Daphne Anson: "Rev Sizer’s Attendance & Active Role At Such A Hate-Filled Event Is Irreconcilable With His Position As A Minister In The Church of England": British Board of Deputies

Eretz Israel is our unforgettable historic homeland...The Jews who will it shall achieve their State...And whatever we attempt there for our own benefit will redound mightily and beneficially to the good of all mankind. (Theodor Herzl, DerJudenstaat, 1896)

We offer peace and amity to all the neighbouring states and their peoples, and invite them to cooperate with the independent Jewish nation for the common good of all. The State of Israel is ready to contribute its full share to the peaceful progress and development of the Middle East. (From Proclamation of the State of Israel, 5 Iyar 5708; 14 May 1948)

With a liberal democratic political system operating under the rule of law, a flourishing market economy producing technological innovation to the benefit of the wider world, and a population as educated and cultured as anywhere in Europe or North America, Israel is a normal Western country with a right to be treated as such in the community of nations.... For the global jihad, Israel may be the first objective. But it will not be the last. (Friends of Israel Initiative)

Tuesday, 7 October 2014

"Rev Sizer’s Attendance & Active Role At Such A Hate-Filled Event Is Irreconcilable With His Position As A Minister In The Church of England": British Board of Deputies

Well, he would, wouldn't he? Go from Teheran to de Nile:

Remember my detailed post here, regarding Stephen Sizer's participation in the second New Horizons Conference in Iran choc-a-bloc with Holocaust Deniers, 9/11 truthers (yeah, guess who did it?) and notorious antisemites?

Well, British Board of Deputies vice-president Jonathan Arkush has issued the following statement:

"I am appalled that Rev Sizer participated in a conference of antisemites in Tehran, sponsored by the Iranian government, which ranks among the most vicious persecutors of Christians and others, and is sworn to the destruction of the State of Israel.

Rev Sizer’s attendance and active role at such a hate-filled event is irreconcilable with his position as a minister in the Church of England. The Board is currently considering all the information reaching it concerning the conference and is keeping all its options open regarding any future action. Meanwhile, the Board anticipates that the Church of England will wish to conduct its own investigation into the matter.” [Emphasis added]

As the British Daily Telegraph reports, the vicar has denied any wrongdoing, explaining in part:

“Jesus called his followers to be ambassadors of reconciliation – and ambassadors work on foreign soil.

Iran is foreign soil and I was there as an Englishman but also as a Christian leader where Christians and Jews are a minority and ambassadors are needed.

I was seeking to build bridges within a faith context to help to improve relationships for minorities and between our countries."

And adding, with terrific chutzpah:

"Those who criticise this kind of conference must think very carefully of the consequences of their words for Jews and Christians in countries like Iran.”

As a Christian analyst noted last week:

'When Sizer is confronted about his attendance at conferences organized by Holocaust deniers, he responds by saying he is merely interested in telling his audiences about Jesus Christ.'

And went on to say:

'Dr. Sizer’s participation in this conference is a violation of the spirit, if not the letter, of the mediation agreement he signed with his Anglican superiors and with the Board of Deputies in 2013.

There is simply no way Dr. Sizer can square his participation in this conference with his promise not to promote anti-Semitism, even if this promise was made in the context of his postings on the Internet. Traveling to Iran to participate in a conference where Israel and its Jewish supporters are demonized is simply beyond the pale, or should be.

Dr. Sizer was given an opportunity to change his ways. He wasted that chance. He has returned to his Jew-baiting ways and must be sanctioned, in a big way.

Now the Church of England must act and it should not require another complaint from the Board of Deputies of British Jews to do the right thing.'
[Emphasis added; see full article here]

More in the Jerusalem Post here

Has one of Sizer's Facebook friends just let the cat out of the bag regarding a new anti-Israel project?

(Sizer has "liked" that post by Salih, I'm told.)

Postscript: As for 9/11 conspiracy theories, I wonder whether the Board of Deputies knows of the vicar's squalid linkage to the "Five Dancing Shlomos" canard, shown in screenshot on my above-mentioned post?

PPS: (Facebook, 7/8 Oct. 2014):

11 comments:

Daphne Anson7 October 2014 at 10:28
Sizer has just linked to his presentation at the conference on Christian Jihad ((that's not the only paper he gave, of course). It takes a swipe at Zionism in the very first paragraph:
I hope that we would all agree ISIS is no more representative of Islam than Zionism is of Judaism, or the Crusades and Inquisition are of Christianity. But the reality is ISIS has attracted at least 3,000 young idealistic Muslims from Europe. And apocalyptic Christian Zionists are the dominant supporters of Israel’s colonialist expansionist agenda in Palestine.http://www.stephensizer.com/2014/10/christian-jihad-a-biblical-response-to-the-islamic-state/
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Anonymous7 October 2014 at 13:13
If Sizer is so damn lilywhite as he claims why did he link to that disgusting 9/11 conspiracy theory as seen in the screen grab on your other post Daphne?
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Veronica7 October 2014 at 15:41
I'm so ashamed that the Church I was brought up in has a clergyman of the opinions of Revd Stephen Sizer and I hope with all my heart that the new bishop of Guildford the Rt Revd Andrew Watson will do all it takes to show Revd Sizer that he is totally beyond the church pale.
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Enquiring Mind7 October 2014 at 17:58
Daphne, what is the date of that link to the 9/ll conspiracy theory - was it after Sizer's Agreement with the Board?
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Ian7 October 2014 at 22:54
OT
Now do you think a guy who dismembered and cooked his transvestite girlfriend would be pro or anti-Israel?
IsraellyCool checked out his facebook page:
Permalink to Anti-Israel Moron Of The Day: Marcus Peter Volke
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Daphne Anson8 October 2014 at 12:06
A desperate attempt to disprove the conference was antisemitic:
www.crescent-online.net/2014/10/meeting-of-minds-in-tehran-eric-walberg-4674-articles.html
Concludes:
'....

The conference issued a resolution condemning ISIS, Zionism, US unconditional support of Israel, Islamophobia, and calling for activism locally to boycott Israeli goods and to promote understanding between the West and the Muslim world, and to fight sectarianism. “This was a great opportunity to meet anti-imperialist activists from around the world, to bring Russians, Poles, western Europeans, North Americans together with Iranians and other Muslims, both Sunni and Shia, in a forum without sectarianism, truly supporting peace and understanding,” said delegate Mateusz Piskorski, director of the European Centre of Geopolitical Analysis in Warsaw and former MP in the Polish Sejm.'
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