Women Priests - Il-Qassisin Nisa

Women Priests

On the 14th of July, a General Synod of the Church of England took a decision to allow women to become bishops¹. For the Church of England, this was just another step beyond a decision taken in a previous synod in 1992, when for the first time women were allowed to be ordained priests².

For other parts of the Anglican Communion, of which the Church of England is a fundamental part, this development had happened years before, like in the Episcopal Church. Needless to say, this development is very controversial. Even now, in the decision just taken by the Church of England, it is being careful to legislate to allow parishes that disagree with the decision to choose to continue to be led by a man. This may avoid the Communion from further fragmenting as a result of this topic.

The same narrative happened more or less in the Protestant and Reformed denominations. These typically don't speak about bishops and priests, but rather about pastors and ministers. Some denominations allow the ordination of women, others don't.

Finally, the teaching of the Roman Catholic Church is that it doesn't have the authority to ordain women into the priesthood. The position of the Orthodox Church is similar.

The Cathechism of the Catholic Church at paragraph 1577 provides two main reasons for this teaching:

• that Jesus only chose men to make up the twelve apostles (a divine choice);
• that the apostles in turn did the same when they chose their collaborators that were eventually to take their place (tradition).

The Apostles

The word 'apostle' is derived from the Greek apóstolos that means 'one that is sent'.³ When Jesus initially selected the twelve, all men, these were 'disciples' from the Latin discipulus that means one who learns. Hence, the disciples became apostles when they were sent by Jesus to teach⁴.

It's interesting that not only the Twelve are called apostles in the Catholic and Orthodox churches.

• The evangelist Luke wrote that Jesus sent a group of seventy people, in twos, to preach the good news⁵. Scripture calls them disciples and this is the tradition of Christians in the west (Catholics), however Christians in the east (Orthodox) refer to them as apostles;

• St Paul in his letter to the Romans refers to Andonicus and Junia as being with him in prison and being 'prominent among the apostles'⁶. It is likely that Junia was the wife of Andonicus.

• We Maltese are proud of St Paul and St Luke who were shipwrecked in Malta on their way to Rome. St Luke was one of the twelve, however St Paul wasn't. Nevertheless, the Church still refers to him as an apostle.

• In the story of the death and resurrection of Jesus, it has to be said that the person mentioned most in the four gospels as being present and giving the news of the resurrection to the Twelve is St Mary Magdalene. It may not be known by everybody that the Church, from very early on, many centuries before the Schism between the Orthodox and Roman Catholic churches, started and to this day still calls her 'Apostle to the Apostles' ⁷.

Jesus the Egalitarian

Apart from the Twelve, Jesus had another group that were with him wherever he met. These were women, who used to assist him from their means⁸. However, in the hour of need (the crucifixion), it was mostly the women who stayed with him near the cross, and accompanied his body to the grave⁹, while the Twelve practically disappeared.

It was to women that Jesus chose to reveal his resurrection, not the Twelve. It was women that Jesus wanted to proclaim the news of his resurrection to the Twelve, who initially did not even believe them¹⁰!

The New Testament mentions women relatively more frequently than in the Old Testament. Jesus intervened or spoke favourably a number of times in the favour of women, as in the case of stoning of the adulteress¹¹ and the conversation with the Samaritan woman¹². I take the importance given by Jesus to women, in a society which was certainly even more patriarchal than today, as being revolutionary and made him an egalitarian much before our time.

Tradition

The Pontifical Biblical Commission of the Roman Curia concluded in 1977 that the New Testament alone was not enough to resolve the question of the ordination of women clearly, once and for all¹³. For this reason, the Church also refers to its tradition, where its leaders were always against women entering the priesthood.

In the early centuries, a number of Christian communities, like the Gnostics and the Montanists, had women in the priesthood. A number of early Church Fathers, like Iraneous and Tertullian, condemned this practice¹⁴. Although the Church accepts that there are elements of prejudice against women in the writings of Church Fathers, from early on it has considered these groups as heretical, and maintained the position of the Church Fathers against the ordination of women¹⁵.

Comment

In an attempt to stop the debate within the Church, Pope John Paul II issued an Apostolic Letter in 1994 saying that the Church had no authority to ordain women into the priesthood, and that this was to be definitively held by all the faithful¹⁶. This is not generally considered infallible in itself, as it wasn't made under an extraordinary Magisterium (authority to establish the Church's authentic teaching), however the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith declared a year later that the teaching is infallible under the ordinary and universal Magisterium¹⁷, a declaration that is still disputed in theological circles.

The attempt to stop debate within the Roman Catholic Church does not seem to have been successful. A number of groups are still working and talking in favour of the ordination of women, such as the Women's Ordination Conference, the Roman Catholic Womenpriests (which has been excommunicated by the Church), a group of German theologians and the Association of Catholic Priests in Ireland, amongst others.

I consider the Catholic Church's teaching in this regard to be a step backwards from the spirit of discernment of the signs of the times, a spirit so very present in the Church in the time of Vatican Council II in the sixties. I think that few are those in Western societies these days that don't feel a strong move in favour of equality of women in all aspects of society. I think that this should also apply to the Church, and in no way can be considered against the teachings of Jesus.

I feel that the Church does not appreciate enough the primary role of witnessing of faith by women when Jesus was still alive as well as their proclamation of the Good News afterwards. Apart from this, traditions can be made and those that are not fundamental can change with time (which has already happened many times). That male leaders do everything in their power to keep a patriarchal system is expected, even if they genuinely believe in it, however this can neither be considered prophetic nor coherent with Jesus' attitude to women.

The best, or only, chance I see that this issue is reconsidered by the Catholic Church is if there is a genuine attempt to evaluate the impact of centuries of prejudice against the female sex on the teachings and traditions of the Church that have been built over time. For example, it was St Paul who wrote 'Let a woman learn in silence with full submission', 'Adam was not deceived but the woman was deceived' and 'she will be saved through childbearing' ¹⁸. This type of message can easily lead to prejudice against women and to their being considered inferior to men. This type of exercise is neither easy nor quick.

As a Christian, I am heartened to see the egalitarian spirit of Jesus alive in his church. As one baptised in the Catholic Church, I'm disappointed not to see this yet in mine.

1https://www.churchofengland.org/media-centre/news/2014/07/church-of-england-to-have-women-bishops.aspx, retrieved 24/7/2014

2https://www.churchofengland.org/our-views/women-bishops/the-women-priests-debate.aspx, retrieved 24/7/2014

3Concordance of the Bible - Greek Dictionary of the New Testament, James Strong, 1979, Thomas Nelson Inc.

4Matthew 10:1-8

5Luke 10:1-24

6Romans 16:7

7Apostolic Letter Mulieris Dignitatem, Chapter 16, Pope John Paul II, 1988

8Luke 8:1-3

9http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Women_at_the_crucifixion, retrieved 25/7/2014

10Luke 24:11

11John 7:53-8:11

12John 4:1-42

13http://www.womenpriests.org/classic/append2.asp, retrieved 25/7/2014

14'Notes on the Female Priesthood in Antiquity', Journal of Feminist Studies 7 (1991) No 1, pp. 73-94, Giorgio Otranto

15Declaration Inter Insigniores On The Question Of Admission Of Women To The Ministerial Priesthood, Sacred Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, 1976

16Apostolic Letter Ordinatio Sacerdotalis, Pope John Paul II, 1994

17Concerning The Teaching Contained In “Ordinatio Sacerdotalis”, Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, 1995

181 Timothy 2:8-15

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Il-Qassisin Nisa

Fl-erbatax ta' Lulju li għadda, Sinodu Ġenerali tal-Knisja Ingliża iddeċieda li jippermetti n-nisa li jsiru isqfijiet¹. Għall-Knisja Ingliża, dan huwa biss żvilupp ieħor minn deċiżjoni li kienet ittieħded f'sinodu ieħor fl-1992, fejn in-nisa għall-ewwel darba tħallew jiġu ordnati saċerdoti².

Għal xi partijiet oħra tal-Komunjoni Anglikana, li l-Knisja Ingliża tifforma parti fundamentali tagħha, dan l-iżvilupp seħħ snin qabel, bħal fil-Knisja Episkopali . M'għandniex xi ngħidu, dan l-iżvilupp huwa kontroversjali ħafna. Anke issa, fid-deċiżjoni li l-Knisja Ingliża għadha kif ħadet, qed toqgħod attenta li tilleġisla sabiex il-parroċċi li ma jaqblux mad-deċiżjoni jitħallew jagħżlu li jkomplu jitmexxew minn raġel. Dan jista' jevita li l-Komunjoni tkompli tinqasam b'riżultat ta' dan is-suġġett.

L-istess storja bejn wieħed u ieħor ġrat fid-denomenazzjonijiet Protestanti u Riformati. Dawn ma jitkellmux fuq isqfijiet u qassisin, imma fuq pastors u ministri. Uħud iħallu lin-nisa jkunu ordnati, u oħrajn le.

Fl-aħħarnett, it-tagħlim tal-Knisja Kattolika Rumana hu li l-Knisja m'għandhiex awtoritá li tordna lin-nisa bħala saċerdoti. Il-pożizzjoni tal-Knisja Ortodossa hija simili.

Il-Katekiżmu tal-Knisja Kattolika f'paragrafu 1577 jagħti żewġ raġunijiet prinċipali għal dan it-tagħlim:

• li Ġesù għażel lil irġiel biss biex jiffurmaw it-tnax l-appostlu (għażla divina);
• li l-appostli għamlu l-istess meta għażlu l-kollaboraturi tagħhom li kellhom jieħdu posthom fil-ministeru tagħhom (it-tradizzjoni).

L-Appostli

Il-kelma 'appostlu' ġejja mill-kelma Griega apóstolos li tfisser 'wieħed mibgħut'.³ Meta Ġesù fil-bidu għażel lit-tnax, li kienu rġiel, dawn kienu 'dixxipli' mill-kelma Latina discipulus li tfisser wieħed li jitgħallem. Għalhekk id-dixxipli saru 'appostli' meta ntbagħtu minn Ġesù biex jgħallmu⁴.

Li huwa interessanti li mhux it-Tnax biss jissejħu appostli fil-knejjes Kattoliċi u Ortodossi.

• Luqa l-evanġelista kiteb li Ġesù bagħat grupp ta' sebgħin persuna, tnejn tnejn, biex ixandru l-bxara t-tajba⁵. L-isktrittura ssejħilhom dixxipli u dan ukoll huwa t-tradizzjoni tal-insara fil-punent (Kattoliċi), però l-insara tal-lvant (Ortodossi) jirreferu għalihom bħala appostli;

• San Pawl fl-Ittra lir-Rumani jirreferi għal Andonicus u Junia bħala li kienu miegħu il-ħabs u 'prominenti fost l-appostli'⁶. Junia aktarx kienet il-mara ta' Andonicus;

• Aħna l-Maltin kburin b'San Pawl u San Luqa li kienu Malta minħabba l-għarqa tal-vapur li kienu fuqu fi triqthom lejn Ruma. San Luqa kien wieħed mit-Tnax, imma San Pawl ma kienx. Madankollu, il-Knisja xorta tirreferi għalih ukoll bħala appostlu;

• Fl-istorja tal-mewt u qawmien ta' Ġesù, irid jingħad li l-iktar persuna li tissemma fl-erba' vanġeli li kienet preżenti u li tat l-aħbar tal-qawmien lit-Tnax hija Santa Marija Maddalena. Forsi mhux magħruf minn kulħadd li l-Knisja, mill-bidunett tagħha, ħafna sekli qabel ix-Xisma bejn l-Ortodossi u l-Kattoliċi Rumani, bdiet u għadha ssejħilha 'Appostlu lill-Appostli' ⁷.

Ġesù l-egalitarju

Apparti t-Tnax, Ġesù kellu grupp ieħor li kienu jkunu miegħu kull fejn imur. Dawn kienu nisa, li kienu jassistuh mill-mezzi tagħhom⁸. Però, fis-siegħa tal-prova (il-kruċifissjoni), kienu n-nisa l-iktar li baqgħu miegħu ħdejn is-salib, u li akkumpanjaw lil ġismu lejn il-qabar⁹, waqt li t-Tnax prattikament sparixxew.

Lil nisa Ġesù għażel biex jiżvela l-qawmien tiegħu, mhux lit-Tnax. Lil nisa Ġesù ried biex iwasslu l-aħbar tal-qawmien lit-Tnax, li fil-bidu lanqas emmnuhom¹⁰!

It-Testment il-Ġdid isemmi lin-nisa relattivament ħafna iktar mit-Testment l-Antik. Ġesù intervjena jew tkellem kemm 'il darba favur in-nisa, bħal fil-każ tad-tħaġġir tal-adultera¹¹ u d-diskursata mas-Samaritana¹². Jien għalija din l-importanza li jagħti Ġesù lin-nisa, f'soċjetà li żgur kienet iktar patrijarkali milli hi illum, kienet rivoluzzjonarja u tagħmlu egalitarju ħafna qabel żmienna.

Tradizzjoni

Il-Kummissjoni Pontifikali Bibblika tal-Kurja ta' Ruma ikkonkludiet fl-1977 li t-Testment il-Ġdid waħdu mhux biżżejjed biex tiġi riżolta il-kwistjoni tal-ordinazzjoni tan-nisa b'mod ċar darba għal dejjem¹³. Għalhekk, il-Knisja tirreferi wkoll għat-tradizzjoni tagħha, fejn il-mexxejja tagħha dejjem kienu kuntrarji li n-nisa jwettqu l-ministeru saċerdotali.

Fis-sekli tal-bidu, diversi komunitajiet insara, bħan-Njostiċi u l-Montanisti, kellhom nisa li eżerċitaw il-ministeru saċerdotali. Diversi Missirijiet tal-Knisja ta' dakinhar, bħal Iranaeus u Tertulljan, ikkundannaw din il-prattika¹⁴. Għalkemm il-Knisja tirrikonoxxi preġudizzji kontra n-nisa fil-kitbiet tal-Missirijiet tal-Knisja, minn kmieni kkunsidrat 'l dawn il-gruppi bħala eretiċi, u żammet il-pożizzjoni tal-Missirijiet kontra l-ordinazzjoni tan-nisa¹⁵.

Kumment

Sabiex jipprova jwaqqaf id-dibattitu fil-Knisja fuq is-suġġett, il-Papa Ġwann Pawlu II fl-1994 ħareġ Ittra Apostolika li l-Knisja m'għandha l-ebda awtorità li tordna lin-nisa bħala saċerdoti, u li dan irid jiġi segwit minn-nies ta' fidi¹⁶. Din mhix ġeneralment meqjusa fiha nfisha bħala infallibbli għax ma saritx taħt il-Maġisterju (awtorita' li tistabbilixxi t-tagħlim awtentiku) straordinarju (dikjarazzjoni solenni ex-cathedra), imma l-Kongregazzjoni fuq id-Duttrina tal-Fidi ħarġet stqarrija sena wara li d-dikjarazzjoni hija infallibbli taħt il-Maġisterju ordinarju u universali¹⁷, stqarrija li hemm dibattitu fuqha bejn it-teologi. 

 

L-attentat li jitwaqqaf id-dibattitu fil-Knisja Kattolika Rumana ma tantx jidher li kellu suċċess. Diversi gruppi għadhom jaħdmu u jitkellmu favur l-ordinazzjoni tan-nisa, bħall-Women's Ordination Conference, Roman Catholic Womenpriests (li huma skumnikati mill-Knisja), grupp ta' teologi Ġermaniżi u l-Association of Catholic Priests tal-Irlanda, fost l-oħrajn.

It-tagħlim tal-Knisja Kattolika f'dan ir-rigward narah bħala pass lura mill-ispirtu ta' dixxerniment tas-sinjali taż-żminijiet, spirtu li kien qawwi fil-Knisja fi żmien il-Kunsill tal-Vatikan II tas-sittinijiet. Naħseb li ftit huma dawk fis-soċjetajiet tal-Punent li ma jarawx moviment qawwi illum favur l-ugwaljanza tan-nisa f'kull aspett tas-soċjetà. Jien nara li dan għandu japplika wkoll għall-Knisja, u bl-ebda mod ma jista' jitqies kontra t-tagħlim ta' Ġesu.

Inħoss li l-Knisja mhix qed tirrikonoxxi biżżejjed ir-rwol ewlieni ta' xhieda tal-fidi tan-nisa meta Ġesù kien ħaj kif ukoll bħala ħabbara tal-Bxara t-Tajba wara. Barra minn hekk, it-tradizzjonijiet isiru u dawk li mhumiex fundamentali jistgħu jinbidlu maż-żmien (li diġa ġrat fil-Knisja kemm-il-darba). Li mexxejja rġiel jagħmlu minn kollox biex iżommu sistema patrijarkali hija mistennija, anke jekk ġenwinament jemmnu fiha, imma la hija profetika u lanqas ma naraha koerenti mal-attitudni lejn in-nisa ta' Ġesù. It-tradizzjoni għadha għaddejja u tibqa' ssir.

L-aħjar, jew l-uniku, ċans li nara 'l din il-kwistjoni terġa tiġi kkunsidrata fil-Knisja Kattolika hu jekk isir attentat ġenwin li jiġi evalwat l-impatt ta' sekli ta' preġudizzji kontra s-sess femminil fuq it-tagħlim u/jew it-tradizzjonijiet tal-Knisja li nbnew matul iż-żminijiet. Per eżempju, kien San Pawl li kiteb li l-mara 'għandha titgħallem fis-silenzju u fis-sottomissjoni', 'Adam ma tqarraqx imma Eva tqarrqet', u li 'hi tiġi salvata biss bil-ħlas'¹⁸. Dawn it-tip ta' messaġġi faċilment iwasslu għal preġudizzju kontra n-nisa u li jkunu meqjusa inferjuri għall-irġiel. Dan it-tip ta' eżerċizzju la huwa faċli u lanqas xi ħaġa ta' malajr.

Bħala nisrani, inqawwi qalbi li nara l-ispirtu egalitarju ta' Ġesù ħaj fil-knisja tiegħu. Bħala bniedem mgħammed fil-Knisja Kattolika, jiddispjaċini li dan għadni ma naraħx fil-knisja tiegħi.

Refugees and Asylum Seekers - Rifuġjati u Applikanti għall-Ażil

Refugees and Asylum Seekers

This topic is frequently in the media, and often comes up in heated discussions in the community. What I'd like to do here is take a step back, look at the principles and attempt a fresh look at Australia's policy and approach.

Article 1 of the 1951 UN Convention on the Status of Refugees defines a refugee as a person who fears being persecuted for reasons of race, religion, nationality, political opinion or membership of a particular social group, is outside the country of nationality, and is unable or unwilling to return to that country due to that fear. It is interesting that on becoming a signatory to the Convention, Australia notably filed reservations on Article 32 (which prohibits signatory states from expelling refugees save on grounds of national security or public order) and part of Article 28 (which obliges a state to issue refugees with travel documents for travel outside its territory).¹

Malta signed the Refugee Convention in 1971.

Until a refugee is recognised as such, a person outside his/her country claiming to be fleeing persecution is deemed to be an asylum seeker. A person claiming persecution but still within his/her country is termed an Internally Displaced Person (IDP).

A person can also be stateless, which is defined by the 1954 UN Convention on the Status of Stateless Persons as one not considered to be a national by any State under operation of its law.²

To give you an idea of the scale of the problem, I've selected a small snapshot from the UNHCR (United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees) statistics as at 2013³:

	refugees	asylum seekers	IDPs	Stateless	notes
all countries of residence	11,699,638	1,168,273	23,925,555	3,469,235
Pakistan	1,616,495 (9.0 per 1000 pop.)	5,384 (0.03 per 1000 pop.)	747,498 (4.1 per 1000 pop.)	0	2013 Population 180.44 million4 Refugees mainly from Afghanistan
Australia	34,405 (1.5 per 1000 pop.)	13,473 (0.6 per 1000 pop.)	0	0	2013 Population 23.319 million5
Malta	9,875 (23.2 per 1000 pop.)	875 (2 per 1000 pop.)	0	0	2013 Population 425,3846

From the table, one can see that the quantity of refugees in Australia is actually quite low in absolute and also relative terms. Compared to Australia, Malta provides refuge to an order of magnitude higher number of refugees per head of population, and hosts four times as many asylum seekers per head of population, notwithstanding its miniscule size and lack of natural resources.

While political leaders insist on using the word 'illegal' with respect to asylum seekers arriving without a visa, actually arriving in Australia without a visa is not a criminal offence.⁷ Article 31 of the Refugee Convention specifically states that signatories shall not impose penalties on account of illegal entry or presence, provided that the asylum seekers present themselves without delay and show good cause for such entry or presence. Also the Australian Commonwealth Migration Act 1958 replaced the term 'illegal entrant' with 'unlawful non-citizen', and the Department of Immigration refers to those arriving by sea as Irregular Maritime Arrivals.

The Australian Refugee and Humanitarian Program in 2013-4 allocated 13,750 places for refugees⁸, down from 20,000 places in 2012-3⁹, divided as follows:

• 2750 for the onshore program. This is intended to meet Australia's obligations under the UN Refugee Convention. These asylum seekers usually arrive through authorised channels, e.g. visitors or students. Successful applicants are granted Protection visas.
• 11,000 for the offshore program. This is a voluntary commitment for asylum seekers outside Australia. Refugee visas are for applicants mainly referred by the UNHCR, and Special Humanitarian Program (SHP) visas are for applicants supported by a proposer in Australia.

Current Liberal government policy under Scott Morrison, our hard line Minister for Immigration and Border Protection, seems to be for asylum seekers travelling by boats to be turned/towed back, not allowing asylum seekers to reach Australia. It is hard to assess what is really going on due to the secrecy involved around so-called 'on water operations', ostensibly not to provide information to people smugglers.

Apart from this, asylum seekers arriving by boat will be processed while in detention offshore (in Nauru or Manus Island in PNG), with no chance of resettlement in Australia. This policy introduced by the previous Labour government.

I have to admit to my own biases here. My natural tendency, as an immigrant myself, and as a Christian, is to be empathetic and generous with those who cry out in their hour of need. Having said that, I also have to acknowledge the very real problem of people coming to Australia by unseaworthy boats over long distances to claim asylum. This is a very risky trip and unfortunately hundreds of asylum seekers have lost their lives in this way.¹⁰ You cannot claim asylum if you're dead!

In my view, the ideal scenario for people intending to apply for asylum in Australia, is to do so in a country closer to home containing an Australian consulate or embassy, without risking the journey to Australia. There is another alternative for people who have travel documents, i.e. to come by plane, which is safe enough. The exorbitant fee charged by people smugglers for a boat crossing is comparable to the price for a plane trip¹¹.

I would advocate for a carrot and stick approach with the following modifications to Australia's current policy:

• Maintain the policy of applicants coming by boat not being allowed to resettle in Australia. In my view there just has to be a deterrent to coming by boat, turning it into a non-starter. It's far too risky;
• I don't have a problem with offshore processing for boat arrivals, as long as it takes place in a country which is a signatory to the Refugee Convention. Both Nauru and PNG are signatories.
• Drop the policy of turning back boats at sea. This is just heartless and dangerous. Asylum seekers can be escorted to a destination on seaworthy vessels with proper facilities befitting an advanced economy;
• I do have a problem with mandatory indefinite detention of asylum seekers who arrive without valid visas. I just don't understand the necessity of anything more than a temporary detention for an initial identity and security check. Seeking asylum is not a crime.
• Finally, but not least, increase the yearly offshore intake to the levels applicable in 2012-3 or above. This would be the carrot for going to a country closer to home to applying for asylum.

Now how can I quickly get a copy of this edition of 'The Voice' to Minister Morrison?....

1http://www.refworld.org/docid/3be01b964.html, retrieved 15/7/2014

2http://www.refworld.org/docid/3ae6b3840.html, retrieved 15/7/2014

3Statistical Online Population Database, UNHCR, available at http://popstats.unhcr.org/PSQ_POC.aspx, retrieved 15/7/2014

4http://www.worldpopulationstatistics.com/pakistan-population-2013/, retrieved 15/7/2014

5Australian Demographic Statistics 2013, Australian Bureau of Statistics

6News Release 131/2014, National Statistics Office - Malta

7http://www.abc.net.au/news/2013-09-06/morrison-correct-illegal-entry-people/4935372

8Mid Year Economic and Fiscal Outlook (MYEFO) Appendix A, Policy Decisions Taken Since the 2013-14 Budget

9Australia's Offshore Humanitarian Program 2012-13, Department of Immigration and Border Protection

10http://theconversation.com/factcheck-have-more-than-1000-asylum-seekers-died-at-sea-under-labor-16221, retrieved 15/7/2014

11http://www.abc.net.au/news/2014-03-24/people-smugglers-adapting-methods-to-combat-australian-policies/5342276, retrieved 16/7/2014

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Rifuġjati u Applikanti għall-Ażil

Dan is-suġġett spiss jissemma fil-midja u f'diskussjonijiet sħan fil-komunità. Li nixtieq nagħmel hawnhekk hu li nieħu pass lura, inħares lejn il-prinċipji u nipprova nagħti ħarsa ġdida lejn il-politika Awstraljana f'dan ir-rigward.

L-ewwel artiklu tal-Konvenzjoni tal-1951 tal-Ġnus Magħquda (ĠM) fuq l-istatus tar-Rifuġjati tfisser rifuġjat bħala dak li jibża mill-persekuzzjoni abbażi ta' razza, reliġjon, nazzjonalità, opinjoni politika jew li jkun membru ta' xi grupp soċjali, li jkun barra minn pajjiżu u li ma jistax jew ma jridx jirritorna lejn pajjiżu minħabba dik il-biża'. Huwa interessanti li meta ffirmat il-Konvenzjoni, l-Awstralja irreġistrat riżervi għall-Artiklu nru. 32 (li ma jippermettix lil stati firmatarji milli jkeċċu rifuġjati ħlief għal raġunijiet ta' sigurtà jew l-ordni pubblika) u parti mill-Artiklu nru. 28 (li jobbliga stat li jagħtu dokumenti tal-ivvjaġġar lil rifuġjati sabiex ikun jistgħu jivvjaġġaw barra mit-territorju tiegħu).¹

Sakemm rifuġjat jiġi rikonoxxut bħala tali, persuna barra minn pajjiżha li tgħid li qed taħrab persekuzzjoni hija meqjusa bħala persuna li qed tfittex ażil. Persuna li qed tallega l-persekuzzjoni filwaqt li tibqa' f'pajjiżha tissejjaħ Internally Displaced Person (IDP).

Persuna tista' ukoll tkun bla stat, li tiġi definita mill-Konvenzjoni tal-ĠM fuq l-Istatus ta' Persuni Bla Stat tal-1954 bħala waħda li mhix meqjusa ċittadina tal-ebda pajjiż fil-liġi tiegħu.²

Biex intikom idea tal-iskala tal-problema, għażilt parti żgħira mill-istatistika tal-UNHCR (United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees) għall-2013³:

	Rifuġjati	Ifittxu Ażilu	IDPs	Mingħajr Stat	noti
pajjiżi kollha ta' residenza	11,699,638	1,168,273	23,925,555	3,469,235
Pakistan	1,616,495 (9.0 kull 1000 pop.)	5,384 (0.03 kull 1000 pop.)	747,498 (4.1 kull 1000 pop.)	0	Popolazzjoni fl-2013: 180.44 miljun4. Rifuġjati l-iktar mill-Afganistan.
l-Awstralja	34,405 (1.5 kull 1000 pop.)	13,473 (0.6 kull 1000 pop.)	0	0	Popolazzjoni fl-2013: 23.319 miljun5
Malta	9,875 (23.2 kull 1000 pop.)	875 (2 kull 1000 pop.)	0	0	Popolazzjoni fl-2013: 425,3846

Mit-tabella, wieħed jista' jara li l-kwantita' ta' rifuġjati fl-Awstralja hi pjuttost baxxa f'termini assoluti u relattivi. Ipparagunat mal-Awstralja, Malta tipprovdi rifuġju għal rifuġjati għaxar darbiet iktar għal kull ras tal-popolazzjoni, u erba' darbiet iktar nies ifittxu ażilu għal kull ras tal-popolazzjoni, minkejja ċ-ċokon tagħha u n-nuqqas ta' riżorsi naturali.

Filwaqt li l-mexxejja politiċi jinsistu li jużaw il-kelma 'illegali' fir-rigward ta' nies ifittxu ażil li jaslu mingħajr viża, li tasal fl-Awstralja mingħajr viża mhijiex offiża kriminali.⁷ L-Artiklu nru. 31 tal-Konvenzjoni fuq ir-Rifuġjati tgħid speċifikament li firmatarji m'għandhomx jimponu kastigi minħabba dħul jew preżenza illegali. Apparti hekk l-Att tal-1958 dwar il-Migrazzjoni tal-Commonwealth Awstraljan bidel il-kliem 'dak li daħal illegalment' (illegal entrant) għal 'non-ċittadin mhux legali (unlawful non-citizen), u d-Dipartiment tal-Immigrazzjoni jirreferi għal dawk li jaslu bil-baħar bħala 'Wasliet Marittimi Irregolari' (Irregular Maritime Arrivals).

Il-Programm Awstraljan Umanitarju u għar-Rifuġjati fis-sena 2013-4 allokat 13,750 post għar-rifuġjati⁸, traqqis mill-20,000 post tas-sena 2012-3⁹, imqassmin kif ġej:

• 2750 għall-programm fuq l-art. Dan hu maħsub sabiex iwettaq l-obbligi Awstraljani taħt il-Konvenzjoni fuq ir-Rifuġjati tal-ĠM. Dawk li jfittxu l-ażil ikunu waslu b'mezzi awtorizzati, bħal viżitaturi jew studenti. L-applikazzjonijiet milqugħa jingħataw viża ta' Protezzjoni.
• 11,000 għall programm barra mill-art. Dan hu impenn volontarju għal dawk li japplikaw għal ażil meta jkunu barra l-Awstralja. Viża ta' Rifuġjat huwa għall-applikanti normalment irriferuti mill-UNHCR, u viża tal-Programm Speċjali Umanitarju huwa għal applikanti li huma pproponuti minn persuna mill-Awstralja.

Il-politika iebsa tal-gvern Liberali preżenti taħt Scott Morrion, il-Ministru għall-Immigrazzjoni u l-Ħarsien tal-Fruntiera, jidher li hi li dawk ġejjin b'xi bastiment li jridu jfittxu l-ażil jiġu mdawwra jew miġbuda lura, sabiex ma jħalluhomx jaslu l-Awstralja. Hu diffiċli li wieħed jiġġudika dak li verament qed jiġri minħabba s-segretezza madwar dawk l-hekk imsejħa 'operazzjonijiet fuq il-baħar', apparentement biex ma tingħatax informazzjoni lill-kuntrabandisti tan-nies.

Apparti minn hekk, dawk li jfittxu l-ażil u jiġu bil-bastiment jiġu pproċessati waqt li jkunu f'detenzjoni barra mill-pajjiż (f'Nawru jew il-Gżira Manus fil-PNG), bl-ebda ċans li jiġu miġjuba l-Awstralja. Din il-politika bdiet taħt il-gvern Laburista ta' qabel.

Hawnhekk irrid nammetti l-preġudizzji tiegħi. It-tendenza naturali tiegħi, bħala immigrant u bħala nisrani, huwa li jkolli empatija u li nkun ġeneruż ma' dawk li jibku għall-għajnuna fis-siegħa tal-bżonn tagħhom. Madankollu, irrid ukoll nirrikonixxi l-problema vera ta' nies ġejjin l-Awstralja fuq bastiment qed jaqa' biċċiet fuq distanzi twal sabiex jitolbu ażilu. Dan huwa vjaġġ perikoluż ħafna u sfortunatament mijiet ta' dawn in-nies tilfu ħajjithom hekk¹⁰. Ma tistax titlob ażil jekk int mejjet!

Fil-fehma tiegħi, ix-xenarju ideali għal min irid japplika għal ażil fl-Awstralja, hi li jagħmel dan f'pajjiż iktar qrib tiegħu, li jkollu konsulat jew ambaxxata Awstraljana. Hemm alternattiva oħra għal min għandu dokumenti tal-ivvjaġġar, i.e. li jiġi bl-ajruplan, li mhux perikoluż. Il-prezz eżorbitanti mitlub mill-kuntrabandisti tal-persuni għal vjaġġ bil-bastiment huwa komparabbli ma' prezz għal vjaġġ bl-ajruplan¹¹.

Jien favur politika li fiha kemm karrotta u kemm kastig, b'xi tibdil fil-politika kurrenti Awstraljana:

• tinżamm il-politika li dawk li jaslu bil-bastiment ma jitħallewx jiġu l-Awstralja. Fil-fehma tiegħi jrid ikun hemm deterrent għal min jitħajjar jiġi bil-baħar, biex jerġa jibdielu. Ir-riskji għall-ħajja huma kbar wisq;
• Ma nsib l-ebda problema bl-ipproċessar barra mill-pajjiż għal min jiġi bil-baħar, sakemm isir f'pajjiż firmatarju tal-Konvenzjoni fuq ir-Rifuġjati tal-ĠM. Kemm Nawru u PNG huma firmatarji;
• Titwaqqaf il-prattika li bastimenti jiġu mdawwra lura. Dan huwa bla qalb u perikoluż. Min qed ifittex ażil jista' jiġi eskortat lejn destinazzjoni fuq bastiment sod b'faċilitajiet jixirqu lil ekonomija avvanzata;
• Noġġezzjona għas-sistema ta' detenzjoni indefinita tabilfors għal dawk li jaslu mingħajr viża. Ma nifhimx il-bżonn ta' iktar minn perjodu temporanju ta' detenzjoni sakemm isir iċċekkjar tas-sigurtà u tal-identità. Li tfittex ażilu mhux att kriminali;
• Fl-aħħar, imma mhux l-inqas, tiżdied l-allokazzjoni ta' kull sena ta' postijiet għar-rifuġjati minn barra l-pajjiż sal-livelli li rajna fl-2012-3 jew iktar. Din tkun il-karrotta biex wieħed imur f'pajjiż iktar qrib tad-dar sabiex issir l-applikazzjoni għall-ażil.

Issa kif se nwassal kopja ta' The Voice lill-Ministru Morrison?...

1http://www.refworld.org/docid/3be01b964.html, retrieved 15/7/2014

2http://www.refworld.org/docid/3ae6b3840.html, retrieved 15/7/2014

3Statistical Online Population Database, UNHCR, available at http://popstats.unhcr.org/PSQ_POC.aspx, retrieved 15/7/2014

4http://www.worldpopulationstatistics.com/pakistan-population-2013/, retrieved 15/7/2014

5Australian Demographic Statistics 2013, Australian Bureau of Statistics

6News Release 131/2014, National Statistics Office - Malta

7http://www.abc.net.au/news/2013-09-06/morrison-correct-illegal-entry-people/4935372

8Mid Year Economic and Fiscal Outlook (MYEFO) Appendix A, Policy Decisions Taken Since the 2013-14 Budget

9Australia's Offshore Humanitarian Program 2012-13, Department of Immigration and Border Protection

10http://theconversation.com/factcheck-have-more-than-1000-asylum-seekers-died-at-sea-under-labor-16221, retrieved 15/7/2014

11http://www.abc.net.au/news/2014-03-24/people-smugglers-adapting-methods-to-combat-australian-policies/5342276, retrieved 16/7/2014

Religion and State - Ir-Reliġjon u l-Istat

Religion and State

Most of you will be aware of a recent significant development in the Middle East. The Sunni organisation Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIS) has just proclaimed a caliphate in territory captured in Shia-leaning Syria and Iraq. Moreso, it has proclaimed the chief of the organisation, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, as the new caliph, the leader for Muslims everywhere.¹

A caliph is the religious and political leader for an Islamic state (caliphate). He or she governs guided by Sharia (law based on principles in the Quran and the example set by the prophet Mohammed), and the Constitution of Medina (a peace agreement signed in Medina, part of modern Saudi Arabia, between the prophet Mohammed and other groups (including Christians), establishing a single nation - the Ummah, with rights and obligations of all communities spelt out).

Malta has had two main brushes with a caliphate in its history. The first came when the islands were ruled from 870AD by the Aghlabids during the Abbasid caliphate period, and later by the Fatimid caliphate, with Arab rule lasting until the Norman invasion in 1091. Then during the time of the Knights of St John came a number of attacks by naval commanders including Dragut from the Turkish Ottoman caliphates, culminating in the Great Siege of Malta in 1565, which to Malta's pride and Christian Europe's relief resulted in a comprehensive victory to the locals.

The main point of the caliphate, is that the temporal rule of the state is based on principles established by Islam. This approach to the fabric of the state is not unique to Islam. In Europe, the Church was the state in much of what is today Italy, even up to very recently. Indeed, the Maltese constitution still states that Roman Catholicism is the religion of the state, that its religious authorities have the right to teach about which principles are right and wrong, and that Roman Catholic religious teaching at school is compulsory².

It is however clear even in Malta that principles of secular liberalism are becoming widely accepted by the populace. For example, it would have been unthinkable at the time the Maltese constitution was drafted that Malta would eventually legislate to allow divorce and renegotiate the precedence of the Church courts over civil courts on marriage matters³.

The constitution of Australia goes further, preventing the Commonwealth from passing a law establishing a religion, or imposing religious observance, prohibiting the free exercise of any religion or requiring a religious test as a qualification for a Commonwealth office⁴.

Turkey was the country that had abolished the last caliphate, that of the Ottomans, in 1924, and since then has been a secular state. However as a general rule, countries with Islam as the main practiced religion have a higher proportion than in the West of citizens that call for political rule to be based on the (Islamic) religion. The Arab Spring has seen a tension between those who crave for more and those who crave for less religion entrenched in the state. This may be seen very clearly in places such as Egypt.

In the post-Christian Western tradition I come from, I think it may be said that people have realised that while it is fine to be inspired by the principles of their erstwhile religion when constructing the fabric of the state, it is wise to separate the religious institution from the state to retain social harmony. Common ground can be more easily found in universally acceptable, secular, values and declarations such as the UN Universal Declaration on Human Rights, adopted in 1948⁵. It remains to be seen whether other nations coming from a Muslim tradition will eventually come to the same conclusion.

1http://www.abc.net.au/worldtoday/content/2014/s4035818.htm, retrieved 1/7/2014

2Constitution of Malta, Article 2

3http://www.timesofmalta.com/articles/view/20140222/local/Church-State-separation-is-unquestionable-.507768, retrieved 1/7/2014

4Constitution of Australia, Chapter 5, Section 115

5http://www.un.org/en/documents/udhr/index.shtml, retrieved 1/7/2014.

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Ir-Reliġjon u l-Istat

Ħafna minnkom aktarx jafu bi żvilupp sinjifikanti fil-Lvant Nofsani. L-organizzazzjoni Sunni msejħa l-Istat Islamiku tal-Iraq u l-Lvant (ISIS) għadu kif iddikjara kalifat f'territorju maqbud fis-Sirja u l-Iraq li jxaqilbu lejn ix-Xiti. Iktar minn hekk, ipproklamat ukoll il-mexxej tal-organizzazzjoni, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, bħala l-kalif, il-mexxej għall-Musulmani kullimkien¹.

Kalif huwa mexxej reliġjuż u politiku għal stat Iżlamiku (kalifat). Hu/hi jiggverna/tiggverna immexxi/ja mix-Xarija (liġi bbażata fuq il-prinċipji tal-Koran u l-eżempju tal-profeta Muħammed) u l-Kostituzzjoni ta' Medina (ftehim ta' paċi iffirmat fil-Medina, parti mis-Sawdi Arabja tal-lum, bejn il-profeta Muħammed u gruppi oħra (bħall-Insara), li stabbiliet nazzjon wieħed - l-Ummaħ, bid-drittijiet u d-dmirijiet tal-komunitajiet kollha mniżżlin).

Malta messet ma' kalifat darbtejn fl-istorja tagħha. L-ewwel darba kien meta l-gżejjer kienu mmexxija mis-sena 870 w.K. mill-Aglabidi fil-perjodu tal-kalifat Abbasid, u wara mill-kalifat Fatimid, bil-ħakma Għarbija tintemm mal-invażjoni Normanna tal-1091 w.K. Imbagħad fi żmien il-Kavallieri ta' San Ġwann kien hemm numru ta' attakki minn kmandanti navali inkluż Dragut mill-kalifat Ottoman tat-Torok, li laħqu l-quċċata tagħhom fl-Assedju l-Kbir ta' Malta tal-1565 w.K., li l-Maltin kburin li wassal għal rebħa sħiha għalihom u serħan il-moħħ għall-Ewropa Nisranija.

Il-punt prinċipali tal-kalifat hu li it-tmexxija sekulari tal-istat huwa bbażat fuq prinċipji stabbiliti tal-Islam. Dan il-mudell ta' tmexxija mhux uniku għall-Islam. Fl-Ewropa, il-Knisja kienet l-istat f'parti kbira ta' dak li llum hija l-Italja, anke sa mhux ħafna ilu. Tassew, il-kostituzzjoni Malti anke llum tgħid li il-Kattoliċiżmu Ruman huwa r-reliġjon tal-istat, li l-awtoritajiet reliġjużi għandhom id-dritt li jgħallmu liemu prinċipji huma tajba u ħżiena, u li tagħlim reliġjuż Kattoliku Ruman irid isir fl-iskejjel².

Madankollu huwa ċar anke f'Malta li l-prinċipji sekulari liberali qed jiġu aċċettati mill-poplu. Per eżempju, ħadd ma kien jobsor meta l-kostituzzjoni Maltija kienet qed tinkiteb li Malta eventwalment kienet tgħaddi liġi li tippermetti d-divorzju u tirrinegozja l-preċedenza tal-qrati tal-Knisja fuq dawk tal-istat fuq kwistjonijiet ta' żwieġ³.

Il-kostituzzjoni tal-Awstralja tmur iktar minn hekk, ma tħallix lill-Commonwealth li tgħaddi liġi li tistabbilixxi xi reliġjon, li timponi li reliġjon, li ma tħallix li ssegwi xi reliġjon jew li jkun hemm xi test reliġjuz bħala kwalifika għal impjieg tal-Commonwealth⁴.

It-Turkija kien il-pajjiż li abolixxa l-aħħar kalifat, dak tal-Ottomani, fl-1924, u minn dakinhar kien stat sekulari. Però bħala regola ġenerali, pajjiżi predomantament Islamiċi għandhom proporzjoni iktar għoli minn pajjiżi tal-Punent ta' ċittadini li jridu tmexxija politika li tkun ibbażata fuq ir-reliġjon (Islamika). Ir-Rebbiegħa Għarbija kixfet tensjoni bejn dawk li jridu iktar u dawk li jridu inqas reliġjon imdaħħal fl-istat. Dan jidher ċar f'postijiet bħall-Eġittu.

Fit-tradizzjoni post-Kristjana tal-Punent li jien niġi minnu, naħseb li jista' jingħad li n-nies t'hemm fehmu li għalkemm huwa tajjeb li tkun ispirat mill-prinċipji tar-reliġjon li kellhom meta tibni l-qafas tal-istat, ikun għaqli li tifred l-istituzzjoni reliġjuża mill-istat sabiex tinżamm l-armonija soċjali. Huwa iktar faċli li ssib qbil universali f'valuri u dikjarazzjonijiet sekulari bħal dawk tad-Dikjarazzjoni Universali fuq id-Drittijiet tal-Bniedem tan-Nazzjonijiet Uniti, li ġiet adottata fl-1948⁵. Wieħed irid jara jekk pajjiżi oħra li jiġu minn tradizzjoni Musulmana eventwalment jaslux għall-istess konklużjoni.

1http://www.abc.net.au/worldtoday/content/2014/s4035818.htm, retrieved 1/7/2014

2Constitution of Malta, Article 2

3http://www.timesofmalta.com/articles/view/20140222/local/Church-State-separation-is-unquestionable-.507768, retrieved 1/7/2014

4Constitution of Australia, Chapter 5, Section 115

5http://www.un.org/en/documents/udhr/index.shtml, retrieved 1/7/2014.