Archbishop calls for talks with jihadists
WESTERN politicians and religious leaders should prepare the ground for talks with Isil through “face to face encounters” with their Muslim counterparts, the Archbishop of Canterbury has suggested.
The Most Rev Justin Welby said the extremist group represented a “lethal danger to the human values on which civilised life depends” and reiterated his support for UN-backed military action.
However, he signalled his support for setting up informal “back channels” with Isil, similar to the communications with the IRA that paved the way for the Northern Ireland peace process.
The Archbishop also said a basic ignorance about Islam from Western figures was making the situation worse.
He criticised rhetoric about killing Isil fighters, including in one case from the US state department, which, he said, was playing into the hands of extremists, even helping convince them they were fulfilling prophecies.
His remarks, in a lecture about religiously motivated violence at Liverpool John Moores University, came as David Cameron outlined the Government’s anti-extremism strategy, including plans to enable parents to have their children’s passports cancelled to stop them travelling to join terrorists.
The Archbishop offered his support to Mr Cameron’s efforts, adding: “He sees the intelligence, he has to make the hard decisions.” But he said he wanted to set out a “different emphasis”.
“To sit in the same room, in a chair across from somebody with whom you disagree profoundly, and to listen to them and to talk to them – the effect is remarkable,” he said.
Lord Ashdown, former leader of the Liberal Democrats, has said Britain should “definitely not” bomb Isil, and should use diplomacy.
The Government is opposed to negotiating with Isil.