfully, that also now protects our right to protest in robust terms against that. If there was no uncontrolled illegal mass immigration, we would have no need to protest on this issue.
Our display expressly does **NOT** target any individual. We make that very clear. Our opposition is not to people, but rather to ideology and Government policy. Once this is appreciated, then it is very clear this is no more and no less than an act of protest, which is lawful protected expression.
..The display this year- opposing ideology and Government policy- reflects the views of many communities in Northern Ireland. It is contained in an area where there is mass community support for the protest, and is not targeted against any individual.”
