Fight suicide bombers with love: Archbishop

The Archbishop of York in England today called for Britain to unite to turn would-be suicide bombers into friends by building “an inclusive circle of love”.

Dr John Sentamu called for a three-pronged approach to tackle those who wish to maim and kill others, in his presidential address to the General Synod of the Church of England.

The archbishop said it was not enough to rely on security services and tough laws alone but instead said the UK needed to “out-imagine, out-plan and out-think” would be bombers.

Speaking at the University of York, the archbishop said we first needed to create neighbourhoods that were flourishing, safe, clean and generous.

He said it was necessary to tackle what would-be bombers believe to be their grievances and causes.

He said the country also needed to “wake up to the truth that those who mastermind the terrorist network are brilliant at inspiring those who come to their cause by giving them a vision which tragically is used solely for evil ends”.

He said the only way to overcome terrorism was to out-imagine it.

“As the SAS motto says, ’He who dares wins!’ That is, out-imagine your enemy.”

The archbishop said: “Offering a vision of wholeness in a compelling and imaginative way that is so persuasive that would be bombers would come to see this as their own vision.

“A vision that would turn them from outsiders, self-excluding and deluded despisers of others, into belongers.

“A vision which will help them to see that those they seek to destroy are their own brothers and sisters regardless of their religious affiliations.

“The way to do this is by drawing a large enough circle of love which includes them and us.”

He called for unity and said that revenge and the desire to banish would-be bombers to another island “won’t do it”.

He said: “Together, we can out-imagine, out-plan and out-think would-be bombers and turn would-be enemies into friends by building an inclusive circle of love. On our own we can’t get it together. Together we can get it.”