Badara

[Drax]

CHANCELLOR MEETS WITH HEAD OF APC MONKS
 
MANARA  ALBRAYD SRIA AL-MUSAMI
(If it’s in the Monsoon, it’s got to be true)

 Chancellor’s Office, August 17, 5726:  In the wake of calls on the campaign trail from members of the Dufazi Party and the Metzists of Majatra (MM) Party for the abolition of the Contemplative Monastic Order of Occidentalium, a monastic order recognized by the Arch Patriarch of the Aurorian Patriarchal Church (APC), as well as confiscation of their property, the First Master of that Order has requested a meeting with the Religious Affairs Minister, Ivrahim al-Marwan of the Israi Values Party (IV) who asked Chancellor Abdul Aziz to join them. The three met in the Chancellor’s Office.
 
First Master Drusus Antonius wanted to know if they would be allowed to continue to function as a religious body or whether they should curtail some activities or even shut down entirely.
 
The Religious Affairs Minister Indicated he knew the question was a fair one since Jumhuriat al-Badara did not have nor pretend to have absolute religious freedom. For several reasons. First was recognition there were Abadi factions that wanted to employ barbaric practices, religious thought police and subordination of civil law to their version of Ahmadi law.
 
Second, the nation had been invaded by Israi extremists from around the world.  So the Majlis which holds the political power has to apply restraint even to Ahmadis.  Third, we are not going to allow free operation of some religious group that seeks destruction of our Ahmadi religion.
 
The Chancellor explained the con census in the Majlis was that religion including Ahmadi factions whether Israi or Abadi should not and could not impose its rules on the body public and that this was the view of the Sovereign People as a whole.  Within that framework Ahmadi religion should be free to be practiced and even protected.
 
Other religions can practice in Jumhuriat al-Badara as recognized if they are not obviously a financial scam, are not a threat to our Ahmadi population and are not indulging in practices which are barbaric or abusive.
 
Aziz further explained the Dufazi had a large following among the Abadi and had elements who wanted to impose their views on everybody but the Abadi as a whole were a minority who were not going to be allowed by the Israi majority to dominate them.  Further, the MM wanted to abolish all religion, not just the APC Monks, and that was not going to happen.
 
The Religious Affairs Minister further noted that the APC  was a recognized religion and the Contemplative Order was a recognized part of that religion.  The caveat he would also note though was that after the preceding regime essentially abolished government, the restoration pretty much put all political power in the Majlis so that the con census among the Israi majority of voters remaining the same was not a certainty although it was highly likely for the foreseeable future.