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| Details for Common Sense: The Full Disclosure About the International Statute of Wizarding Secrecy |
| Summary: | Published in both pamphlet form and as a paid advertisement in The Daily Prophet this is a very brief summary of the history of the Statute followed by a short commentary of why it would be imprudent to repeal the Statue at this time. |
| Date: | 1937-12-12 |
| Location: | {$location} |
| Related: | Any logs dealing with the repealment of the Statute of Secrecy. |
Common Sense:
The Full Disclosure About the International Statute of Wizarding Secrecy
History:
The Middle Ages through the Reformation period was dark time in the history for Wizards and Witches. We became hunted by Muggle society as the Religions of the Muggle word turned an eye of hatred towards the supernatural. The Muggle monarchy and the other Muggle aristocracy craved the power of magic that we held and begged for us to do magic and to teach them. They were jealous and afraid when they were denied access to that magic. Because of those negative emotions, the Muggle monarchies lent their power of authority to the religious orders of that time which had started to hunt us down in the name of religion. Many of our young people died in the flames or were tortured to death. A few were lucky and were able to use magic to escape.
Statute:
With the formation of the first Ministry of Magic attempts were made to work with the Monarchies of the Muggle world to stop the persecution. These attempts failed and the International Statute of Wizarding Secracy was created. Signed in 1689 and formally enforced starting in 1692 the International Statute of Wizarding Secrecy was put in place after almost two centuries of Muggle intolerance and persecution of the members of the Wizarding world. Since its inception many of the Wizarding families that enjoyed ties with rich and powerful aristocracy of Muggle society have tried to oppose the creation and maintenance of the Statute, including the Malfoys, the Blacks, and the Grindelwalds. The intent of the Statute is to allow witches and wizards to be able to live their lives free of prosecution and the fear of death at the hands of those members of Muggle society that are prone to intolerance and fear of the unknown or unexplained.
To Repeal or Not To Repeal:
The times we live in are unique and we can see many changes on the horizon. One the changes that some of the elite in our society are seeking to create is to have the Statute of Secrecy repealed. Many who support the repeal of the Statute are using slogans that speak of world unity. It is a wonderful ideal but the reality is that now is not the time. At this very moment the Muggle world is going through a period of paranoia and fear. They see war on the horizon; the League of Nations is crumbling and is powerless to stop it; the great ideas that came about after the First Great War have fallen to the wayside. Germany is under new rule, active again, on the March, and espousing a racially based reorganization of Muggle society worldwide. Other events have started to occur as well. In August of this year China Declared war on Japan. In September of this year Russia accused Italy of sinking their ships. Italy joined Germany and Japan in the Anti-Comintern Pact. The Spanish Muggle government is facing changes in the face of revolution. These are only some of the recent events that highlight the instability of Muggle politics.
Many will argue that in order for us to help the Muggles we need to be able to do so publicly, without the constraints of the Statute, but we helped them during the first Great War and we did it from behind our veil, we can do it again. Given the facts that Germany's Hitler is preparing for war and using racial, ethnic, and religious bias to encourage violent actions and that many of the other small conflicts taking place already started for similar reasons it is likely that revealing the Wizarding world to the Muggle at this point in time will only be met with vitriol and violence. We will most likely be viewed as unnatural and threatening in our powers resulting in a heightening of an already volatile political situation and perhaps sparking of a war between the Muggle and the Wizarding world. Many will also argue that we can control the Muggles, but to control them leads us down a dark path. There is a reason that Imperious Curse is considered some of the darkest magic.
We would instead recommend that the general public educate themselves as much as possible on the possible repercussions of repealing the Statue before choosing a side on this issue. Furthermore, instead of pushing for repealment at this moment in time the Unity movement should instead be preparing plans on how to achieve a smooth integration of Wizarding and Muggle society, without the use of magic or trickery, at a more peaceful time in the future. One of the first steps in this process should be working towards showing the world that we can peacefully and equitably coexists with other cultures and races by bringing down the incredible inequities we have built into our own society against other sentient races like goblins, centaurs, house elves, and Squibs. Otherwise, how can we expect the Muggles to believe we pose no threat to them and that they will be treated as equals when we clearly marginalize members of the magical community for no reason other than the fact that they are different from us?
Luther Martinus
This ad paid for by Informed Citizens for Secrecy