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Eye on the World: Peace in the Middle East
Events are developing quickly in Iraq as fighters from the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIS) take over more and more of the country—including major oil supplies, according to The Christian Science Monitor. These developments underline the dangers of sectarian warfare, the instability of Iraq’s current government, and the volatility of oil supplies. A positive sign is Iran’s offer to work with the West in order to bring stability to the area.
In Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures, Mary Baker Eddy says, “One infinite God, good, unifies men and nations; constitutes the brotherhood of man; ends wars; fulfils the Scripture, ‘Love thy neighbor as thyself;’ annihilates pagan and Christian idolatry, — whatever is wrong in social, civil, criminal, political, and religious codes; equalizes the sexes; annuls the curse on man, and leaves nothing that can sin, suffer, be punished or destroyed” (p. 340 ). This statement can help assure us as we pray.
Events in the Middle East have led to a certain amount of finger-pointing: Why is Iraq apparently crumbling? Why does sectarian violence persist? And many other questions. This recent Sentinel article, “Ending the blame game,” offers helpful insights for prayer.
You may also find inspiration from “Seeing our neighbors spiritually,” in which the writer shares his experiences of living in the Middle East. He says, “I wished to mentally embrace my Muslim neighbors and recognize their true nature as the children of God—what I call ‘Love made visible.’ ”
The news this week has also included the capture of one of the men involved in the attack on the United States embassy in Benghazi, Libya, in 2012. In this article a retired US State Department employee offers spiritual insights on both Libya and Iraq. The author writes, “Turning to the Bible for an answer to revenge and hate leads us to learn about love and wisdom trumping hatred.”