Muslims, Christians, and
Jews join together in urging action for peace
[8-23-04]
Amid all the allegations of anti-Semitism
being hurled at the Presbyterian Church as if it is the only group urging
reason and restraint for peace in Israel/Palestine, we hear a joint call
for peace from Jews, Muslims and Christians. They recognize how violence
is connected in Iraq, Israel/Palestine, terrorist groups, and more - and
call for a "Nonviolent Coalition" that will welcome all to their tent as
Abraham did, "to share his food and water with travelers from anywhere."
THE TENT
OF ABRAHAM
We are members of the families of Abraham -
Muslims, Christians, Jews.
Our traditions teach us to have compassion,
seek justice, and pursue peace for all peoples. We bear especially deep
concern for the region where Abraham learned and taught, journeyed and
flourished. Today that region is known as the greater Middle East - from
Iraq, where Abraham grew up, to Israel and Palestine, where he sojourned.
Today our hearts are broken by the violence
poured out upon the peoples of that region.
That violence has included the occupation
of Palestinian lands by Israel and of Iraq by the United States; terrorist
attacks on Americans, Israelis, Iraqis, and others by various Palestinian
and Iraqi groups and by Al Qaeda; the torture of prisoners by several
different police forces, military forces, and governments in the region.
From our heartbreak at these
destructive actions, we intend to open our hearts more fully to each other
and to the suffering of all peoples.
In the name of the One God Whom we all
serve and celebrate, we condemn all these forms of violence. To end the
present wars and to take serious steps toward the peace that all our
traditions demand of us, we call on governments and on the leaders of all
religious and cultural communities to act.
We urge the US government to set a firm and
speedy date, preferably no later than December 1, 2004, for completing the
safe return home from Iraq of all Americans under military control or
contract - so that Hanukkah, Christmas, and Eid el Adha can actually be
celebrated as festivals of peace. We urge the UN to work directly with Iraqi
political groupings to transfer power in Iraq to an elected government.
We urge the UN, the US, the European Union,
and Russia to convene a comprehensive peace conference through which the
governments of Israel, the Palestinian Authority, Iran, and all Arab states
conclude a full diplomatic, economic, and cultural peace with Israel and
Palestine, defined approximately on the 1967 boundaries, with small mutual
adjustments.
We urge the international community to work
out lawful and effective means to deal with the dangers of international
terrorism, the spread of nuclear and similar weapons, and conflicts over the
control of oil and water.
We ourselves will act to create
transnational and interfaith networks of Jews, Christians, and Muslims who
will covenant together -
According to tradition, Abraham kept his
tent open in all four directions, the more easily to share his food and
water with travelers from anywhere. In that spirit, we welcome all those who
thirst and hunger for justice, peace, and dignity.
Signed by
- Sister Joan Chittister, OSB; Rev. Bob
Edgar, National Council of Churches; Dr. Sayyid Muhammad Syeed, Islamic
Society of North America; Rabbi Arthur Waskow, The Shalom Center --- and
YOU?
You can DONATE ONLINE by clicking on
http://www.shalomctr.org/index.cfm/action/donate.html or going to
http://www.shalomctr.org (which will
give you a sense of our work in general) and looking for "Donate' in the
right-hand column - or print out this coupon and send it to:
"Abraham's Tent," Shalom Center, 6711
Lincoln Drive, Philadelphia PA 19119
__ Please add my name as a signer to this
statement. To help publish it, I enclose ---
__ $1000; __ $500; __ $360; __ $250; __
$180; __ $100; ____ Other __.
(This donation is tax-deductible.)
Name/s _____________________________________
Address _____________________________________
Phone/s
_____________________________________
Email/s: ______________________________________
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
This thought-letter flows from the work of
The Shalom Center, a North American network committed to draw on Jewish
wisdom, old and new, and to learn from other wisdom traditions and
communities, in order to pursue peace, justice, and the healing of the
earth. For more information about The Shalom Center, go to
http://www.shalomctr.org
Thanks to Witherspooners
Darrell and Sue Yeaney for sharing this announcement.
