This is a guest post by Jay Stoll
“A world where no religious body seeks to impose its will, directly, or indirectly upon the general populous” – JFK 12 September 1960
It is usually with stomach churning insincerity and opportunism that the politicians of our day make reference to Kennedy, appropriating his liberal mantra for their ‘Big Society’ policies. However, with the 50 year landmark of his inaugural address having passed this week, there has never been a more apt time to remind ourselves of the platforms on which he so successfully fought for election.
A crucial element of his agenda was to reinforce what Jefferson in 1802 referred to as ‘a wall of separation’ that should exist between religion and state politics. The reasons for this are clear to anybody who ardently pursues a path of fairness, liberty and equality amongst all. There can be no doubt that the ‘wall’ is a metaphor, pointing to a bigger picture of societal cohesion, not simply instructing civil authorities and organised religious bodies to refrain from dictating terms to each other. This, in turn, will surely promote diversity and understanding amongst communities. It should be said emphatically that those who wish to indulge in personal prayer can do so freely, without a political burden, and elected representatives should be at will to pursue policy by answering to those who elected them, not to a higher power. Politics poisons religion, Religion poisons politics.
However, an article for the American Liberty League this is not.
Keen followers of this blog will have no doubt seen the ‘ever- improving’ relations at the London School of Economics between arguably their Student Union’s most politically prominent societies, representing the causes of Israel and Palestine. The recent invitation of the deplorable Neturei Karta spokesperson Ahron Cohen, provoked a huge outpouring of dismay amongst the Jewish community at the School, and rightly so. By justifying Holocaust atrocities, and more recently the terror attacks in Mumbai, as divinely ordained… his comments are hugely offensive to those not only of those associated with the catastrophes, but those who seek political agreement and mutual understanding through dialogue based on respect, inoffensive rationale and in line with the topic at hand, political discourse devoid of spiritual beliefs. The timing of the event also appears somewhat sadistic with Holocaust Memorial Day being this coming Thursday.
So what has the School done? For now… the event has been postponed, with the LSE Press Office citing that “organisers have not followed the procedures required to hold an event on LSE premises”, interpret this how you will… However it appears likely that eventually, this man will be given an opportunity to express his views. A victory for unadulterated Free Speech perhaps, but where does one draw the line? At a time where Quran-Burning Pastor Jones has been correctly barred from entering the UK, maybe it is time too that the London School of Economics separated religion from its political debate and follow its government by “opposing religious extremism in all its forms”.
Physical walls of security, or separation, are there to be challenged in the Middle-East and beyond, yet, ultimately, those who believe in progressive politics will oppose the presence of the likes of Cohen in the partisan arena and remain adamant that Jefferson’s ‘Wall of Separation’ between institutions of Religion and State should remain firmly in tact.
