Wednesday, October 22, 2008

On October 21, Gayle Williams was shot to death in Kabul, Afghanistan while walking to work around 8 a.m. Williams, a British-South African national, had spent a significant portion of her 34 years of life working to improve the lives of handicapped Afghans under the Christian not-for-profit SERVE (Serving Emergency Relief and Vocational Enterprises).

Williams was reportedly killed under a direct order of the Taliban for proselytizing (trying to convert people, in this case, to Christianity)- an act prohibited by law in Afghanistan. The AP quoted Zabiullah Mujahid, a Taliban member, in saying: "This woman came to Afghanistan to teach Christianity to the people of Afghanistan. Our (leaders) issued a decree to kill this woman."

Rina van der Ende, a SERVE spokesperson stated that the purpose of the organization was to aid the disabled in Afghanistan and denied that Williams had any intention other than that. While their work was intended to “express God’s love” preaching or converting is not, according to Rina van der Ende, in the mission statement.

The article then goes on to discuss the growing anxiety in Kabul as things become less stabilized and the government seeks to add more militia to combat the growing threats of attacks, though it is unclear as to what likelihood of attacks exist. The call for more troops by NATO officials is the ending to this sad tragedy.

This article was intriguing in its presentation. I would urge anyone to follow this AP link and read the article so that my first two questions can be adequately answered.

My first is in regards to the quote by Douglas Alexander stating: "To present her killing as a religious act is as despicable as it is absurd — it was cold blooded murder,” following the statement by Britain's secretary of state for international development which addressed the murder as a “callous and cowardly act".

It is irrational in my opinion to assert Williams’ death as anything but a “cold blooded murder”, however, I ask of my peers to help me understand how this could be understood as anything else besides a religious act? What other motives exist? Her nationality? Her mission? What else could possibly make Gayle Williams matter to the Taliban and what is gained by asserting that the motive was not religious?

The other thing that struck me as odd was the move from presenting Williams’ story to the presentation of the political aspects of Kabul. The article covers several events that have occurred to represent the instability of Kabul today as terrorist attacks rise and more militant action is needed. In a time when fear runs so much of our lives, I felt the transition in the article to be an abrupt change from a eulogy discussing the death of one woman to the possibilities of chaos amongst all in Kabul. I feel the political undertones resonating; I am just not sure what it is they are calling for. The author seems to be presenting a very bleak picture with brute force as the only remedy and an ultimate justification for American occupation.

How does this fit into the mold we have created as our current foreign policy? What does it say about the media and, in turn, about the American people?

Gayle Williams was shot while in Afghanistan working for humanity. How do acts of violence such as this affect the world in terms of humanitarian drive? What was the Taliban’s ultimate goal? Is it problematic for there to even be Christian sponsored organizations in a country so strongly apposed to diversity? Ultimately, where does this leave the people of the world in a politicized world of blood shed?

4 comments:

Brittanie P said...

I know it should be opposed... damn Microsoft Word.

JohannaC said...

I think that what is gained by asserting “the motive for murder was not religious” is a stronger condemnation of the killing. If the British secretary of state for international development acknowledged that religion did play a role in Williams’ death, the Taliban would use his admission to support their argument that their action was justified. It is extremely problematic to have religious organizations performing aid work in a country that is not open to diversity. The aid workers are subjected to severe danger in performing their work, and provided with little governmental protection from violence. Although acts like this will not affect humanitarian drive in the world, as there will always be people eager to do service work, this seriously calls into question America’s ability to spread its liberal, democratic ideal of a diverse and tolerant society.

Edwin said...

Gayle “tree” Williams

A photograph flashes in my mind when I think of Gayle and 7 cousins sitting around a picnic table on the banks of the Kariba Lake ranging in height and age all discussing how many fish we each planned to catch and the art of threading a mud worm onto a hook, as parents busied themselves with making sure sunscreen and hats where all on, no-one thought that one day we would all be on different corners of the world.

As we all grew up Gayle’s Mom always spoilt me as the son she never had. It was Gayle that started horse riding at a young age in Bulawayo, Zimbabwe and got me hooked on what was to become my passion and later become my service back to society by training policemen to ride. I always remember that first ride. Gayle got a pony called Bronwynn (a grey Shetland) that loved ducking under fences and leaving her jockey behind. Gayle used to hate getting this pony but she hung in and mastered the ability of ducking. How many afternoons did we get yelled at as my mad passion for horses and show jumping had all the children skipping around the garden jumping the flowers as if we where horses!

At this time memories like Gayle Tamsyn (her middle name) Williams begin to flash back when she now did not like her middle name anymore and wanted to be called Gayle “tree” Williams. No matter how much her mom told her Tamsyn was a wonderful name “tree” seemed to stick!

Years later after immigrating to the UK, Gayle, Karen (her sister) and her mom came back to live with us in South Africa. I clearly remember this tall skinny athletic girl running me backwards and forwards across a tennis court with the ability to hit any ball from any man. For pocket money she came to work for my as a bar lady in the hotel night club and always had that smile that was Gayle. She was very into aerobics, karate and went onto study in the field of sports and bio kinetics and was always competitive, latter getting into mountain biking.

Years later she returned to the UK and went off to the East again (Pakistan and Afghanistan) to do charity work. There was trouble and she managed to get out safely after a long hike through the mountains and across borders with women and children in tow! I am glad her fitness paid off. I remember after I had returned from 4 years in Africa as an expat, having escaped some close calls in different dark corners of the continent, how we had a heated debate about the existence of God and if he had turned his back on some areas. I said, “God had got fat and lazy and couldn’t see over his tummy the continents of Africa and Asia that feel into shadow under him and so ignored those areas!” – I am always looking for an argument, Gayle was not swayed and never took the bait, she never deemed to judge you or convert you, so claims of proselytisation are nonsense! She simply held her ground and was humble in her beliefs. Her aim was to help the disadvantaged!

A little over 2 and bit years ago I was flying around the world on business and bumped into Gayle & her Mom in London and heard she had decided her true calling was to go back to Afghanistan and help the disabled via a charity organisation. When you speak too many of the family they will all tell you we thought she was much bigger then any of us. Often people look to the easy route with offers of – do something locally – do something in your own back yard – build a career and give a donation if you want to do some good - why go all that way when it’s not safe?

Gayle was due to return home for Christmas and surprise her mom and I was eager to debate the book I had written about “Faithmentalism” and the holes in the catholic and Islam thinking around marketing and their use of media when it benefits them. It would have been a debate of note and her knowledge invaluable, now lost for ever!

Gayle sense of adventure and calling to help out a group of people whom she held no malice and no judgement of their religious choices or lifestyle but simply to offer her time, her love and her skill was the greater force in her life. A selfless soul who didn’t deserve to be used as a cheap PR move that does nothing for anyone today. I truly hope that Gayle will find peace wherever that may be and that she will not be forgotten when the press dies down. What angers me most is that Islam does not preach killing, only fundamentalists interpret this for their own selfishness!

Beliefs & Doctrine of Christianity & Islam
view of the each others religion

• Catholic view: Islam is respected as a fellow monotheistic religion, but Muhammad is not seen as a true prophet
• Islamic view: Christians are respected as "People of the Book," but they have mistaken beliefs and only partial revelation


We miss you and we will never forget your smile!

Love Ed and family!

Seth Dowland said...

adbrat, if you're still reading, thanks for your comments about Gayle. This blog is produced by college students studying the intersection of religion, politics, and law, and we appreciate your willingness to put a human face on one of the stories we're reading about.