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December 3, 2006

UK: Church Bookshops Delete Koran From Shelves

Britain's oldest chain of church bookshops, SPCK Bookshops, have decided to remove copies of the Koran from its shelves, states today's Times. The reason is that the Koran is inimical (i.e. hostile) to Christianity.

The move follows SPCK's sale of a majority stake to the St Stephen the Great Charitable Trust (SSG). This trust is connected to the Eastern Orthodox church, which has had its own history of confrontations made by Islam against it.

The acquisition of the bookshop chain was made on November 1, following a unanimous vote of approval from SPCK's governing body at their annual meeting, held on October 19.

Mark Brewer, a lawyer from Texas who is chairman of the St Stephen the Great Charitable Trust says: "Stocking books which are inimical to Christianity, which without question the Koran is, could well create the wrong impression among some that we endorse the belief systems of other religions as equal or viable alternatives."

This is only logical, as I have been inside Islamic bookshops which have sprung up like toadstools in Britain's inner cities, and not once have I seen a Bible on display. Islam has a clear agenda - to proselytize and conquer. Christianity too used to have a "mission", but in recent years, bogged down with the banality of "inter-faith services", Christian leaders in Britain have sought to apologize for promoting their beliefs.

SPCK was formerly part of the Society for Promoting Christian Knowledge, which was founded 308 years ago. The St Stephen the Great Charitable Trust has clear aims - to return SPCK to the aims expressed in its name - promoting Christian knowledge - and to reverse the advances of Islam and secularism.

SPCK has 23 shops in Britain, and Mark Brewer wants it to expand. On its website, the St Stephen the Great Charitable Trust states: "Remaining true to Orthodoxy, the shops, under Saint Stephen the Great ownership and management, will introduce a strong selection of Orthodox literature, icons and other religious items. It will also continue to offer other Christian materials with an emphasis on SPCK publications. The trustees of Saint Stephen the Great believe that a broad array of Orthodox Christian material can be distributed in England and Wales by continuing to serve SPCK's existing customer base of Anglicans, other Protestants and Roman Catholics."

With the Pope's recent visit to meet Bartolomeos I, the Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople, strengthening relations between Catholicism and the Eastern Church, and a revival of the defense of Christian values being made by notable Anglicans such as John Sentamu, the Archbishop of York, and Michael Nazir-Ali, the Bishop of Rochester (though not Rowan WIlliams, who supports Muslim face-veils), the new approach to SPCK is both timely and necessary.

70% of Britain's population claim to be Christian and want to see Britain run on Christian values, a poll from a year ago revealed. Church attendance is poor in many areas (though John Sentamu is succeeding in attracting many young people to his busy services).

Sadly, while Islam has campaigned vigorously to stamp its identity on Britain, the leaders of the Anglican Church and to a lesser extent the Catholic Church have stood back and let this happen. Churches and cathedral managements allow interfaith services to take place in their buildings - when such a notion would be unthinkable in a mosque. Over the last year, Cardinal Cormac Murphy-O'Connor, Britain's leading Catholic, has made several speeches condemning the treatment of Christians in Muslim countries.

Some Anglicans may be alarmed that the St Stephen Charitable Trust plans to reorient churches which have closed, and install Orthodox priests. One such case has already happened in Bradford, which has seen its community become predominantly Muslim.

St Mary Magdalene, a Bradford Anglican church that closed two years ago, has been bought by the trust, and an Orthodox priest will be installed "in this difficult mission field, surrounded by Muslims".

Two Anglicans still sit on the board of SPCK, so their views will be considered. If an Anglican church has failed to attract worshippers and has closed, it is better for Christianity in Britain that a Christian group tries to make it succeed as a Christian house of worship, rather than be demolished or sold off as a warehouse or mosque.

The Muslim Council of Britain appears dismayed at the change of direction of SPCK. MCB luminaries such as Inayat Bunglawala and Iqbal Sacranie have supported terrorism by praising Osama bin Laden and Sheikh Yassin (the founder of terror group Hamas). The current leader of MCB, Dr Muhammad Abdul Bari, recently invited Delwar Hossain Sayeedi, a Bangladeshi extremist and supporter of jihad against US and coalition troops, to his Saudi-sponsored East London Mosque.

The head of MCB's interfaith department is Ibrahim Mogra. He said: "Islam is currently under the spotlight. It is misunderstood and has been abused by some who have carried out violence in its name. Now is the time for people to have access to the Koran and the writings of Islam. This will help people understand the faith and what makes Muslims tick."

There is some merit in Mogra's argument. If anyone can manage to read through the entire Koran (a harrowing task due to its lack of coherence and linear direction) then they will realize that Osama bin Laden and others are following its dictates to the letter, and that Islam is "inimical" to Christianity, Judaism and other faiths.

However, until Bibles are on sale in the East London Mosque, or in any of the other mosques or Muslim centers affiliated to MCB, Mogra is just using the SPCK issue to express his hypocrisy and to proselytize for the handbook of his own vicious and intolerant faith.

The St Stephen the Great Charitable Trust states: "We are not 'against' Protestants, Catholics or any others; rather, we are 'for' Orthodoxy."

The SPCK bookshop also has an internet outlet, http://www.spckonline.com/, where its books and other items can be purchased.

Bishop Michael Perham, the new chairman of SPCK said: "We are delighted to have found partners with a similarly strong vision and a determination to invest in the mission of presenting the Christian message imaginatively and effectively in an attractive environment."

Mark Brewer stated on the SSG website: "People in our stressful, modern age, care deeply about spirituality and long for a deeper faith. SPCK Bookshops will offer a primary solution to these questions of faith. SPCK will continue into its fourth century with its shops as places where all people, Christian or otherwise, are welcome and given the chance to widen their spiritual horizons."

Posted by Giraldus Cambrensis at December 3, 2006 8:06 AM

Comments

Posted by: StillFedUp at December 3, 2006 9:36 AM

Posted by: FreedomSeeker33 at December 3, 2006 9:48 AM

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