A stark and disgusting contrast. An army of agents armed to the teeth using violent tactics to protect the US Capitol last summer against Black Lives Matter protests. The (predominantly) white terrorists who stormed the same building last week were met by ‘overwhelmed’ authorities who practically stood down while the tugs wreaked havoc. It took two fecking hours for order to be established. As a colored man who used to live in the US no explaination is needed. It’s White Privilege.
In light of this atrocious terrorist attack we’ve so far failed to talk about another privilege: Christian Privilege. According to the FBI and 382 agencies: “Christian white supremacists are the greatest threat to America”. Yet, did the media mention that a large numbers of these thugs belong to Christian terrorist groups? Would the media had stayed equally silent had the attack been perpetuated by Muslims?
Whilst we’ve been programmed to equate terrorism with Islam, we’ve conveniently ignored Christian terrorists. Remember Eric Rudolph, better known as the Olympic Park bomber? Did you know he was a bible-wielding Christian supremacist? If he were a Muslim the whole world would’ve known his religious beliefs.
Did you know that the KKK, Anti-balaka, the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA), the Sword and the Arm of the Lord, the Phineas Priesthood are violent Christian terrorist groups? The LRA which wants to establish a theocratic society based on the Ten Commandments, has murdered 2,400 civilians, abducted 3,400 and displaced 400,000 in Central Africa. While it’s expected of every muslim to ask for forgiveness for every attack by Muslim terrorists, the same isn’t true when Christian terrorists commit similar acts.
I’m convinced that Christian terrorists don’t represent all of the Christian faith or Christians. Nether do Muslim terrorists represent all of Muslims or Islam. Yet the rules are different for non-Christians.
A privilige is per definition an unearned advantage that those who benefit are least likely to notice. What’s worse, privilege whether based on race, sex or religion leaves racism, power and injustice untouched.
Alex David Rosaria (53) is a freelance consultant active in Asia & Pacific. He is a former Member of Parliament, Minister of Economic Affairs, State Secretary of Finance and UN Implementation Officer in Africa and Central America. He’s from Curaçao and has a MBA from the University of Iowa. (USA).
