Church raps Order over 'jihad' remarks

Published Tuesday, 16 August 2011

The Orange Order has come in for criticism from the Presbyterian Church, over a statement in which a Belfast lodge accused the Parades Commission of waging a "jihad" against them.

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Ballymacarrett District Lodge, whose chaplain is Presbyterian minister Rev Mervyn Gibson, said a ruling that only the hymn Abide With Me should be played at a parade through a nationalist area of east Belfast was "an action worthy of the Taliban religious police".

The statement, released in April this year, also referred to the Commission's members as "Mullahs".

The remarks - branded "inappropriate, intemperate and inflammatory" by the Church - were not attributed to Rev Gibson, but he was separately quoted as accusing the Parades Commission of "fanning flames of division".

The Commission had written to the Church to complain.

In its reply, the Church said references drawn from what they called "the highly emotive vocabulary of Islamic fundamentalism" could really only be used "with the intention of causing offence".

Rev Gibson told UTV he was disappointed the Church had decided to reply to the Parades Commission's complaint without first speaking to him.

He said he was not overly impressed with their response.

At the time, a spokesman for the Parades Commission said the determination represented "a genuine effort on our part to accommodate the desire of the local lodge to parade and the expressed concerns of local residents".

Comments

3 Comments

Charlie in Belfast. wrote (280 days ago):

The mere fact that the Parades Commission went behind the Rev. Mervyn Gibson's back and sent a communication of complaint to the Presbyterian Church proves just how unprincipled and low down the characters who make up this dubious, and biased Commission really are and says more about them than it does about the honourable Reverend about whom they were complaining, and by the way, there are quite a few so called Presbyterian Ministers who should take a leaf out of the Rev. Gibson's book and stand up for, and support the true principles of Protestantism in general and Presbyterians in particular.

Gerry in Belfast wrote (280 days ago):

Orangemen Claiming someone else is "Fanning Flames Of Division" LOL, LOL, & LOL

lorna in limavady wrote (281 days ago):

What kind of people are in this commission. What has the Chuch got to do with it. Presbyterians are they going to be affraid to speak out about this nonsense of being only allowed to play one tune. It 'S the big brother style. Surely Nationalists know more than one hymn tune.. The Church is made up of differnt opinions and to me writing to the church only adds to the sillyness of their order. Would the Muslims take offence ? Presbyterians are going to loose out in mixed marriages and they are affraid to speak in case they appear bigots.

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Church raps Order over 'jihad' remarks

The Orange Order has come in for criticism from the Presbyterian Church, over a statement in which a Belfast lodge accused the Parades Commission of waging a "jihad" against them.