It Seems Most Islanders Are anti-Semites
Friday, January 22, 2010

Campbell Webster

   Big news: If you are a member of any of the following churches or organizations, you belong to an anti-semitic organization.

   The list: The Anglican Church of Canada, The Canadian Catholic Organization for Development and Peace, The Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops, The Canadian Religious Conference, The Christian Reformed Church in North America, The Evangelical Lutheran Church in Canada, The Mennonite Central Committee of Canada, The Presbyterian Church in Canada, The Primate's World Relief and Development Fund, The Religious Society of Friends (Quakers), and the United Church of Canada.

   Offended? Well, you should be, as this anti-semitic tag was levelled by Immigration Minister Jason Kenney at the above groups by virtue of their membership and governance of KAIROS.

   KAIROS (New Testament Greek meaning the instant when God acts) is a coalition of the 11 groups cited above. It works around the world for human rights, justice, peace and sustainable development. KAIROS is the effective result of decades of interfaith organizational work, which makes such past divisions between Catholics and Protestants in places like Prince Edward Island look downright silly.

   But in mid-December, Mr. Kenney may have inadvertently let it be known this collegial group was in fact a bigoted bunch. At a speech he gave at an anti-Semitism conference in Israel he noted that Canada has established a zero-tolerance policy towards anti-Semitism. (How bold!)

   But here is the rub: He went on to explain this meant stripping government funding from organizations such as KAIROS, which he described as a leader in boycotting, disinvesting and sanctioning Israel. This is completely false, of course, and, in fact, KAIROS is on record as being against the promotion of such an idea.

   Nonetheless, KAIROS received word from the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA) that it would no longer receive partnership funding of approximately $2 million a year, because it was no longer a "fit" with the agency's priorities. This is patently false, as CIDA's priorities, as declared in its 2008-09 Performance Report, are "to reduce poverty, promote human rights, and support sustainable development..."

   Guess what KAIROS does? It is a human rights champion, dedicated to the agenda of the poor, and to eradicating poverty amongst the world's marginalized peoples. They are, simply put, akin to liberation theologists: complex, compassionate thinkers and actors in pursuit of social justice.

   What is more surprising is that before Mr. Kenney's remarks, and before CIDA had cancelled KAIROS' funding, CIDA had been working closely with KAIROS on its four-year plan, and to this end, CIDA had received independent affirmation that KAIROS' work was of top quality. The evaluation clearly indicated a high level of competency in delivering effective programs, which were in keeping with CIDA's objectives.

   But now, it seems, KAIROS members are just a bunch of anti-Semites being tossed to the curb.

   It is, of course, not KAIROS we must feel most concerned about. It is the group's work, and its partners in the countries it operates in, including Columbia, Sudan, Congo, Palestine and, yes, Israel. From KAIROS' website: "KAIROS seeks to promote a peace that is just for both Palestinians and Israelis and for people of all religions, particularly Judaism, Christianity, and Islam." How's that for ecumenical, collective, peace-building?

   KAIROS is simply a broad range of Christians doing good work together across the planet. If you are a member of any the KAIROS' partnership faith groups, and even if you are not, you should be up in arms about this casual slur by the government, and its effect on your own good work, or at least the good work of your church. Let the government know you are not an anti-Semite, nor is your church and KAIROS.

   Campbell Webster is a writer and producer of entertainment events. He can be reached at campbell@campbellwebster.ca