Religions for Peace - USA September 2005 E-Newsletter

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In This Issue:

From Our Executive Director…

Hurricane Katrina: Faith Communities Respond
Our deepest and most heartfelt sympathies are extended to all who suffered from the effects and aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. Hundreds of people of faith are responding in remarkable ways to the disasters in the South Central United States. Religions for Peace-USA has collected a list of the places where you can help. Click here for more, please.

"The People Speak" Kicks Off – Mini-Grants Available Now
Now through November 30, 2005, thousands of Americans will be hosting dialogues in their communities on the role of the US and UN in the world. They will be discussing such things as poverty, hunger, health, environment, terrorism, WMDs, war and conflict. There is still time to set up and host a dialogue in your community. There are many mini-grants still available for up to $500 each to help you organize and a simple two-page online application brings you there. Click here for more, please.

Bending Hearts: Partnership and Renewal Around the MDGs
As world leaders prepare to gather at the United Nations in mid-September, religious leaders are gathering so that they “would manifest the determination needed to fulfill the Millennium Development Goals,” according to the Church Center for the United Nations Chaplain Kathleen Stone. The service, which Religions for Peace-USA is co-sponsoring, is open to the public. It begins at 6 p.m. on Wednesday, September 7, 2005, in Tillman Chapel at 44th and 1st Avenue. A reception follows at 7 p.m..

Honoring 9/11: From Unity Walks to New DVDs
How will you recognize the fourth anniversary of September 11th? We sample just a few of the ways here.

9/11 Unity Walk - In Washington D.C. the religious communities are coming together for a first ever Unity Walk. The Walk will convene at 1:30 p.m. and visit eight faith communities along Massachusetts Avenue and Embassy Row, beginning with Washington Hebrew Congregation and ending with the Islamic Center of Washington. RFP-USA is one of over 30 co-sponsors. Organizers say that “The Walk itself will have an aspect of intercultural pageantry, with live Jewish, Christian, and Hindu music and Walkers in traditional faith regalia.” For more information, please visit www.dcunitywalk.com or contact Daniel Tutt danieltutt@yahoo.com or 202-362-2222.

NYDIS – New CD on 9/11 Recovery and Ground Zero Tour
A new CD focusing on the discovery of strength and resilience in the face of 9/11 has been released. Producer Courtney Cowarts’ Courage: A Pilgrim’s Walking Tour of Ground Zero "accompanies the listener through a journey at Ground Zero and includes not only walking directions, a map, and identification of key points on the landscape, but also provides first-person stories by participants who worked tirelessly in the recovery effort and have struggled with the pain and suffering of the experience" according to a release by the New York Disaster Interfaith Services (www.nydis.org). Proceeds from the sale of the CD will be used to support NYDIS’ disaster advocacy, planning, training, and long-term recovery initiatives. To order contact online or call 212-669-6100. The cost is $15 per CD + $2 shipping and handling.

Divided We Fall: Americans in the Aftermath
A new DVD explores the real stories of diverse Americans in the wake of 9/11. Filmed by two young filmmakers in fourteen American cities while on the road for over four months. As anti-American hate crimes quadrupled after 9/11, filmmaker Valerie Kaur found hope, resilience, and love as the overwhelming response of Americans who encountered fear, violence, and loss. As a Sikh woman, she began her quest after a few people in her community had been attacked and even one murdered during post 9/11 retaliations. To learn more or order a copy of the DVD, please visit www.dwf-film.com.

Interfaith Opening to 60th General Assembly of the United Nations
The Interfaith Center of New York proudly announces their annual Interfaith Prayer Service on the occasion of the opening of the 60th General Assembly of the United Nations. St. Bartholomew’s Church will host the event on September 13, beginning at 8:15 a.m., and Secretary General Kofi Annan is expected to offer opening remarks. For more information visit www.interfaithcenter.org or call (212) 685-4242, and ask for David, Andrew, or Moise.

Even More Mini-Grants! and National Day of Action on Darfur
Apply for a mini-grant today to host an event in your community to recognize the National Day of Action on Darfur, September 21, 2005. Events may range from video screenings and prayer vigils to teach-ins and a meet-n-greet with your elected officials. Mini-grants will provide up to $200 and will include postcards for distribution. Please e-mail grants@savedarfur.org to receive the grant guidelines from the Save Darfur Coalition.

In concert with your event and those occurring across the nation, leaders of major organizations will convene in Washington for a National Leadership Assembly for Darfur. These leaders will meet with government officials to reinforce the American public’s demands that the United States take decisive and effective action to protect the people of Darfur. Leaders wishing to participate, please contact martha@savedarfur.org.

For more information and to register, visit the National Day of Action on the Save Darfur website.

Darfur Fast
On October 6th, dozens of diverse organizations and millions of individuals worldwide, will be participating in Darfur Fast. Darfur Fast will reach individuals and communities around the globe in order to send a direct message that the international community recognizes its responsibility to protect the world's populations from humanitarian crises. Multiple events will be organized around the Fast, including rallies and vigils. News of the events will be broadcast into Eastern Chad and Darfur via radio, to show the people of Darfur that they have not been forgotten. Register to participate in the fast today at www.darfurfast.org.

Celebrating the UN International Day of Peace – September 21st
If you are not celebrating the UN International Day of Peace with a focus on Darfur, as we suggest above, then consider some of these resources:

www.un.org/events/peaceday/2005
www.internationaldayofpeace.org
www.idpvigil.com
www.worldpeace.org
www.overcomingviolence.org

The theme this year -- Peace in Action -- will focus on peace projects initiated by schools and youth organizations around the world and be represented in a series of ceremonies at the United Nations from 10 a.m. - 1 p.m. E.D.T. on September 21, 2005. We encourage you to report your events at www.idpvigil.com/commitments/addForm.html.

Also, Peace One Day, in association with BBC and Passion Pictures, has produced a film to commemorate the UN International Day of Peace. It may be ordered from their website: www.peaceoneday.org.

Call for Justice Weekend: Stopping Torture
Concerned about the torture and abuse of detainees in Iraq, Afganistan, and Guantanamo? Speak up – together. The Unitarian Universalist Service Committee is hosting an interfaith framed “Call for Justice Weekend” in Washington D.C. during September 24-26, 2005.

Is torture ever appropriate? How do the Geneva Conventions apply? What really happened to detainees?

Attendees will be encouraged to visit their Congressional representatives on Monday, September 26, 2005. The first two days will involve educational workshops, religious services, and even mock trials. If you wish to attend the Call for Justice Weekend, please be sure to register online at www.uusc.org/stoptorture. They are inviting endorsers for the event at interfaithendorse@uusc.org. If you have questions or need further assistance, please contact Jennifer Harbury or Nadya Khalife at UUSC at 1-800-388-3920.

There will be an interreligious component or “track” to the World Peace Forum. For more information, please visit www.worldpeaceforum.ca.

Interreligious Network to Eliminate Nuclear Weapons
During the sixtieth anniversary of the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, religious groups the world over took part in ceremonies of remembrance. In addition to remembering the harm that nuclear weapons have done, Rev. William Sloane Coffin and other religious leaders used the anniversary to re-commit themselves to eliminating nuclear weapons. With support from groups such as Sojourners, Pax Christi USA, the Fourth Freedom Forum, and Women’s Action for New Directions, the religious leaders have been working together to found the Interreligious Network to Eliminate Nuclear Weapons.

To be launched officially in 2006, the Network will encourage religious individuals and communities to move closer to abolition. These efforts will include building coordinated local, regional, and national educational and outreach efforts; pressuring the U.S. government to develop detailed blueprints toward abolition; and mobilizing individuals in the religious community to take action to oppose legislation such as the funding of the "nuclear bunker buster."

In an “Appeal to the Religious Communities of America,” currently circulating throughout the country, religious leaders make the case for the abolition of nuclear weapons, and lay out concrete steps to take toward abolition, which necessarily begins with disarmament.

The effort could not come at a more necessary time. Experts agree that the threat poised by nuclear weapons is increasing. Last year, former secretary of defense William Perry said, "I have never been more fearful of a nuclear detonation than now. ...There is a greater than 50 per cent probability of a nuclear strike on U.S. targets within a decade."

To view and sign onto the Appeal to the Religious Communities of America, or to request more information about the Interreligious Network to Eliminate Nuclear Weapons, please visit www.nuclearlockdown.org, or contact Jessica Wilbanks, the Network Coordinator, at 202-587-5232.

International Congress on Intercultural and Interreligious Dialogue
Under the title “New Challenges in a World Longing for Peace,” the International Catholic Movement for Intellectual and Cultural Affairs Barandiaran Kristau Alkartea - Pax Romana in collaboration with UNESCO Etxea is organizing the International Congress on Intercultural and Interreligious Dialogue to be held in Bilbao, Spain during December 11-13, 2005.

One of the basic aims of this meeting is to raise awareness among as much of the population as possible regarding the challenges which need to be faced in order to create, strengthen, and maintain a culture of peace. For more information, please visit www.icii-bilbao.org or write to congreso@bkamiic.org.

Poverty on the Rise
Those of you following the tragedy in New Orleans these past two weeks know that the poverty of New Orleans’ residents (roughly 1/3 of the population) was one of the excerbating factors in the crisis.

Recent Census Bureau statistics show that the poverty rates rose for the fourth straight year in 2004 in the United States. Nearly 37 million Americans are living at or below poverty level, including an alarmingly high percentage of children. And the gap between the world's rich and poor is expanding, the United Nations has recently reported, saying globalization has failed to stem inequality.

In light of all this, please note that by September 16 congressional committees have instructions to cut $35 billion from mandatory programs. Such cuts are expected to affect Medicaid, Food Stamps, Medicare, the Earned Income Tax Credit, TANF, and SSI for elderly and disabled persons. September 8 and 9 are Call-In Days to enable concerned Americans to reach their representatives. The American Friends Service Committee has provided a toll-free number to reach the Capitol Switchboard on these two days 1-800-426-8073.

Summer of Prayer and Advocacy for MDGs: September 14-16 Vigil and Witness
During the upcoming World Summit, leaders of 140 countries will review the commitments that they have to build a safer, healthier, and more just world by cutting global poverty. The “30,000 Campaign” brings attention to the number of children who die a preventable death every day due to conditions of extreme poverty.

Episcopalians for Global Reconciliation, World Vision, Micah Challenge, Sojourners, Bread for the World, and Religions for Peace-USA, among others, have been helping to plan a three-day vigil during the Summit. You can join the campaign by:

1) Writing, Praying, and Fasting - More than 30,000 people are called upon to declare to their elected leaders their intention to fast and pray for bold U.S. leadership. A fast can be as simple as sacrificing one meal during the course of the Summit, which can serve as a spiritual and personal act of solidarity with the billions of people across the world whom are without food and basic necessities every day.
2) Traveling to New York City for the World Summit - During the Summit, there will be three days of fasting, praying, and moral witness from September 14-16 in the Dag Hammarskjold Plaza near the United Nations. Volunteers are needed, so please contact organize@sojo.net, if you are interested.
3) Highlighting the Crisis of Global Poverty in Religious Services Across the Country - In order to raise awareness and engagement around the Millennium Development Goals, people of faith are encouraged to include prayer and liturgy around the crisis of global poverty in their religious gatherings.

Concerts for Peace – Dialogue/Hewar
Dialogue/Hewar, a music group from Damascus, Syria, will bring their unique style of music to America for an 8-city Concert for Peace tour in late September and early October. As their name suggests, Dialogue (“Hewar” in Arabic) seeks to build understanding and trust between people in America and the Middle East through their music. Their unique style combines the Middle Eastern music of their homeland with the beat and style of contemporary jazz. To see the tour schedule or learn more, visit: www.concertsforpeace.net.

New Staff
Rubina Madni is our new Associate for UN Relations. She graduated from SUNY Stony Brook in May, 2005. Rubina earned a B.A in History with a concentration in United States History, and she plans on going to law school to study international human rights law. While Rubina is a Muslim, and wishes to become more knowledgeable of her own religion, she is passionate about gaining a firm nderstanding of and appreciation for other faiths. "I believe that in the U.S., we are very blessed to live in such a diverse environment-diversity of ideas, beliefs, and cultures. We should all strive, not just for mere 'tolerance,' of our neighbors' belief systems, but to understand and accept them.

Religions for Peace Announces Violence Study Initiative with UNICEF

As part of its global partnership with UNICEF, Religions for Peace announced plans to embark upon a joint initiative to engage religious communities in the UN Secretary General's Study on Violence against Children. Together, the organizations will work to strengthen the advocacy of religious communities on behalf of children who have been victims of violence and to adopt a Declaration of the World's Religions on Violence Against Children.

The study, which bases its understanding of violence on the guidelines established by the Convention on the Rights of the Child, constitutes a landmark effort to provide a detailed global picture of the nature, extent, and causes of violence against children. Mandated by the UN General Assembly, the Study's findings will be used to propose a clear action agenda towards reducing and preventing violence.

During 2005, nine regional consultations took place in various regions across the globe. Each produced an outcome paper to contribute to the Study Secretariat. The complete report will be submitted to the Secretary-General, who is expected to present its final recommendations to the General Assembly for ratification in October 2006.
Broadly, the collaboration has several objectives, including:

• Facilitating the systematic and strategic engagement of religious organizations in the Study
• Promoting the direct involvement of religious leaders and organizations in its consultation and advocacy processes, and
• Preparing religious communities and faith based organizations to be effective actors in implementing its final recommendations.

In 2006, Religions for Peace will convene a Global Consultation of religious leaders to review the draft Study and UNICEFs regional consultation process, as well as to develop advocacy and message strategies for use by religious communities at regional and national levels. Participants will work to construct a Declaration of the World's Religions on Violence Against Children that demonstrates the commitment of the world's religious communities to protect children from violence and to work within their communities to reduce its incidence. The declaration will be adopted at Religions for Peace's VIIIth World Assembly in Kyoto, Japan in August 2006 and transformed into action plans for use by Religions for Peace affiliates around the globe.

To launch the partnership, Religions for Peace held a preparatory meeting in Helsinki, Finland in early September that brought together thirteen senior religious leaders from diverse faiths and regions to develop an agenda for the Consultation, recommendations for the Study, and action plans regarding key issues appropriate for the advocacy of religious communities.

In lieu of the normal member feature, we are highlighting an organization and resource so fundamental to interfaith work that we are all likely to take it for granted and not appreciate its true depth.

Paul McKenna of the Scarboro Missions in Canada has dedicated a great deal of his professional energy towards perfecting and promulgating “The Golden Rule” as a teaching device and as development mechanism for reaching a global ethic.

Under his leadership, the organization, founded in 1885, has developed a variety of resources on interfaith dialogue and the Golden Rule, including a do-it-yourself workshop, the text in 5 languages, and much more. Inspired in part by Dr. Hans Kung’s Global Ethic, Paul had a dream about ten years ago regarding the use of The Golden Rule in everyday life. Today, Scarboro Missions enjoys “best seller” status with The Golden Rule poster in North America. He wants to go farther. Later this fall there will be 20 Golden Rule exercises available on the website, and he and colleagues are now working on translations into Punjabi, Hebrew, and Mandrin. Looking to bridge language barriers in your interfaith dialogue efforts? Try these resources. It features The Golden Rule in 13 religions.

Gold isn't the only color, though. Now thinking green too, Paul is currently helping Missione Oggi to develop a resource called “The Green Rule,” based on common environmental calls from the world’s religions. The effort will have a poster, but will be based on a tree structure with words of scripture on the leaves. Stay tuned for more details.

In the meantime, to order the poster, visit www.pflaum.com, e-mail service@pflaum.com, or phone 1-800-543-4383 to order the $8.95 poster. Shipping is extra.

This month we leave behind our normal diet of good books and DVDs for interfaith things you can drink, play, and visit. We are not kidding. Resources come in all shapes, sizes, and sorts.

Interfaith Coffee?
You have no doubt heard of fair trade coffee, but how about fair trade coffee with an interfaith purpose? They say it is “Not just a cup, but a just cup.”

A company with 20 years of fair trade experience, the Thanksgiving Coffee Co. in Fort Bragg, California is introducing Mirembe Kawomera Coffee, a Fair Trade coffee from a cooperative of Jewish, Christian, and Muslim farmers in Uganda. The Mirembe Kawomera Cooperative was formed last year, in an effort to create peace and prosperity in Uganda, and as a way to bring together religious communities often divided and conflicted along religious lines.

Please visit www.mirembekawomera.com to learn more about the project. To request more information, including a starter kit, contact Ben Corey-Moran, Cornucopia Project Director at the Thanksgiving Coffee Company, at 707-964-0118 or 800-462-1999.

Enlighten: A New Interfaith Board Game
A fun new board game that will help people learn about other faiths? How clever! The National Council of Churches created one many years ago, but now a young woman from California, Ms. Christa Reynolds, has created a colorful and detailed one of the same commercial quality as any in your local department store’s game aisle. Geared for people age 12 and up, it is designed so that you can play in teams and have cooperative learning. Ms. Reynold’s dream is to create a “Jr. Version” for even younger children, as they are finding it is an excellent device for use in schools addressing diversity issues.

Buy one today and give to a good cause. Religions for Peace-USA is working with the "Enlighten Your World Campaign" during the months of September and October. When you purchase the new board game ENLIGHTEN, the spiritual journey that takes players around the world through many of the faith traditions, Enlighten Games Inc. will donate $5 back to Religions for Peace-USA to continue its support of the "Return to the Earth." Return to the Earth is a Native American repatriation and reconciliation project. Please go to www.enlightengamesinc.com to learn more about the game. When ordering be sure to type RFP-USA in field next to your name. Join others in having fun, learning, and celebrating the uniqueness and oneness of us all.

Learning about Faiths through Religiously Oriented Museums
Is it just us are there a lot of new openings of religiously-oriented exhibits and museums? We have nottaken an official count, but here are a few recent openings that we haven’t:

The National Museum of Catholic Art and History opened this summer on E. 115th Street in New York City. Independent of the institutional Catholic Church, the museum promises “to explore the rich and complex dialogue between Christianity and other religious traditions," as part of its mission. Visit www.nmcah.org for more information.

The Arab American National Museum which opened in Detroit this past Spring was created at a cost of $15.3 million. The new museum hopes to show the religious diversity of Arab Americans in the United States through some of its exhibitions. Visit www.theaanm.org for more information.

The Museum of Biblical Art opened in New York City earlier this year above the headquarters for the American Bible Society, from whose Gallery exhibitions it has expanded. The museum draws from the Christian and Jewish traditions specifically. Visit www.mobia.org for more information.

Prayers for Peace: A Gift for the IDP
There are a number of excellent books that collect together prayers for peace from the different religious traditions. This slender volume caught our eye, not because it will be released on the International Day of Peace, but because it is full of thought provoking images and artworks as well. Visit www.carriecoco.com to learn more.

"Each time a man stands up for an ideal or acts to improve the lot of others, or strikes out against injustice, he sends forth a tiny ripple of hope, and crossing each other from a million different centers of energy and daring, those ripples build a current that can sweep down the mightiest walls of oppression and resistance."

- Robert F. Kennedy, 1966, South Africa

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