Michael Nazir-Ali

Michael Nazir-Ali

Michael James Nazir-Ali (born August 19, 1949 in Karachi ) is a British - Pakistani Anglican clergyman . He was Bishop of Rochester from 1994 to 2009 .

Life

Nazir-Ali was in Pakistan in a large and widespread originally Muslim Family Shiite faith born. His father converted to Catholicism . Nazir-Ali attended a Catholic school and was raised Catholic in the family. At the age of 20, Nazir-Ali converted to Anglicanism . As a Christian and a bishop, Nazir-Ali was repeatedly persecuted under the military regime of General Zia ul Haq . In 1986 Nazir-Ali left Pakistan and found political and humanitarian asylum in Great Britain .

Nazir-Ali is married to the British Valerie Cree. He is the father of two sons.

Studies and ecclesiastical career

Nazir-Ali studied at the University of Karachi, the subjects economics , sociology and Islamic studies . In 1970 he did a Bachelor of Arts there . As part of a post-graduate studies , he studied theology at St Edmund Hall College of the University of Oxford . At Oxford he received a Bachelor of Letters ( BLitt ) in 1974 and a Master of Letters ( MLitt ) in 1981 . He studied as a postgraduate also at Fitzwilliam College of the University of Cambridge and also made there in 1977 a Master of Letters ( MLitt ). He received his doctorate in theology from the Australian College of Theology in 1985 .

In preparation for the priesthood, Nazir-Ali studied from 1970 at Ridley Hall College in Cambridge. He was ordained a deacon in 1974 and a priest in 1976 . From 1974 to 1976 he was assistant vicar at the Holy Sepulcher in Cambridge . From 1976 to 1981 he worked as a tutor ( senior tutor ) at Karachi Theological College . From 1979 to 1981 he was the senior pastor ( priest-in-charge ) at St. Andrews Church in Akhtar Colony in Karachi . From 1981 to 1984 he was provost in Lahore . From 1984 to 1986 he was Bishop of Raiwind . From 1986 to 1989 Nazir-Ali was the personal assistant to Robert Runcie , then Archbishop of Canterbury , and from 1989 to 1994 general secretary of the Church Mission Society . He was also an assistant bishop in Southwark . From 1992 to 1994 he was a canon and theologian ( Canon Theologian ) at Leicester Cathedral .

In 1994 Nazir-Ali was named Bishop of Rochester .

In March 2009, Nazir-Ali announced his resignation as Bishop of Rochester. Nazir-Ali declared that in future he would devote himself particularly to church work in societies and countries in which Christians are persecuted for their beliefs . Further details were not disclosed. The official farewell service was held on September 12, 2009 in Rochester Cathedral. James Langstaff has been his successor since 2010 .

Memberships and honors

During his church career he also held numerous other offices in church organizations, charitable institutions and other bodies.

From 1988 to 1998 Nazir-Ali was secretary of the Archbishop's Commission on Communion and Women in the Episcopate . From 1990 to 1994 he was a member of the Council of Churches for Britain and Ireland as representative of the Archbishop of Canterbury . From 1991 to 2005 he was a member of the Anglican Roman Catholic International Commission . From 1991 to 2001 he was also a member of the Board of Mission of the Church of England . From 1992 to 2001 he was chairman of the Mission Theological Advisory Group (MTAG) of the Church of England. From 2000 to 2005 he was a member of the International Anglican Roman Catholic Commission for Unity and Mission . Since 2001 he has been a member of the Archbishop's Council . From 2001 to 2005 he was a member of the Standing Committee of the House of Bishops . Since 2004 he has been a member of the Theological Group in the House of Bishops. In 2009 he belonged to the Board of Trinity College of the University of Bristol in.

From 1988 to 1997 he was director of Christian Aid . From 1987 to 1989 he was a trustee and asset manager for Traidcraft . From 1998 to 2003 he was a member of HFEA ; there he was chairman of the Ethics and Law Committee . He is a member of the Administrative Advisory Board of the Concordis International charity and also a member of the Administrative Advisory Board of the Center for Social Cohesion (CSC) of the Institute for the Study of Civil Society (CIVITAS) .

Nazir-Ali held a visiting professorship in theology and religious studies at the University of Greenwich , as well as teaching positions at various colleges and universities in Great Britain , the United States , Canada and New Zealand .

He received various awards and honorary degrees. The University of Bath awarded him an honorary doctorate as Doctor of Letters ( Hon DLitt ), the University of Greenwich awarded him an honorary doctorate in theology, the Doctor of Divinity ( Hon DD ). He is an Honorable Fellow of the University of Kent and St Edmund Hall College, Oxford University. In 2005 he received a Lambeth Degree as Doctor of Divinity ( Lambeth DD ) from the Archbishop of Canterbury .

Membership in the House of Lords

Nazir-Ali was a member of the House of Lords from April 30, 1999 to September 2009 as Spiritual Lord . He gave his inaugural address on October 15, 1999. His areas of political interest include Sufism , the history and politics of South Asia and the Middle East , embryo research and ethics , Christian belief in public life and languages. Nazir-Ali cited Pakistan , Iran , Israel , the Palestinian Territories , Nigeria , Egypt and the Gulf region as countries and areas of particular interest . His successor is Anthony Priddis .

Working in public

Nazir-Ali takes a conservative stand on questions of canon law. He is assigned to the group of traditionalists in the Church of England . Nazir-Ali is one of the best-known opponents of gay rights and the leading critic of Islam in the Church of England.

Nazir-Ali is a proponent of women's ordination . However , he consistently rejected the ordination of homosexual, non- celibate priests and the blessing of same-sex civil partnerships . In 2003, he signed an open letter as one of the bishops of the Church of England that the nomination of Jeffrey John , an open homosexual , a priest who lived in a committed relationship Auxiliary Bishop of Reading by the Archbishop of Canterbury , Rowan Williams , rejected. The signatories also included the bishops of Bradford , Carlisle , Chester , Chichester , Exeter , Liverpool , Southwell and Nottingham and Winchester .

In 2009, an interview by Nazir-Ali in the Sunday Telegraph gave rise to sharp public criticism. Nazir-Ali told the newspaper that he continued to adhere to traditional Bible teachings . This clearly defines marriage as the union of man and woman. Homosexuals are welcome in the church; however, they should "repent of their sins and be reeducated." Nazir-Ali was accused of appealing to lower instincts such as hatred and homophobia with such statements . A spokesman for the UK's largest gay and lesbian organization, Stonewall, also criticized Nazir-Ali, saying that Nazir-Ali promoted inequality and intolerance with such statements . Nazir Ali's remarks were made public just before the traditional London Gay Pride , which was attended by Sarah Brown , wife of British Prime Minister Gordon Brown . This temporal coincidence triggered additional criticism.

In February 2008, he was placed under temporary police protection after receiving death threats. Nazir-Ali had previously spoken of the creation of so-called no-go areas for non-Muslims. Nazir-Ali blamed the negative effects of multiculturalism in particular on the emergence of ethnic fragmentation and extremism . In his opinion, this has already led to areas in Great Britain in which members of another religion could no longer move safely if the community living there were dominated by a Muslim ideology.

In May 2008, Nazir-Ali said that the decline in values ​​had created a void in society that radical Islam was trying to fill. The lack of respect and the loss of traditional family structures would encourage violence. He spoke of a collapse of Christianity and said that those responsible within the church had capitulated to the revolutionary ideas of Marxism .

In April 2009, in a personal review of his tenure as Bishop of Rochester in The Telegraph newspaper, he also drew a grim assessment of the state of today's Western societies. Nazir-Ali criticized the community in Great Britain more and more forgetting the Christian roots and the Christian tradition on which it was ultimately based. He called on the Church of England not only to be the religious part of a society, but to take on an independent active role. The worldly law only applies insofar as the law of God allows it.

In 2003, Nazir-Ali justified the US and UK intervention in Iraq . He stated that the use of force against the Saddam Hussein regime could be justified in this situation. He said it would be desirable to receive a mandate from the United Nations for military actions. However , if this fails in the UN Security Council , individual states could also have the right to use force. While praying for peace in the world, one must recognize that the regime in Iraq must also be forcibly disarmed if necessary.

At the end of 2009, Nazir-Ali endorsed the US President Barack Obama's plan to increase the number of American troops in Afghanistan . Nazir-Ali declared that in a globalized and highly mobile world, people should not just defend their own interests on the “doorstep”.

In 2009 Nazir-Ali was one of the supporters of the Living Ghost Statement , a campaign by the Church Action against Poverty movement to combat destitution and homelessness among asylum seekers .

Publications

• 1983: Islam - A Christian Perspective
• 1987: Frontiers in Christian-Muslim Encounter
• 1989: Martyrs and Magistrates: Toleration and Trial in Islam
• 1990: From Everywhere to Everywhere
• 1995: Mission and Dialogue
• 1995: The Mystery of Faith
• 1998: Citizens and Exiles
• 2001: Shapes of the Church to Come
• 2002: Understanding My Muslim Neighbor
• 2006: Conviction and Conflict
• 2008: The Unique and Universal Christ

Web links

• Michael Nazir-Ali at Hansard (English)
• The Bishop of Rochester farewell interview in: The Telegraph, September 2, 2009

Individual evidence

1. ↑ Vita Michael Nazir-Ali Debretts (available online)
2. ↑ Asian bishop joins Lords BBC News, June 30, 1999
3. ↑ Blessed with ambition: Michael Nazir-ali The Independent of January 12, 2002
4. ^ Anglican bishop has Catholic past BBC News, Jan. 12, 2002
5. ↑ Interview: Bishop Michael Nazir-Ali on Persecution of Christians Interview with Michael Nazir-Ali in: Christian Post of October 13, 2007
6. ↑ Vita Michael Nazir-Ali at the Diocese of Rochester (PDF).
7. ↑ Michael Nazir-Ali steps down as Bishop of Rochester The Telegraph of March 28, 2009
8. ^ Bishop of Rochester to resign a decade early The Times, March 28, 2009
9. ^ Outspoken UK Bishop Steps Down to Help Persecuted Believers Christian Post dated September 16, 2009
10. ↑ Michael Nazir-Ali in the Hansard
11. ↑ Biography of Michael Nazir-Ali at the Church of England ( Memento from January 18, 2016 in the web archive archive.today )
12. ^ Bishop of Rochester to resign a decade early Times, March 28, 2009
13. ^ Leading Conservative and Liberal bishops The Telegraph, June 21, 2008
14. ↑ Dioceses divided by the issue that won't go away The Guardian of June 19, 2003
15. ^ Condemnation for bishop who called for gay people to 'repent' The Independent of July 6, 2009
16. ↑ Michael Nazir-Ali, Church Of England Bishop, Says Gays Should 'Repent' ( September 19, 2009 memento in the Internet Archive ) Huffington Post, May 7, 2009
17. ↑ http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/comment/faith/article3292032.ece The Times, February 2, 2008
18. ^ Bishop Michael Nazir-Ali: Radical Islam is filling void left by collapse of Christianity in UK The Telegraph of May 28, 2009
19. ^ Bishop says collapse of Christianity is wrecking British society - and Islam is filling the void Dailymail of May 29, 2008
20. ↑ Ignore our Christian values ​​and the nation will drift apart The Telegraph of April 5, 2009
21. ^ Bishop backs use of force to disarm Saddam The Guardian of February 13, 2003
22. ↑ Great Britain: “Defying radical Islam” Vatican Radio, December 30, 2009
23. ^ List of church leaders support Living Ghosts statement. In: church-poverty.org.uk. Archived from the original on September 6, 2010 ; accessed on June 16, 2016 . 

predecessor	Office	successor
Michael Turnbull	Bishop of Rochester 1994–2009	James Langstaff