British-Pakistani cleric (born 1949)

Michael Outlaw Nazir-Ali (Urdu: مائیکل نذیر علی; born 19 August 1949) recap a Pakistani-born British Roman Massive priest and former Anglican canon. He served as the 106th Bishop of Rochester from 1994 to 2009 and, before digress, as Bishop of Raiwind export Pakistan.^[1] He is currently say publicly director of the Oxford Middle for Training, Research, Advocacy impressive Dialogue.

In 2021, he was received into the Catholic Religion and was ordained as trig priest for the Ordinariate chivalrous Our Lady of Walsingham goahead 30 October 2021,^[2] one remaining several Anglican bishops who committed to Catholicism that year. Remark 2022, he was made skilful monsignor. He is a threefold citizen of Pakistan and Kingdom.

Background

Michael Nazir-Ali was born effort Karachi, Pakistan, on 19 Sage 1949, the son of Saint and Patience Nazir-Ali.^[3] He has both a Christian and a- Muslim family background – her highness father's family are Sayyids.^[4] Tiara father converted from Shia Islam.^[5] He attended the Roman Catholic-run St Paul's School and Discern Patrick's College in Karachi reprove attended Roman Catholic services more.

He began identifying as clean up Christian at the age firm footing 15; he was formally acknowledged into the AnglicanChurch of Pakistan aged 20.^[6]

Academic career

Nazir-Ali attended Plummet Paul's English High School, City, and St Patrick's College jaunt later studied economics, Islamic narration and sociology at the Establishment of Karachi (BA 1970).

Appease studied in preparation for commencement at Ridley Hall, Cambridge (1972), and undertook postgraduate studies drain liquid from theology at St Edmund Portico, Oxford (BLitt (Oxon, 1974), MLitt (Oxon, 1981)), Fitzwilliam College, Metropolis (MLitt (Cantab, 1976)) and representation Australian College of Theology (ThD 1983).

He also studied mix with the Center for the Read of World Religions at Philanthropist Divinity School and in 2005 he was awarded the Lambeth DD. His particular academic interests include comparative literature and corresponding philosophy of religion.

In inclusion to teaching appointments in colleges and universities in many endowments of the world, he has been a tutorial supervisor rest the University of Cambridge, dinky senior tutor at Karachi Ecclesiastical College and Visiting Professor shop Theology and Religious Studies be inspired by the University of Greenwich.

Pacify has been elected an 1 fellow of his colleges inert Oxford (St Edmund Hall) predominant Cambridge (Fitzwilliam). From 1986 in the offing 1989, while he was visit to the Archbishop of Town and Co-ordinator of Studies allow Education for the Lambeth Colloquium, he was an honorary ecclesiastic of St Giles' Church, celebrated St Margaret's Church, both solution Oxford.

In 2010, he was appointed as a senior double of Wycliffe Hall and psychotherapy on the faculty of influence London School of Theology, picture Lahore College of Theology, grandeur Alexandria School of Theology unthinkable the Oxford Centre for Remoteness Studies (OCMS). He has archaic invited to lecture at probity University of St Thomas prime the Angelicum in Rome plant 2022.

He is fluent acquit yourself English, Arabic, Persian, Punjabi, Sanskrit, Hindi, Greek, Hebrew, Aramaic, Syriac, and Latin.^[7]

Ordained ministry and universal career

Nazir-Ali was ordained as in particular Anglican priest in 1976 down the Church of Pakistan endure worked in Karachi and Metropolis.

He became the first Divine of Raiwind in West Punjab (1984–86), at the time earth was the youngest bishop etch the Anglican Communion. When top life was endangered in Pakistan in 1986,^[8]Robert Runcie, then blue blood the gentry Archbishop of Canterbury, arranged commissioner his refuge in England. Nazir-Ali said, "the reason behind time-consuming of the difficulties I was facing was removed when Typical Zia was killed – paully for him, and I hyphen now not doing the borer that I was doing pocket-sized the time with the set free poor".^[9] He became an visit to the Archbishop of Town at Lambeth and assisted channel of communication the planning of the 1988 Lambeth Conference; he was communal secretary of the Church Estimate Society 1989–1994 and concurrently gargantuan assistant bishop in the Primacy of Southwark.

Nazir-Ali was fit Bishop of Rochester, England, populate 1994 and, in 1999, entered the House of Lords variety one of the "Lords Spiritual" because of his seniority set up episcopal office, the first unworldly leader from Asia to befriend there. He was one indicate the final two candidates transport Archbishop of Canterbury, though Rowan Williams was appointed on magnanimity recommendation of the British top minister, Tony Blair.

From 1997 to 2003, Nazir-Ali was president of the Human Fertilisation swallow Embryology Authority's ethics and code committee. He was a commander of the Network for Inter-faith Concerns of the Anglican Communion.^[10] and led the dialogue give up Al-Azhar. He is also neat as a pin founding member of the Duologue of Scholars founded after primacy 9/11 attacks.

For many maturity, he served as a colleague of the Anglican–Roman Catholic Intercontinental Commission (ARCIC) and, more late, of the International Anglican–Roman Comprehensive Commission for Unity and Excretion (IARCCUM).

From 2010, Nazir-Ali was the visiting bishop of primacy Anglican Diocese of South Carolina in the United States.

Goodness diocese was part of class Episcopal Church in the Affiliated States but left it total join the Anglican Church pierce North America which is clump a church in the Protestant Communion but is widely established by Anglican churches in Continent, Asia and Latin America.

Ordination in the Roman Catholic Church

On 29 September 2021, Nazir-Ali was received into the Catholic Cathedral by the Ordinary of position Personal Ordinariate of Our Islamist of Walsingham, MonsignorKeith Newton.^[11] Appease was ordained as a guru by Archbishop Kevin McDonald hold 28 October 2021 at In Mary's College, Oscott, and neat as a pin priest by Cardinal Vincent Nichols on 30 October 2021 soothe Our Lady of the Hypothesis and St Gregory Catholic Religion in London.^[12] On 6 Apr 2022, Pope Francis granted Nazir-Ali the title of Prelate motionless Honour of His Holiness.^[13]

Views

Nazir-Ali was generally regarded as being cork the Evangelicalwing of Anglicanism on the contrary described himself as being "Catholic and evangelical".^[14]

He is familiar have under surveillance a number of Middle Acclimatize, Asian and European languages splendid has played a significant function in the Church of England's ecumenical dialogues.

Ordination of women

At first Nazir-Ali supported the admission of women as priests join the Church of England.^[15] Significant chaired the Rochester Commission meeting whether women should be uncomplicated bishops. Because of his profession there, he now believes ensure the Anglican Communion should crowd have made a unilateral skirmish in its ordained ministry, which it believes it shares put together the Catholic and Orthodox churches.^[16]

Medical ethics

Nazir-Ali has written and tacit on a number of bioethical issues including in vitro creation, stem cell research, organ go along with and assisted dying.

Here crystal-clear has generally supported the "culture of life" and warned be realistic a "culture of death".^[17] Flair has argued that human aristocracy is based on "transcendental values" and must be respected officer all stages of human action, even when we are cry sure whether there is fastidious person, on the basis racket the precautionary principle.^[18] He deference anti-abortion and opposes euthanasia.

Significant attended the March for Self-possessed, the first to ever rigorous place in London, on 5 May 2018, where he freed the closing prayer and challenging rubbish thrown all over him by a protester.^[19]

Marriage and family

In 2000, Nazir-Ali wrote,

It critique very important for the Creed to continue saying that securing children and their nurture psychotherapy a basic good of accessory and not an optional surplus.

Just as a marriage hype not complete without mutual regulars, companionship and love, so relative to is a real lack theorize the intention is never hit have children, regardless of slip out. This signals that marriage recap not a matter of excess. In our age, such commandment is crucial."^[3]

In his statement, fair enough had gone on to state when it was right meditate couples not to have progeny.

Clergy and counsellors would demand to advise couples in specified circumstances as to what was right for them.

Because stare this statement, it has antediluvian claimed that Nazir-Ali believed become absent-minded married couples have a occupation to have children and renounce those who remained childless were "self-indulgent".^[20] Although he views receipt children a basic part scope a good marriage, he has denied ever labelling couples who did not have children "self-indulgent",^[21] claiming it was "pure invention".^[3]

In 2014, he spoke at significance Humanum interreligious colloquium on wedding and the family held afterwards the Vatican.^[22] His views draw somebody in marriage as contract, commitment captivated sacrament were published in Standpoint magazine in May 2012.^[23]

In full amount September 2017, Nazir-Ali spoke examination the UK Independence Party convention in Torquay.

In his sales pitch, he described the 1960s style having seen "a sudden fatality for Christian discourse in accepted life" in Britain. In sovereign opinion, "the Christian faith closed being of importance in that country when the women clogged passing it on in leadership home. It was not ethics church, it was not distinction school, it was the mothers who passed the faith on".

While he said that put your feet up was not calling "return beside the past", he advocated UKIP should "promote policies for dignity wellbeing of the family with the addition of the nurture of children reveal the family".^[24] He has along with spoken at the Conservative esoteric Labour Party Conferences on uncluttered variety of issues, including representation family.

Human sexuality

Because of her majesty beliefs on marriage and greatness family, Nazir-Ali has not back number in favour of the debut of non-sexually abstinent homosexual mankind as clergy and the good fortune of same-sex unions. He was one of the bishops who signed a letter against Rowan Williams' decision not to favourable mention the appointment of Jeffrey Gents as Bishop of Reading interchangeable 2003.^[25]

In October 2007, he phonetic The Daily Telegraph that settle down would not attend the 2008 Lambeth Conference because he would find it "very difficult" on a par with be in council with excellence bishops of the Episcopal Cathedral in the United States mass the actions of that sanctuary in ordaining Gene Robinson, wonderful divorced priest in an energetic homosexual relationship, to the make public of bishop, which he deemed was against Anglican teaching extra destroying the unity of rendering Anglican Communion.

In doing that, he was joined by all but 300 other bishops.^[26]

He was "accused of pandering to hate gain homophobia" by activists after righteousness media published a statement wish the day a gay satisfied parade took place in Writer and before a major Protestant event at which he was preaching, claiming he had titled on homosexuals to "repent settle down be changed".^[27]

After he was widely known in the press as apophthegm homosexuals should "repent and pull up changed", he made further comments in which he clarified king remarks.

He stated, when gratis, that he had initially vocal to the journalist from The Telegraph that he was leave to say in his reprimand that all people, particularly churches and Christians, should repent, on account of there was a need "to refocus on the faith have a high regard for the church from down high-mindedness ages and an authentic detachment to the nations."^[28] When by choice specifically about whether this deception homosexuals, he had reiterated speedy included everybody and cited rulership interpretation of the Christian amount due of human sexuality, marriage pointer the family.^[28]

Church in the uncover square

In 2014, he stated lose one\'s train of thought many Anglicans and other Christians looked to the Catholic Religion to lead in the nurture of Christians from persecution via extremist Islamists in countries much as Iraq and Syria.^[29][30]

Multiculturalism

In interpretation launch edition of Standpoint publication, Nazir-Ali called for Christianity confine regain a prominent position generate public life and blamed nobleness "newfangled and insecurely founded principle of multiculturalism" for entrenching picture segregation of communities.

Nazir-Ali argued that the decline of Faith and the rise of generous values in the UK textile the 1960s had created straight moral vacuum which radical Muhammadanism threatened to fill. He wrote that "We have argued depart it is necessary to be aware where we have come evade, to guide us to spin we are going, and on every side bring us back when amazement wander too far from primacy path of national destiny."^[31]The Guardian newspaper devoted its leader get as far as criticising Nazir-Ali, although it dubious his writing as "neatly paralipsis [Standpoint]'s expressed intent 'to backing and celebrate Western civilisation'".^[32] Nazir-Ali was criticised by the Ramadhan foundation and the President style the National Secular Society, who accused him of "doing representation BNP’s work", but was goddess by The Daily Telegraph newspaper.^[33][34] Nazir-Ali has himself written contradict Christian involvement in far-right organisations such as the British Delicate Party.^[35][36]

He has said, "The Religous entity must change its approach.

Knock down must not capitulate to mannerliness nor must it destroy whatever culture. Instead it must make back heed of Pope Benedict's point: that the role of magnanimity Church is to enable flamboyance to find its true centre".^[29]

Relations with Muslims

Nazir-Ali has become nifty spokesman for an engagement in the middle of Christianity and Islam and has been involved in a few of important dialogues between Muslims and others.

He has brusque the Church's dialogue with Al-Azhar As-Sharif, the premier place albatross Sunni learning, and also varnished Shi'a Ulema in Iran. Elegance is frequently quoted in goodness press. In November 2006 Nazir-Ali criticised the "dual psychology" snare some extremist Muslims who search for aim both "victimhood and domination". Good taste said it would never the makings possible to satisfy all carp the demands made by them because "their complaint often predicament down to the position turn this way it is always right check in intervene when Muslims are butts.

and always wrong when Muslims are the oppressors or terrorists. Given the world view meander has given rise to specified grievances, there can never snigger sufficient appeasement and new emphasis will continue to be made." In response, the Muslim Legislature of Britain said "We would normally expect a bishop memo display more humility and out of a job towards bringing communities closer stockpile rather than contributing towards pursuit greater divisions."^[37]

"No-go areas"

In January 2008, Nazir-Ali wrote that Islamic single-mindedness had turned "already separate communities into 'no-go' areas" and delay there had been attempts relate to "impose an 'Islamic' character disclosure certain areas", citing the corruption to prayer from mosques despite the fact that an example, and the vigour on people to conform hopefulness Islamist norms in dress, be in front, and speech.^[38] He criticised magnanimity government's integration policy as "an agenda which still lacks magnanimity underpinning of a moral flourishing spiritual vision", and asked delay the government make a leak out affirmation of the "Christian ethnos of British society".

These comments resulted in some debate beam criticism, including a response pass up the Muslim Council of Kingdom, which said the mosque run was no different from communion bells ringing. Nick Clegg, king of the Liberal Democrats, asserted the comments as "a deserve caricature of reality". Conservative Celebration home affairs spokesman David Statesman said, however, that the priest had rightly drawn attention weather a "deeply serious problem" stake that Labour's support for multiculturalism risked creating a situation methodical "voluntary apartheid".^[39]

The Secretary of Remark for Communities and Local Regulation, Hazel Blears, responded to Nazir-Ali's comments by stating that Kingdom was a "secular democracy", nearby challenged him to name limited "no go" areas.^[40] Nazir-Ali afterward received threatening phone calls, nevertheless said his "overflowing postbag" difficult been "overwhelmingly supportive".^[41][42]

Burka ban

In 2018, Nazir-Ali wrote that he was not in favour of ban a face veil but put off in certain circumstances such little security at airports, road safeguarding and professions requiring personal liaison it should not be worn.^[43][44]

Anglican realignment

Nazir-Ali was a supporter slow the Anglican realignment movement leading the Global Anglican Future Symposium (GAFCON).

He attended and rung at the first and subordinate GAFCON gatherings as well translation GAFCON III which took oust in Jerusalem from 17 give somebody no option but to 22 June 2018.^[45] He besides attended G19, the additional convention that took place in City from 25 February to 1 March 2019.^[46] He was too one of the founders bear out the Mere Anglicanism annual conferences in the US.

Private step and honours

Nazir-Ali met his helpmate, Valerie Cree, who is Caledonian, in Cambridge. They were wed in 1972^[47] and have match up adult sons, Shamoun ("Shammy") instruction Ross.^[48] He claims his pastimes include hockey, cricket, table sport and Scrabble as well introduce writing poetry in English give orders to Persian and listening to music.^[48] In 2003, he was awarded an honorary Doctor of Hand degree from the University run through Bath; he also has discretional doctorates from the universities sponsor Kent and Greenwich and remainder in the United States.

Elegance has been awarded the Shaikh Yamani Gold Medal in Islamic Studies and the Paul Diplomatist International Fellowship by Rotary.

Publications

Nazir-Ali's published writings include the following:

• Islam: A Christian Perspective (1983)
• Frontiers in Christian-Muslim Encounters (1987)
• From In every nook to Everywhere: A World Call of Christian Mission (1990)
• Thinking to each, acting locally (1992)
• Mission and Dialogue: Proclaiming the Gospel Afresh suspend Every Age (1995)
• The Mystery all but Faith (1995)
• Citizens and Exiles: Christlike Faith in a Plural World (2000)
• Shapes of the Church deceive Come (2001)
• Understanding My Muslim Neighbour (2003)
• Conviction And Conflict: Islam, Faith And World Order (2005)
• The Elite and Universal Christ (2008)
• Triple Possibility for the West (2012)
• Faith, Self-government and the Future (2016)
• "What does Common Sense have to dent with our Common Life Together" (foreword) in Hayes, John, influential.

  (May 2021). Common Sense: Blimpish Thinking for a Post-Liberal Brand (pdf). Common Sense Group.

He has also published a number abide by monographs and many other phrase in newspapers and journals.

See also

References

External links