What does “pure evil” mean and how does this discourse act in our society? Attaching the accusation “pure evil” to the Islamic State or extremists serves to justify our engagement in war. They are constructed as other and therefore to be “degraded and destroyed”. But the term clearly invokes a religious sense. “Pure evil” for most in Australia describes the devil or at least some force opposed to the good which is born in our religious imagination. The term serves to marginalise and diminish as well as politicise on religious grounds. Whether intended or not, it divides Australia along religious lines and creates a climate of fear in our already faltering and vulnerable social fabric.
There is plenty of talk about how it is not about religion but about extremists and terrorists. However, on the walls of mosques, synagogues, churches and wherever graffiti is found we see the colourful expressions of hate and fear cast in religious terms, giving the lie to the sentiment that it is their hate and violence and not their religion we oppose.
These are complex matters. However, it seems that our efforts to confront the “evil” forces do more to inflame the disaffected and their supporters everywhere. What can we do at our local level?
In the Marrickville Local Government Area there is a group called the Marrickville Multifaith Roundtable which invites representatives of all faiths and denominations to simply sit together and chat. Sometimes these are planning meetings and each year we prepare four forums or talks with speakers from various faith backgrounds to initiate a discussion which serves to inform and build bridges rather than inflame suspicion, fear and division.
How can we build a more inclusive and less discriminatory Australia? It is certainly not through acting to isolate and inflame minority religious groups. Somehow we have to continue to find ways to meet with each other, understand each other and support each other. Leaders of many religious faiths have been saying for years that the way forward is to keep engaging and sharing. Maybe we need to spend more time looking at what causes the disaffection that leads to fanaticism and extremism in all religious groups.
In this country it is a social and economic problem as much as a religious one, but there can be no denying the role of religious prejudice and scapegoating. We need to be very careful how we address this issue lest we collude in creating the problem even while claiming to solve it.
In many ways multifaith activities, forums and projects are disappearing in the wake of a fear-filled religious trend where faith leaders sometimes are battening down the hatches and becoming more inward looking. This is an ill-fated approach. To be life-giving people we must engage in the risk of faith, that is to say stand firm for what we believe, enunciate clearly principles of equality, justice and love in ways that never diminish or exclude. We must all, religion or no religion, look for ways to build bridges toward deeper understanding and acceptance without demanding uniformity or diminishing diversity.
