Al Shabaab has become a real thorn in the flesh of the East African countries! And right now there seems to be no easy way of getting rid of this thorn! And the recent history of Somalia clearly reveals that Al Shabaab is a very hard nut to crack! It can camouflage according to the surroundings or metamorphose into anything depending on the circumstances! And it can hibernate for a long time giving the impression that it is dead!
We should therefore be aware that although right now it is necessary to engage Al Shabaab militarily in order to reduce its atrocities against innocent people, this is not a permanent solution! In order to find a lasting solution to this conflict, we have to look at its root causes and from different dimensions especially: the socio-political, economic and religious! The events that led to rise of Al Shabaab will put the problem in its context and throw light on why Al Shabaab is not easy to contain!
Al Shabaab, which means, “The Youth or the boys,” is an offshoot of the Islamic Courts Union (ICU), which splintered into different groups after Ethiopian troops forced it out of power in 2006! In fact, Al Shabaab was the youth movement within the ICU! So one could rightly say, it is the remnant of the ICU.
The summary of the 2006 major events are as follows : In the early part of 2006 USA indirectly fought the ICU by giving support to the secular Mogadishu based warlords who were opposed to the ICU’s plan of imposing the Sharia law on the Somalis! But in June the same year the Islamists defeated the warlords and captured Mogadishu! And some warlords switched sides and joined the ICU! (And this is one of things that make it very difficult to crush these fundamentalists.
The different militias in Somalia can switch sides any time! Today they can be on the side of the government fighting Al Shabaab and the next day they change sides and join Al Shabaab to fight the government!
Once the ICU captured Mogadishu and took power, Ethiopia was militarily sucked into the war because like the US it was supporting the secular forces in Somalia. On 20 July 2006 the Ethiopian troops began their push into Somalia to face the Mujahideen fighters! And on 9 October, the Ethiopian troops seized the town of Burhakaba.
But on 19 November, an Ethiopian convoy of 80 vehicles was hit by landmines and attacked by the ICU troops. With the fighting intensifying, on 13 December, Ethiopia poured more troops in their thousands, into the battlefield! And on 22 December, Ethiopian T-55 tanks, 20 in number, headed to the front line with four attack helicopters in the air striking at the Mujahideen positions! On 26 December, the ICU troops were retreating on all fronts! And on 28 December, the Ethiopian troops captured Mogadishu; and quickly swept across the country to the port city of Kismayo!
2007-2011 events in the Somali war reveal the regrouping of the Islamists and how they regained control over Somalia! On 21 February 2007, UN Security Council authorised Africa Union to deploy a peace-keeping mission (AMISOM) in Somalia to replace the Ethiopian troops. On 7 March the same year, Uganda military officials arrived on the ground in Somalia. AMISOM is composed of Ugandan and Burundian troops.
In December 2007 when Ethiopian troops withdrew from the Somali central town of Guriel, the insurgents took control of it! By the end of December that same year the Mujahideen had regrouped and were controlling half of the city port of Kismayo and half of the city of Mogadishu! Although originally Al Shabaab was the hard-line youth movement within ICU, when these insurgents or Mujahideen regrouped, the whole of ICU metamorphosed for every short time into what was call PRM (Popular Resistance Movement) and then into Al Shabaab the monster of atrocities we have today!
In 2009 Al Shabaab had success in its fight against the weak Transitional Federal Government (TFG). For on 26 January that same year they captured Baidoa the seat of the TFG. And on 3 December 2009, they killed three ministers of the TFG in a suicide bomb attack.
On 7 February 2010, Al Shabaab declared jihad on Kenya over allegations that it was training Somali troops! And on 11 July the same year Al Shabaab claimed responsibility for the Kampala bomb attacks that left 80 people dead and many others injured!
Early on Sunday 23, October 2011, Kenyan troops pushed into Somalia in a bid to crush Al Shabaab insurgents whom it claims are responsible for killings, abductions and kidnapping of foreigners on its soil! On 11 September 2011, a British tourist at a beach resort north of Lamu in Kenya, near the Kenya-Somali border, was killed and his wife kidnapped! Three weeks later on 1 October, heavily armed men believed to be Al Shabaab operatives abducted a French woman from Kenya and took her to Somalia. And a few days later on 13th of the same month, gunmen kidnapped two Spanish doctors from a Kenya refugee camp and disappeared with them into Somalia!
And On 20 October 2011, Al Shabaab claimed to have killed 80 AMISOM troops in a fierce battle at the outskirts of Mogadishu! But AMISOM said the number of its soldiers killed in the battle were 10. Then on 24 October 2011, two grenade attacks carried out by Al Shabaab in Nairobi killed one person and left many others injured.
This brief history of the Somali war shows clearly how dangerous Al Shabaab is to the peace and stability of the East African region. So the daunting task we are facing right now is how to defeat Al Shabaab. As I said above Al Shabaab is a hard nut to crack and can metamorphose into anything leaving the troops pursuing it puzzled!
This is confirmed by Colonel Cyrus Oguna of Kenya armed forces in an article, “ Al Shabaab change of tack may prolong the war in Somalia,” carried by the Kenyan news paper Daily Nation of 13 November 2011. According to the article, “Colonel Cyrus Oguna said Al Shabaab were now operating in groups of two to five…
The new reality means that the group has been forced to melt into the population and operate in small groups, making it harder to launch air strikes against them….The militia has also abandoned their uniforms…making it difficult to identify them.”
In my opinion the most dangerous and deadliest weapon which has kept Al Shabaab in existence to this day, is not the gun, the grenade or the explosives it has in store, but the young people who are easily available for its recruitment progamme! The unemployed youth both educated and uneducated who swarm in their millions throughout East African, provide the fighters which Al Shabaab needs in order to survive!
The following statistics give us an idea of how bad the situation of youth unemployment in East Africa is. In article, “Unemployment worries Minister,” posted by allAfrica.com, Ugandan Minister Eriya Kategaya, “pointed out that 80% of all graduates naturally, fail to secure employment after their studies.” In another article entitled, “Arresting Youth Unemployment At Once Should be Priority, Here’s How,” posted by allAfrica.com, we read, “An unemployment rate of 40 per cent with the youth at the receiving end should scare any right-thinking citizen. It means approximately 16 million Kenyans [out of a population of 40 million] have no means of generating income, and that over 10 million are aged between 18 and 30.”
It is a basic and fundamental human need and right to have a job and so earn one’s living. This means, unemployment has grave effects and consequences on any given human being! Unemployment dehumanizes us because we cannot meet our basic needs! And this leads to depression and other psychological problems. But when we are employed and earn a decent sarary, our self esteem is raised and we feel good about ourselves! In other words, our life is psychologically balanced!
So, many unemployed youth in East Africa would find joining Al Shabaab very attractive. Because by so doing, one becomes employed as a soldier, as a fighter and is well paid! This is better than sitting at home in unending misery of unemployment!
East Africa governments are aware of the problem of youth unemployment and the great threat it poses to the religion. Recently Kayihura the Inspector General of Police in Uganda expressed his fears about the dangers posed by the high rate of unemployment among the youth. In an article, “High unemployment rate worries Kayihura” posted on 1 November 2011, by the Ugandan newspaper, New vision, we thus read, “Kale Kayihura, the Inspector General of Police has expressed fear that the high rate of unemployment among the youth poses a great threat to the security of the country. He said due to unemployment the youth have become mercenaries who can be hired by anybody to cause unrest.”
In another article, “Inside Al-Shabaab Networks in Kenya,” posted by the Kenyan newspaper Daily Nation, on 29 October 2011, we read, “Hundreds of Kenyan youth have been recruited into Al Shabaab over the last six years in a process that has complicated efforts to tackle extremism in the region and which the government is now urgently seeking to reverse.”
So, in theory it is very easy and simple to defeat Al Shabaab because all that is needed is to created jobs for the youth and improve their socio-economic situation. But this imposes an obligation on the East African governments to invest heavily in the socio-economic projects of the young people. Unfortunately we do not see this happening! Where it has been tried corruption by government officials has brought youth projects to a halt!
In Uganda President Museveni put a very good programme in place, popularly known as “Prosperity for all” or “NAADS” to help all Ugandans improve their economic situation. But corruption by the officials in charge of the money is the biggest hindrance to its success! Museveni has therefore twice halted the release of this money because of corruption!
In an article, “Museveni stops NAADS funds again,” posted on 7 July 2010 by Sunrise, we read, “President Yoweri Museveni had for the second time halted the release of the NAADS funds…Museveni says the Ush120 billion allocated to NAADS for this financial year will only be release after thorough scrutiny of the projects and current beneficiaries of the programme… The President’s announcement follows wide spread complaints of financial impropriety, corruption and poor implementation of US$108 million project in various districts.”
The situation in neighbouring Kenya is no different! The government of Kenya put in place a programme populary known as “Kazi Kwa Vijan ” (KKV) in order to help the youth get out of poverty. But corruption has hindered its progress and success and brought it to a halt! In an article, “Kazi Kwa Vijana Scandal,” posted on 28 October 2011, we thus read, “It seems the phrase commonly used to describe the Kazi kwa Vijana (KKV), ‘Kazi kwa Vijana, Pesa kwa Wazee’ [meaning, work for the youth but money for those in big or high places/Elders], holds a lot of water. On Sunday this week, the papers revealed large-scale misappropriation of funds intended for the KKV project.”
And a report by Kenya’s Capital FM News, posted on 24 October 2011, says the following about the World Bank’s suspension of funds for the Kazi Kwa Vijana project : “The World Bank has cancelled the Sh4.3 billion project after and external audit revealed that officials at the Office of the Prime Minister had misappropriated the funds…The World Bank now wants a refund of the money spent so far…a World Bank financial management review found that millions of shillings meant for young Kenyans had instead been paid to a number of senior officials.”
All these reports demonstrated that Al Shabaab continues to exist and to cause unrest in the region partly because of corruption by some officials in our East African governments. These officials swindle the money meant for the socio-economic uplifting of the young people in the region, and in this way contribute to their joining of Al Shabaab in search of greener pastures!
So fighting Al Shabaab and defeating it, will involve among other things, fighting corruption in our East African countries. And this means arresting those corrupt officials and giving them heavy punishments including selling some of their property to get back the money meant for the youth.
Fighting corruption will ensure that the youth benefit from the money and projects meant for them. With their socio-economic situation improved, they will have no more reason to join Al Shabaab. And with reduced numbers of young people joining the militia, the fighting capacity of Al shabaab will be greatly reduced and it will eventually be defeated.
Dominic Vincent Nkoyoyo
Monastery Val Notre-Dame, Canada.
Friday, November 18, 2011
Tuesday, November 15, 2011
Frequently Asked Questions on the Church’s Veneration of Relics
This year the Catholic Congregation of Salesians of Don Bosco will mark its 150th anniversary since foundation.
To mark the celebrations the relics of Don Bosco the founder of the congregation, will make a stop –over in East Africa, Kenya on their world wide pilgrimage to commemorate the anniversary. The relics will be in Kenya from December 1, to 7, 2011.
By Dr. Christopher Owczarek, Catholic University of Eastern Africa (CUEA)
At the end of this year, relics of Don Bosco will make a stop-over in East Africa on their world-wide pilgrimage to commemorate the 150th anniversary of the founding of the Salesian Congregation (1859–2009)--a Catholic order of priests and brothers spread in 130 countries and working in the field of education, especially among the poor youth —and to prepare for the bicentennial of the birth of Don Bosco (1815–2015).
It is in this context that we wish to deepen our understanding of this coming event by re-examining the biblical, theological and historical foundation of the veneration of the relics of saints in the Catholic Church.
In order to do so, we shall try to answer few relevant questions:
1) What are relics of Saints?
These are the material remains of the saints which are venerated as signs of their continued presence in the world. The word relic comes from the Latin reliquiae, meaning "remains" or "something left behind". They may be physical remains of a saint (a bone, a hair, skull, a limb, etc.), an item that the saint wore (a shirt, a glove, etc.) or an item that the saint owned or frequently used (a crucifix, rosary, a prayer book etc.) or even a piece of cloth that is attached to these.
2) Is the Veneration of the Relics peculiar to the Catholic Church?
The veneration of relics is, to some extent, a primitive instinct, and it is associated with many other religious systems besides that Christianity. At ancient Athens the supposed remains of ancient heroes, Oedipus and Theseus enjoyed an honour which it is very difficult to distinguish from a religious cult. Miracles and healing were only rarely attributed to them; rather, their presence protected the city, as the tomb of Oedipus was said to protect Athens. The tomb of Theseus became a sanctuary for runaway slaves and all men of low estate who were afraid of men in power.
In the Far East, the famous story of the distribution of the relics of Buddha, an incident which is believed to have taken place immediately after his death, seems to have found remarkable confirmation in certain modern archaeological discoveries. In any case the extreme development of relic-worship amongst the Buddhists of every sect is not in dispute.
3) Has the Catholic Church theologically justified pagan or, we can say, purely human practices and even developed them? Or, as the great Reformer Martin Luther maintained, is the worship of relics a money-making invention of the worldly Church that deserves condemnation?
We need to state this right away: the Church has not invented the veneration of relics, just as she has not invented the Incarnation of Christ and his Resurrection. As in the case of the Incarnation and Resurrection of Jesus, those who came to believe in him did so because of the overwhelming evidence of his supernatural power and presence even after his death. Similarly, in case of the relics, i.e., the material remains of the saints, the believers simply witnessed some extraordinary events associated with them.
During his ministry on earth, Jesus displayed his divine power through his word and touch. Even the clothes he wore, when approached with faith, could transmit his healing power. We read in the Gospel according to Luke 8:43-48: 43 And a woman who had had a flow of blood for twelve years and could not be healed by anyone, 44 came up behind him, and touched the fringe of his garment; and immediately her flow of blood ceased(Luke 8:43-48).
What happened to that woman was not just an isolated event, as the Gospel according to Mark (6:56) tells us: wherever he came, in villages, cities, or country, they laid the sick in the market places, and besought him that they might touch even the fringe of his garment; and as many as touched it were made well.
Jesus promised his disciples that those who believe in him would do the works he was doing and even greater then these (John 14:12: Truly, truly, I say to you, he who believes in me will also do the works that I do; and greater works than these will he do, because I go to the Father.)
This prophecy came true after the ascension of Jesus. In the New Testament we find the description of such great works in the life of the apostles Peter and Paul. We read in the Acts of the Apostles: (5:14-16) And more than ever believers were added to the Lord, multitudes both of men and women, 15 so that they even carried out the sick into the streets, and laid them on beds and pallets, that as Peter came by at least his shadow might fall on some of them. 16 The people also gathered from the towns around Jerusalem, bringing the sick and those afflicted with unclean spirits, and they were all healed. Then in 19:11-12: And God did extraordinary miracles by the hands of Paul, 12 so that handkerchiefs or aprons were carried away from his body to the sick, and diseases left them and the evil spirits came out of them.
If just a shadow cast by Peter’s body or a handkerchief that touched the body of Paul were bringing healing, this was a clear indication that their bodies were the dwelling place of the Holy Spirit and the divine power emanated from them. (Cf. 1 Cor 6:19 Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, which you have from God?). Christians expected that even after their death the time would come when their bodies would rise to everlasting life, transformed and glorified, but still their bodies (cf. 1 Cor 15:35-57). That is why, right from the beginning, they venerated the bodies of great apostles and martyrs and wished to be buried close to them in order to be raised together with them.
The early Fathers often quoted an event linked to Elisha’s bones in order to demonstrate the efficacy of the relics: “So Elisha died, and they buried him. Now bands of Moabites used to invade the land in the spring of the year. 21 And as a man was being buried, lo, a marauding band was seen and the man was cast into the grave of Elisha; and as soon as the man touched the bones of Elisha, he revived, and stood on his feet (2 Kings 13:20-21)”
4) What is the Catholic doctrine regarding the veneration of relics of the saints?
In fact, right from the beginning the Church strived to keep the use of relics in perspective. In his Letter to Riparius, St. Jerome (d. 420) wrote: “We do not worship, we do not adore, for fear that we should bow down to the creature rather than to the Creator, but we venerate the relics of the martyrs in order the better to adore Him whose martyrs they are.” St. Cyril of Alexandria (376-444) added: “We by no means consider the holy martyrs to be gods, nor are we wont to bow down before them adoringly, but only relatively and reverentially”.
The great medieval theologian, St. Thomas, had this to say regarding the relics: “Those who have an affection to any person hold in honour all that was intimately connected with him. Hence, while we love and venerate the saints who were so dear to God, we also venerate all that belonged to them, and particularly their bodies, which were once the temples of the Holy Spirit, and which are some day to be conformed to the glorious body of Jesus Christ. Whence also”, adds St. Thomas, “God fittingly does honour to such relics by performing miracles in their presence”.
The teaching of the Catholic Church with regard to the veneration of relics is summed up in a decree of the Council of Trent, which enjoins on bishops and other pastors to instruct their flocks that “the holy bodies of holy martyrs and of others now living with Christ—which bodies were the living members of Christ and ‘the temple of the Holy Ghost’ (1 Corinthians 6:19) and which are by Him to be raised to eternal life and to be glorified are to be venerated by the faithful, for through these [bodies] many benefits are bestowed by God on men…
As we can see, the argument in favour of the veneration of the relics is not a fruit of some complicated theological doctrine but it is based on the facts on the ground, namely, the miracles occurring when the relics of saints are approached with faith. In this way, the Incarnation aspect of Christian faith is manifested, that is, God continues to manifest his power through the agency of the material body.
To mark the celebrations the relics of Don Bosco the founder of the congregation, will make a stop –over in East Africa, Kenya on their world wide pilgrimage to commemorate the anniversary. The relics will be in Kenya from December 1, to 7, 2011.
By Dr. Christopher Owczarek, Catholic University of Eastern Africa (CUEA)
At the end of this year, relics of Don Bosco will make a stop-over in East Africa on their world-wide pilgrimage to commemorate the 150th anniversary of the founding of the Salesian Congregation (1859–2009)--a Catholic order of priests and brothers spread in 130 countries and working in the field of education, especially among the poor youth —and to prepare for the bicentennial of the birth of Don Bosco (1815–2015).
It is in this context that we wish to deepen our understanding of this coming event by re-examining the biblical, theological and historical foundation of the veneration of the relics of saints in the Catholic Church.
In order to do so, we shall try to answer few relevant questions:
1) What are relics of Saints?
These are the material remains of the saints which are venerated as signs of their continued presence in the world. The word relic comes from the Latin reliquiae, meaning "remains" or "something left behind". They may be physical remains of a saint (a bone, a hair, skull, a limb, etc.), an item that the saint wore (a shirt, a glove, etc.) or an item that the saint owned or frequently used (a crucifix, rosary, a prayer book etc.) or even a piece of cloth that is attached to these.
2) Is the Veneration of the Relics peculiar to the Catholic Church?
The veneration of relics is, to some extent, a primitive instinct, and it is associated with many other religious systems besides that Christianity. At ancient Athens the supposed remains of ancient heroes, Oedipus and Theseus enjoyed an honour which it is very difficult to distinguish from a religious cult. Miracles and healing were only rarely attributed to them; rather, their presence protected the city, as the tomb of Oedipus was said to protect Athens. The tomb of Theseus became a sanctuary for runaway slaves and all men of low estate who were afraid of men in power.
In the Far East, the famous story of the distribution of the relics of Buddha, an incident which is believed to have taken place immediately after his death, seems to have found remarkable confirmation in certain modern archaeological discoveries. In any case the extreme development of relic-worship amongst the Buddhists of every sect is not in dispute.
3) Has the Catholic Church theologically justified pagan or, we can say, purely human practices and even developed them? Or, as the great Reformer Martin Luther maintained, is the worship of relics a money-making invention of the worldly Church that deserves condemnation?
We need to state this right away: the Church has not invented the veneration of relics, just as she has not invented the Incarnation of Christ and his Resurrection. As in the case of the Incarnation and Resurrection of Jesus, those who came to believe in him did so because of the overwhelming evidence of his supernatural power and presence even after his death. Similarly, in case of the relics, i.e., the material remains of the saints, the believers simply witnessed some extraordinary events associated with them.
During his ministry on earth, Jesus displayed his divine power through his word and touch. Even the clothes he wore, when approached with faith, could transmit his healing power. We read in the Gospel according to Luke 8:43-48: 43 And a woman who had had a flow of blood for twelve years and could not be healed by anyone, 44 came up behind him, and touched the fringe of his garment; and immediately her flow of blood ceased(Luke 8:43-48).
What happened to that woman was not just an isolated event, as the Gospel according to Mark (6:56) tells us: wherever he came, in villages, cities, or country, they laid the sick in the market places, and besought him that they might touch even the fringe of his garment; and as many as touched it were made well.
Jesus promised his disciples that those who believe in him would do the works he was doing and even greater then these (John 14:12: Truly, truly, I say to you, he who believes in me will also do the works that I do; and greater works than these will he do, because I go to the Father.)
This prophecy came true after the ascension of Jesus. In the New Testament we find the description of such great works in the life of the apostles Peter and Paul. We read in the Acts of the Apostles: (5:14-16) And more than ever believers were added to the Lord, multitudes both of men and women, 15 so that they even carried out the sick into the streets, and laid them on beds and pallets, that as Peter came by at least his shadow might fall on some of them. 16 The people also gathered from the towns around Jerusalem, bringing the sick and those afflicted with unclean spirits, and they were all healed. Then in 19:11-12: And God did extraordinary miracles by the hands of Paul, 12 so that handkerchiefs or aprons were carried away from his body to the sick, and diseases left them and the evil spirits came out of them.
If just a shadow cast by Peter’s body or a handkerchief that touched the body of Paul were bringing healing, this was a clear indication that their bodies were the dwelling place of the Holy Spirit and the divine power emanated from them. (Cf. 1 Cor 6:19 Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, which you have from God?). Christians expected that even after their death the time would come when their bodies would rise to everlasting life, transformed and glorified, but still their bodies (cf. 1 Cor 15:35-57). That is why, right from the beginning, they venerated the bodies of great apostles and martyrs and wished to be buried close to them in order to be raised together with them.
The early Fathers often quoted an event linked to Elisha’s bones in order to demonstrate the efficacy of the relics: “So Elisha died, and they buried him. Now bands of Moabites used to invade the land in the spring of the year. 21 And as a man was being buried, lo, a marauding band was seen and the man was cast into the grave of Elisha; and as soon as the man touched the bones of Elisha, he revived, and stood on his feet (2 Kings 13:20-21)”
4) What is the Catholic doctrine regarding the veneration of relics of the saints?
In fact, right from the beginning the Church strived to keep the use of relics in perspective. In his Letter to Riparius, St. Jerome (d. 420) wrote: “We do not worship, we do not adore, for fear that we should bow down to the creature rather than to the Creator, but we venerate the relics of the martyrs in order the better to adore Him whose martyrs they are.” St. Cyril of Alexandria (376-444) added: “We by no means consider the holy martyrs to be gods, nor are we wont to bow down before them adoringly, but only relatively and reverentially”.
The great medieval theologian, St. Thomas, had this to say regarding the relics: “Those who have an affection to any person hold in honour all that was intimately connected with him. Hence, while we love and venerate the saints who were so dear to God, we also venerate all that belonged to them, and particularly their bodies, which were once the temples of the Holy Spirit, and which are some day to be conformed to the glorious body of Jesus Christ. Whence also”, adds St. Thomas, “God fittingly does honour to such relics by performing miracles in their presence”.
The teaching of the Catholic Church with regard to the veneration of relics is summed up in a decree of the Council of Trent, which enjoins on bishops and other pastors to instruct their flocks that “the holy bodies of holy martyrs and of others now living with Christ—which bodies were the living members of Christ and ‘the temple of the Holy Ghost’ (1 Corinthians 6:19) and which are by Him to be raised to eternal life and to be glorified are to be venerated by the faithful, for through these [bodies] many benefits are bestowed by God on men…
As we can see, the argument in favour of the veneration of the relics is not a fruit of some complicated theological doctrine but it is based on the facts on the ground, namely, the miracles occurring when the relics of saints are approached with faith. In this way, the Incarnation aspect of Christian faith is manifested, that is, God continues to manifest his power through the agency of the material body.
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