March is officially the National Irish Heritage month in the United States, and this year it is packed with celebration. Not only do we have the celebration of St. Patrick’s Day and the consumption of shamrock shakes from McDonald’s, but on Easter Monday the people of Ireland will celebrate the 100th anniversary of the Easter Uprising, the event that started Ireland’s war for independence from the United Kingdom.
However, there is another important anniversary this month that will not receive much attention from the media, the eighteenth anniversary of the Good Friday Agreement (GFA). The GFA was a treaty that brought peace to Northern Ireland and ended “The Troubles,” a thirty year time period when Irish republicans and unionists fought over the constitutional status of Northern Ireland. The conflict was completely political, but leaders on both sides used religion as a weapon. The Irish republicans were usually Roman Catholics and the unionists were usually Protestants.
“The Troubles” was not the first-time political leaders used religion as a weapon to divide communities and it will not be the last. Currently in our presidential election, certain candidates are trying to use religion to turn against our own citizens, our own neighbors. Trying to pour hate and fear in our communities, Ted Cruz and Donald Trump are using anti-Muslim rhetoric in their speeches and people in our country are falling into this trap. It is the same trap people fell into in Northern Ireland. “We don’t like them because they’re different,” or “we don’t trust them because they could be terrorists,” or “their religion promotes violence.” The hate speech in this country is now becoming the norm, more frightening it is becoming patriotic.
The situation in the United States will not climax to the point of “The Troubles,” but what would stop a group of people targeting Muslims in their town either with verbal or physical threats? Would you expect the victims to fight back and defend their families and when they do what happens? People would retaliate back and forth. Instead of people saying, “I am an American,” would people create a divide? Would they start to refer to themselves as the Christian-Americans and they are the Muslim-Americans?
As individuals we can stop this anti- Muslim rhetoric with respect and love. If we respect others, the respect we give will be the same respect given by them. The first steps of the signing of the GFA, both sides understood and respected each other during the peace process. Without respect there cannot be dialogue between two parties. Love is just as important.
St. Francis of Assisi’s prayer starts with “Lord, make me an instrument of Your peace. Where there is hatred, let me sow love…” Knowing that our Muslim citizens in our country are not what Cruz and Trump try to label them as, if we show love and compassion to them that will break down the fear and hate growing in our communities. It will not happen overnight, but practicing love for one another will have a slight impact every day.
The eighteenth anniversary of the GFA is important to remember because if we forget the reason it was signed, our country or any other country could repeat history and fall into sectarian/religion divide that will only end in disaster.
Denis Riordan is a contributing writer to the Bona Venture. His email is riordada14@bonaventure.edu
