A claim by Canada’s minister of immigration that a Presbyterian-supported social justice group is anti-Semitic has church members denouncing the government as irresponsible and “draconian.”
“We don’t usually get treated like this,” said Rev. Harvey Self, Moderator of the 135th General Assembly. “There’s been a total lack of accountability by the government. It should at least have the guts to say what it really means. The comments are totally baffling.
“We’re not a third-world dictatorship, but it feels more and more like that.”
Kairos, which represents 11 Canadian churches including the PCC, was refused funding by the Canadian International Development Agency last November. No explanation was given by Bev Oda, minister of international cooperation, other than to say Kairos no longer fit with the government’s priorities. The decision caused its share of backlash.
In December, Minister of Immigration Jason Kenney threw fuel onto the fire when he referred to his government’s “zero-tolerance policy to anti-Semitism,” saying it had “defunded organizations … like Kairos for taking a leadership role in the boycott, divestment and sanctions campaign” against Israel. The statement was part of a speech he made at the Global Forum to Counter Anti-Semitism in Jerusalem.
According to a Kairos press release, the statement is false: “Two points need to be made: criticism of Israel does not constitute anti-Semitism; and CIDA was developed to fund international aid and not to serve political agendas.”
In 2007 Kairos’ board of directors (on which the PCC has two representatives) decided against advocating for any type of boycott or ecomonic sanctions against Israel. A document stating this was released in 2008 and endorsed by the Presbyterian Church’s General Assembly later that year. Kairos’ policy is consistent with the government’s which affirms Israel’s right to live in peace, and supports the creation of a Palestinian state.
The confusion may lie in a recent document from Kairos Palestine that calls on “individuals, companies and states to engage in divestment and in an economic and commercial boycott of everything produced by the occupation.” Kairos Canada’s website stresses that it is not their document. Kairos is a Greek word meaning “God’s time” and is often used by Christian groups.
“I lament the fact that the Canadian government did not do its homework before taking such a draconian action affecting genuine efforts which were encouraging dialogue and bringing help where it is so desperately needed,” said Rev. Rick Fee, general secretary of the Life and Mission Agency.
“If the decision by Minister Bev Oda is at all related to the speech given by Jason Kenney, and gives any indication of how Stephen Harper’s government is making decisions about the roles of civil society within Canada and overseas, that would lead one to despair.”
Fee was in Bethlehem and Jerusalem in December, and met with some Kairos partners. “I have seen the work of those organizations in Israel-Palestine,” said Fee. “I believe Kairos is portraying Canadian and Christian values and was encouraging initiatives that were life affirming and were not partisan in any way.”
Some of Kairos’ member churches have said that by calling Kairos anti-Semitic, the government is labelling its 11 member churches as such.
“That’s how I take it,” said Self. “I don’t see how you can separate the two.”
Kairos has received support from numerous other organizations as well as all of Canada’s opposition parties. Retired Archbishop Desmond Tutu wrote:
“The initiatives of the Canadian churches through Kairos have inspired continued faithful ecumenical action … to uphold human rights. The world needs more of Kairos Canada. It would be an unparalleled setback for the poor, vulnerable and disenfranchised if the voice and work of Kairos … is muted.”
Though the PCC has not made a formal statement, the Justice Ministries department is encouraging Presbyterians to write to their MPs, or to meet with them about the decision not to fund Kairos’ 2009-2013 programs. Katharine Masterton, Justice Ministries’ program coordinator, said so far representatives from 18 presbyteries have written to their MPs.
Email Katharine Masterton at kmasterton@presbyterian.ca for more information.
