Page 1 Page 2 Page 3 Page 4 Page 5 Page 6 Page 7 Page 8 Page 9 Page 10 Page 11 Page 12 Page 13 Page 14 Page 15 Page 16 Page 17 Page 18 Page 19 Page 20 Page 21 Page 22 Page 23 Page 24 Page 25 Page 26 Page 27 Page 28 Page 29 Page 30 Page 31 Page 32 Page 33 Page 34 Page 35 Page 36 Page 37 Page 38 Page 39 Page 40 Page 41 Page 42 Page 43 Page 44 Page 45 Page 46 Page 47 Page 48 Page 49 Page 50 Page 51 Page 52 Page 53 Page 54 Page 55 Page 56 Page 57 Page 58 Page 59 Page 60 Page 61 Page 62 Page 63 Page 64 Page 65 Page 66 Page 67 Page 68 Page 69 Page 70 Page 71 Page 72 Page 73 Page 74 Page 75 Page 76 Page 77 Page 78 Page 79 Page 80 Page 81 Page 82 Page 83 Page 8420 Plough Quarterly • Spring 2016 likely now in even greater danger than before his liberation. And there is still no trace of his teacher, Father Paolo, the founder of the Chris- tian community that loves Islam. But there is hope until our last breath. The winner of a peace prize should not call for war. But he can call to prayer. Ladies and gentlemen, I would like to make an unusual request – though it is not really so unusual in a church. I would like you to refrain from applauding at the end of my speech and instead pray for Father Paolo and the two hundred kidnapped Christians of Qaryatain, for the children baptized by Father Jacques, for the lovers he married, and for the elderly to whom he promised the sacrament of anointing. And if you are not religious, let your wishes be with those who have been abducted, and with Father Jacques, who must struggle with the fact that only he was freed. For what are prayers but wishes addressed to God? I believe in wishes and believe that they have an effect on our world, with or without God. Without wishes, humanity would never have laid the stones on top of one another that it so recklessly destroys in its wars. And so I ask you, ladies and gentlemen, to pray for Jacques Mourad, pray for Paolo Dall’Oglio, pray for the abducted Christians of Qaryatain, pray or wish for the liberation of all hostages and the freedom of Syria and Iraq. You are welcome to stand up too, so that we can oppose the snuff videos of the terrorists by presenting a picture of our fraternity.  In December 2015, Father Jacques Mourad, who had traveled to Europe after his escape from ISIS, announced he would soon return to Syria: “I have no fear, God will hold his hand over me.” “An intolerable affront” was how one German news­ paper described Navid Kermani’s gesture in closing his October 2015 speech (above) with a call for his hearers to join him in praying for ISIS’s Christian victims. As Kermani, a Muslim, lifted his hands in prayer, his one thousand listeners – some, no doubt, to their own surprise – rose to join him. In the media furor that followed, prominent commentators accused Kermani of manipulating his audience. Some pundits even linked Kermani’s “politicized” prayer to the theocratic ideology of ISIS. Though many others rose to Kermani’s defense, it was a telling moment. Will it take Muslim voices like Kermani’s to remind the post-Christian West of its own spiritual roots? Surely the answer to ISIS’s evil is not a God-free public square, but rather the same love that inspired both Jacques Mourad and his Muslim neighbors – a love born of faith in a power stronger than terrorism.   —The Editors Navid Kermani leads his audience in prayer for Iraq and Syria. Photograph © Arne Dedert, epa/dpa The winner of a peace prize should not call for war. But he can call to prayer. 20 Plough Quarterly • Spring 2016