I write to you as a Methodist who admires the work of the Rev Sizer and respects his courageous efforts to express his Christian faith in the difficult context of human rights.
Each year I travel to Palestine so that I can see for myself the sufferings of that abused nation and act as an advocate for them in my life here in London.
It is now, sadly, a commonplace for those of us who believe in Christ's message of justice and humanity to be traduced by those who support the displacement of Palestinian Christians and Muslims from their homes on the basis of flawed and mendacious readings of selected passages from the Old Testament. Each year I sit in St George's Cathedral in Occupied East Jerusalem and pray that people of all races and religions live together in harmony and mutual respect. Many are the tears I have shed for the people of Palestine whose sufferings I witness as I wait in queues in Israeli checkpoints, or walk the battered streets of the refugee camps. A few months ago I shared the tear-gas fired at children in Silwan, only two or three miles from St George's.
Stephen speaks for those with no voice, little money and no power against the rich and the powerful. He does so from a Christian perspective which I share. The Church of England should be proud of him and resist those who seek to traduce, misinform and spread a message of greed and hate.
Yours sincerely
Stephen Williams
