Behind the news: Visions for peace – Voices of faith

Table of Contents
1. Background to “Behind the News: Visions for Peace – Voices of Faith”
2. Statements and actions of the global church and ecumenical family
3. Responses from other faith communities
4. Summaries of inter-governmental response
5. Humanitarian concerns
6. Contributions to the current debate
7. Calls for action

1. Background

In response to the threatening global situation in the wake of the September 11 attacks in the United States, Action by Churches Together (ACT), the Ecumenical Advocacy Alliance (EAA) and the World Council of Churches (WCC), have set up a short-term response mechanism to offer a selection of statements, useful information, thought-provoking reflections, and worship resources which might aid churches in responding to the unfolding situation. This weekly bulletin contains summaries and references to selected resources that can be found through our web site at http://www.wcc-coe.org/wcc/behindthenews. There is additional information on the web site than may not necessarily be referred to in the bulletin.

Please feel free to share this bulletin widely by e-mail and in hard copy. We apologize if you are receiving duplicate copies of this bulletin due to the multiple distribution lists we are using. We appreciate feedback on what you find helpful and what other information you may need. Please contact us at: bulletins@wcc-coe.org

2. Statements and actions of the global church and ecumenical family

a) In his Angelus message of 18 November, His Holiness Pope John Paul II has called for fasting and prayer on 14 December "to pray fervently to God to grant to the world stable peace based on justice, and make it possible to find adequate solutions to the many conflicts that trouble the world. May what is saved by fasting be put at the disposal of the poor, especially those who at present suffer the consequences of terrorism and war." He also announced his intention to invite the representatives of the world religions to come to Assisi on 24 January 2002 to pray for the overcoming of opposition and the promotion of authentic peace. "In particular, we wish to bring Christians and Muslims together to proclaim to the world that religion must never be a reason for conflict, hatred and violence. In this historic moment, humanity needs to see gestures of peace and to hear words of hope." http://www.vatican.va/holy_father/john_paul_ii/angelus/2001/documents/hf_jp-ii_ang_20011118_en.html

b) The World Council of Churches brought 20 representatives of churches in various regions to reflect with staff on the possible consequences of the September 11 attacks and subsequent military retaliation. The meeting, held 29 November-December 1, analyzed issues related to global governance, global security, human rights, global economy, humanitarian concerns, and challenges to religions. http://wcc-coe.org/wcc/news/press/01/42pu.html.The full report will be issued soon.

c) The Peace Movement reacts: Pax Christi International has compiled a collection of materials released by their member organizations and from Pax Christi International regarding the dramatic attacks on the USA (11 September) and the war in Afghanistan (since 7 October 2001), in an 18-page document filled with prayers, reflections, suggested actions, and more. Read the full text at http://www.paxchristi.net/PDF/summary.pdf

d) The administrative committee of the Union of Welsh Independents has issued a statement declaring their "unequivocal support" of bringing to justice those responsible for the 11 September attacks and the "effort to rid the world of terrorism". However, says the committee, "we are greatly troubled by the methods used so far to secure those aims…We acknowledge that there is no simple or easy way of reacting to such violence, but we are convinced that this should not be achieved through military intervention. Injustice cannot be conquered by unjust means - the only result will be a continuing circle of violence that will give evil a double victory." The statement calls for an immediate end to all military actions, transfer of responsibility for dealing with the situation from the United Kingdom and United States to the United Nations, and channeling resources for humanitarian aid to the people of Afghanistan. For more information on the Union see: http://www.annibynwyr.com/

3. Responses from other faith communities

a) The Iman Riad Tatary, one of the highest Muslim authorities in Spain, issued a press release criticizing the United States and the war in Afghanistan, considering that “the United States has sufficient means to capture Bin Laden without killing innocent people". (Spanish) Boletín del Centro Ecuménico “Misioneras de la Unidad” de Madrid, no. 16, 28 November. (misioneras@wanadoo.es) For more information on "Misioneras de la Unidad" see http://www3.planalfa.es/mu/

b) Replying to WCC general secretary Konrad Raiser's greetings to the world-wide Muslim community at the beginning of Ramadan, Ayatollah Muhammad Ali Taskhiri, president of the World Forum for Enhancing Relations Among Islamic Schools of Thought, writes that "Muslims and Christians are in agreement as they condemn injustice, violence, terrorism and the killing of innocent people… Violence and terrorism are embedded in fanaticism, ignorance and the absence of spirituality. They need to be eradicated throughout the world…" He further calls the churches to "join hands, speak together, and work together in fulfilling our duty to promote genuine life inspired by the spirituality of the prophets and their teachings about faith in God, justice, reconciliation and peace". (http://www.wcc-coe.org/wcc/behindthenews/us134.html)

4. Summaries of inter-governmental response

a) Mary Robinson, UN high commissioner for Human Rights, together with Walter Schwimmer, secretary-general of the Council of Europe and Ambassador Gerard Stoudman, director-general of the Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights of the OSCE, called on governments who are implementing action against terrorism to refrain from taking measures that would violate human rights and fundamental freedoms. They stressed that some rights cannot be derogated, even in emergency situations, such as the right to life, freedom from torture, and the principles of non-retroactivity of criminal law. http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=2288&Cr=terror&Cr1=

b) Thalif Deen reports on the Inter Press Service site, that the United Nations remains deadlocked on a major international treaty against terrorism because of sharp political divisions among member states. "The simple fact is that terrorism means different things to different people,'' said one diplomat from a developing country, on condition of anonymity. "We couldn't find common political ground on several issues - despite the fact that the entire world is preoccupied with international terrorism." "A Comprehensive Convention Against Terrorism'', the treaty has been touted as the last word on anti-terrorism - primarily because it incorporates most of the key provisions from the existing 12 UN conventions against terrorism. http://www.oneworld.org/ips2/oct01/01_13_005.html

c) The Canadian Council for Refugees reports that Canada and the United States signed a joint border accord on 3 December setting out major new deals for border policing, expanded international security teams and coordinated immigration measures. This will further integrate policing by the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, the US Border Control and other police forces. The accord also includes an agreement that Canada and the US will adopt similar lists of countries whose citizens require visitors’ visas. The two countries have also agreed to establish a crossborder accord on the treatment of refugee claimants which would allow Canada to insist that the 40% of refugee claimants who arrive via the US to make their claims there. For more information on the situation in Canada, see: http://www.web.net/~ccr/fronteng.htm

5. Humanitarian concerns

a) Marym Manazie, director of the International Federation of Iranian Refugees, reports on the situation of Afghan refugees, noting that the closed borders kill people . In Pakistan, those making it across the border are primarily people with Pakistani identity papers, presumably from previous stay in camps in Pakistan, and those with relatives on the other side and enough money to pay smugglers. Many more have been unable to cross to safety. http://www.ahram.org.eg/weekly/2001/562/7war1.htm.

b) A rift has reportedly opened between the United States and its key allies over the Bush administration s reluctance to deploy allied troops in Afghanistan to help safeguard the delivery of humanitarian aid. http://www.latimes.com/news/printedition/asection/la-0000950000nov29.story

c) Lutheran World Relief this week issued a call to action to commemorate the fourth anniversary of the Mine Ban Treaty, asking people to call the White House and voice their support for a ban on landmines. As a result of US military strikes in Afghanistan, new concerns about landmine use in that country have been raised. According to the US Campaign to Ban Landmines (USCBL), while the US has not yet begun to use landmines in Afghanistan, it has not ruled out the option as the military campaign there continues. In addition, US airdrops of food may be inadvertently drawing Afghani civilians into dangerous mine zones to collect that food. Lutheran World Relief, along with the USCBL, supports a moratorium on the deployment of new landmines in Afghanistan. http://www.lwr.org/action/advocacy/landmines.html

d) Agence France-Presse (AFP) reports that Jordan is soon to set up a field hospital in Afghanistan as part of a humanitarian mission which could develop into a peacekeeping force at a later stage. http://www.reliefweb.int/w/rwb.nsf/480fa8736b88bbc3c12564f6004c8ad5/5d7c81a7c761f091c1256b18003b13e2?OpenDocument

e) The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) Situation Report No. 27 gives an overview of the current situation in Afghanistan and issues relating to this country. A meeting of the Afghanistan Support Group will take place in Berlin on 5 and 6 December. The UN will present an updated Donor Alert (available on http://www.reliefweb.int) and a preliminary paper on priorities and future steps for a transition programme. The Berlin meeting will be followed by donor meetings in Brussels in mid-December and in Japan at the end of January that will primarily focus on rehabilitation and reconstruction. http://www.reliefweb.int/w/rwb.nsf/480fa8736b88bbc3c12564f6004c8ad5/c2c295039c1306cb49256b18000fa386?OpenDocument

f) The US Agency for International Development (USAID) has issued an updated Complex Emergency Fact Sheet #32 (FY02) on the Central Asia Region. http://www.reliefweb.int/w/rwb.nsf/480fa8736b88bbc3c12564f6004c8ad5/bcfe65bcb222bce749256b1800103246?OpenDocument

g) World Food Programme (WFP) reports that its programme is giving Afghan women a chance to work again, after years of being banned from any kind of professional work by the Taliban's harsh rule. The agency is this week mobilizing some 2,424 women to carry out an emergency food distribution in Kabul. Together with 1,200 men, the women will go door-to-door across the Afghan capital distributing food coupons which can be exchanged for emergency aid at WFP food depots. The Kabul operation is part of a WFP region-wide recruitment drive with adverts being placed in Kabul, Quetta, Peshawar and Islamabad appealing for qualified Afghan women to come forward for employment. http://www.reliefweb.int/w/rwb.nsf/480fa8736b88bbc3c12564f6004c8ad5/dd099853c88e505785256b17006940de?OpenDocument

h) Agence France-Presse (AFP) reports that the executive director of UNICEF, Carol Bellamy, has expressed her concern about the impact that the flight of people from Kandahar can have on children. "When people have travelled so far, there is always the risk of exposure." http://www.reliefweb.int/w/rwb.nsf/480fa8736b88bbc3c12564f6004c8ad5/28732a89343d0588c1256b170060679e?OpenDocument

i) An article in the Christian Science Monitor tells the story of young Afghan girls going back to school. Scott Baldauf writes that although Jalalabad Girls' School No. 2 has no books and can't pay its teachers, students are eager to pick up education suspended by the Taliban. http://www.reliefweb.int/w/rwb.nsf/480fa8736b88bbc3c12564f6004c8ad5/b68441a6a14cd07ec1256b17005f42fd?OpenDocument

j) An assessment team from British relief agency War Child travelled to Afghanistan and the region just before the military gains of the Northern Alliance. Emergency response coordinator Johnie McGlade told Ruth Gidley there was a dangerous power vacuum as the Taliban government retreated. http://www.alertnet.org/thefacts/reliefresources/152563/ k) For a map of who controls who in Afghanistan, click on the following link: http://www.alertnet.org/thefacts/reliefresources/338279

l) The Institute for War and Peace Reporting (IWPR) operates major publishing and project activities in the Central Asian states, with offices in Almaty, Bishkek and Tashkent. Their news analysis service from the region, Reporting Central Asia, is published weekly on this site http://www.iwpr.net/index.pl?intcrisis_index.html and via e-mail subscription. Links to other Central Asian resource sites are available on the project pages. Relevant articles focussing on Afghanistan can be found on this site.

m) ACT Information Officer, Paul Jeffrey, writes from Shamshatoo Refugee Camp near Peshawar, "Pakistan Afghan refugees will wait for peace": Dateline, November 28, 2001 . "Everywhere you look in this refugee community, life is a brown monochrome. The simple brown mud walls and mud houses rise from the brown earth, and brown dust swirls in the air, coating everything. It would look hopeless were it not for the occasional flashes of color, including the bright blue tent-like burkas of Afghan women walking to their homes. Hope can also be seen in the white kite that 7-year old Abdul Maruf flies above the brown village. Maruf's family left their drought-ravaged farm in the Afghan countryside a year ago, moving in with relatives outside Mazar-e-Sharif."

n) In his most recent dateline from Quetta, Pakistan, Jeffrey tells the story of the struggle for survival by Afghan refugee women in Pakistan. Dateline, December 3, 2001 "Qamer arrived in Quetta two months ago, a widow and penniless, her four small children in tow. She knew no one in this sprawling border city, so she went to the local mosque and asked for help. The religious leaders there sent her to stay with a family deep in a local neighborhood of featureless mud walls and mud houses, filled with fellow refugees from Afghanistan."

o) For photos from Pakistan and Afghanistan, please visit the ACT website: http://www.photooikoumene.org/act-news/actnews.html

p) The Center for International Disaster Information reports that UNICEF's national and international staff in Afghanistan continue to assess the humanitarian situation, meet with NGO and other partners, and lay the groundwork for steady increases in relief and recovery activities. Several UNICEF staff are now in the country. www.cidi.org/humanitarian/hsr/centralasia

q) The U.S. Committee for Refugees (USCR) has denounced Iran and Pakistan's deportation of Afghan Refugees in a recent press release, stating that although several thousand Afghan refugees have returned home voluntarily from Iran since the Northern Alliance pushed the Taliban out of most of northern and western Afghanistan, Iran has forcibly returned other Afghans, according to the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR). These deportations - like thousands of others that Iran has carried out throughout the year - have taken place in violation of both the 1951 UN Refugee Convention (to which Iran is a signatory) and Iran s 1999 agreement with UNHCR not to deport Afghan refugees. http://www.refugees.org/news/press_releases/2001/iran120301.cfm

r) A New York Times article contends that an "Al Qaeda link" is seen in only a few of the 1,200 people detained in the US. "Initially, it was a huge sweep, and it seemed like there was some basis for thinking these people might have some information on the terrorists. But as things have gone on, it has come to seem very broad and overreaching, a fishing expedition instead of a targeted law enforcement effort." http://www.nytimes.com/2001/11/29/national/29DETA.html (Free sign-up is required)

6. Contributions to the current debate

a) Robert Bowman, former combat pilot and presently bishop of the United Christian Church in Florida, USA, has written Will the Real Terrorists Please Stand Up? He states that none of our thousands of nuclear weapons can protect us from these threats, no matter how many trillions of dollars poured into [a Star Wars system] can protect us from a nuclear weapon delivered in a sailboat or a Cessna or a suitcase or a Ryder rental truck. He goes on to examine some of the reasons the US is a target of terrorist actions. http://wwwcasi.org.uk/discuss/2001/msg00873.html.

b) What are the causes of anti-Americanism? How should the United States act to modify this resentment ? In America and the War published in the New York Review of Books on 15 November, Tony Judt calls for a sustained effort to understand the causes of anti-Americanism in the world. This text, addressed to an American audience during times of war, lists various critical viewpoints from Anglo-Saxon intellectuals, and describes a diversified sociopolitical context which contributes to shape the perception of the American "arrogance", "inconsistency" and "hypocrisy". Finally, Judt defines what kind of actions and attitudes could be adopted by the United States in order to overcome not only terrorism but anti-Americanism. http://www.nybooks.com/articles/14760

c) David Shenk, a teacher at Lithuania Christian College in Klaipeda has written: Jesus and Mohammad: Two Roads to Peace. The German translation was first published in the Anabaptist-Mennonite magazine Die Brücke and can be downloaded from http://www.mennoniten.de/diebruecke. The English version of his article will be published in a book co-edited by Donald B. Kraybill and to be published by Herald Press, USA in January 2002 entitled Where was God on September 11?

d) A war without rules? , published in The Hindu, raises questions about US intentions in the war in Afghanistan as well as about the amateurish conduct of the campaign itself and its impact on civilians. http://www.hinduonnet.com/thehindu/2001/11/28/stories/05282511.htm

e) According to Robert Fisk in We are the war criminals now, war crimes have been committed during the Mazar-i-Sharif prison revolt. With its massive bombings on the Mazar-i-Sharif fortress, the US aviation has assisted the Nothern Alliance in overcoming the rebellion. Fisk denounces the lack of interest and ethics from western journalists reluctant to report on this massacre which seems to be in violation of the Geneva war conventions. From this tragic episode of the war in Afghanistan, Robert Fisk develops a global reflection on the emergence, after September 11, of a double standard in human rights opposing the "civilized" nations to the "rest" of the world. (29 November) http://www.independent.co.uk/story.jsp?dir=1&story=107292&host=1&printable=1

f) After Afghanistan: is Iraq next? in the Christian Science Monitor looks at the implications of an expansion of the war. As German Foreign Minister Joschka Fischer says, it would be irresponsible to look for new targets . http://www.csmonitor.com/2001/1130/p1s1-wogn.html.

g) In an opinion piece on SojoNet News, Jim Wallis, editor-in-chief of Sojourners, writes that a widening American war in the Arab and Muslim world is a scenario we must steadfastly prevent. In addition to the deep moral implications about the human costs, a wider war is just not the most effective way to defeat terrorism, and it risks many unforeseen consequences. http://www.sojo.net/news/index.cfm/action/display_archives/mode/current_opinion/article/CO_112801A.html

h) In "Americans want a war on Iraq and we can't stop them", Hugo Young explains why president Bush is in favor of a wider war. Anti-Americanism in the Arab world might reach a new peak of popularity, as the Bush Administration is now considering the possible extension of the war against terrorism to countries such as Iraq, Sudan, Somalia. As the US president warned that this is just the beginning of the war, Iraq is likely the best candidate for being the next target of US military operations. However, notes Young, the other countries of the coalition will not support wider military operations and restriction of constitutional liberties that will accompany them. According to Young, there is already a significant "gulf of perception" among the allies. If the war spreads, the coalition against terrorism would be seriously weakened. (November 27) http://www.guardian.co.uk/afghanistan/story/0,1284,606686,00.html

i) In House of Saud looks close to collapse, David Leigh and Richard Norton-Taylor, journalists at The Guardian, explore the risks of a radical political change in Saudi Arabia. They reveal that one of the most direct consequences of this war could be a coup d'état in the peninsula. Since it has US military bases on its soil to protect its oil, the Saudi monarchy cannot rely any more on its religious legitimacy . Economic crisis, corruption and unemployment are now threatening the middle classes. Disappointed by the lack of perspectives and liberties, more and more citizens are attracted by the messianic discourse of theologians in rebellion with the Saudi clan - 7000 princes who are cumulating for their own benefit revenues of a country representing 25% of the world oil reserves. (November 21) http://www.guardian.co.uk/afghanistan/story/0,1284,602854,00.html j) In "New World, Old Order", Jerry W. Sanders describes the metaphorical dilemma raised by the Bush administration which has suddenly shifted its foreign policy from uni- to multilateralism. Sanders, who teaches Peace and Conflict Studies at the University of California, Berkeley, questions the commitment of the Bush Administration to multilateralismn. What the author sees in action until now is rather a kind of à la carte multilateralism that reflects "smoke and mirrors from the old order". www.thenation.com/docPrint.mhtml?i=special&s=sanders20011129

k) "Société-monde contre terreur-monde" gives philosophical and ethical perspectives on the current world crisis in this short essay by French sociologist Edgar Morin published in Le Monde. Morin promotes a new way of thinking in order to approach adequately the complexity of the world and to solve the contradictions inherent with global problems affecting humanity. Hard problems such as terrorism cannot be solved nor eradicated in a deterministic manner. A new conceptual approach, in correspondence with the new scientific ideas, is needed to rethink international relations and global problems of violence, poverty, education and pollution. In French at: http://www.lemonde.fr/imprimer_article/0,6063,246552,00.html l) In a special Carnegie Endowment briefing, three prominent analysts (Shibley Telhami, Nawaf Obaid, and Mamoun Fandy) examine the roots of terrorism and the response to it in Egypt, Saudi Arabia, and the West Bank. In "Perpetrators and Victims: The Middle East and the Challenges of Terrorism", the panelists discuss that while the first battles of the war on terrorism are being fought in Afghanistan, the roots of terrorism reach far into the Arab world. The September 11 perpetrators were mostly citizens of Egypt and Saudi Arabia. Also, the Al Qaeda network receives much financial support, directly or indirectly, from Saudi organizations. The governments of the region condemn terrorism, but continue to display an ambiguous attitude toward extremist Islamic organizations. Listen to the special briefing at http://www.ceip.org/files/events/events.asp?EventID=409 (audio file requires Real Player or Microsoft Media)

m) In "The UN and the United States in Afghanistan", Ian Williams argues that since September 11, the United Nations has gained a rare prominence in Washington's calculations. "Of course it did once before, when Iraq invaded Kuwait - but that was more like a one-night stand turned date rape than a long-term relationship. This time, it could be a more durable courtship, based on more modest and realistic expectations on both sides." http://www.fpif.org/commentary/0111afghanun.html n) Jim Lobe, in "Hawks Take Aim at Iraq", considers it "all but official" that the US will target Iraq. "Despite strong opposition from Arab allies, not to mention our NATO partners in Europe, it seems we're headed for Round 2 of the 1991 Gulf war against Iraq. Not only are US officials once again stepping up their rhetoric against Baghdad, but President George W. Bush himself last Monday issued an ominous three-word answer to the question of what happens if Saddam Hussein does not permit UN inspectors back into his country." http://www.fpif.org/commentary/0111hawk.html 7.

Calls for action

a) A women s freedom march through the streets of Kabul, planned for 27 November, was banned on orders of the Northern Alliance, organizer Soraya Parlika said. They said it was for security, but that is just a pretext& they don t want women to improve, she said. See: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/articleshow.asp?art_id=1939231639

b) Around the world Christians, Jews, and others of faith are respecting Ramadan to aid the people of Afghanistan and be in prayerful unity with Muslims during this holy season. Many people have asked for daily meditations to help them as they fast and pray during Ramadan. Sojourners provides suggestions on fasting, daily prayer times, and daily prayer readings at: http://www.sojo.net/feedtheAfghanpeople/index.cfm/action/ramadan_readings#2.html

c) Since Sojourners' initial invitation to Christians, Jews, and people of faith and good will to act in solidarity with Muslims by fasting for Ramadan, we have heard an inter-national groundswell of response to the idea. People in England, Australia, and throughout the United States are respecting Ramadan any way they can and donating the money that would be spent on food to humanitarian agencies providing direct relief in Afghanistan. Share stories of how you're respecting Ramadan in an online forum at: http://www.sojo.net/get_connected/index.cfm/mode/display/forum_id/21/action/forums.html

Behind the news: Visions for Peace Voices of Faith is a joint initiative of:

World Council of Churches (WCC) - a fellowship of 342 churches, in more than 100 countries in all continents from virtually all Christian traditions. The Roman Catholic Church is not a member church but works cooperatively with the WCC. The highest governing body is the Assembly, which meets approximately every seven years. The WCC was formally inaugurated in 1948 in Amsterdam, The Netherlands.

Ecumenical Advocacy Alliance - a global action network of 62 churches and church-related organizations who have pledged themselves to change unjust policies and practices related to global trade and HIV/AIDS, and to take up as a special concern work on peace and conflict resolution by forging strategic partnership. Alliance participants come from every corner of the globe and varied traditions within the ecumenical family Roman Catholic, Protestant, Orthodox, and Anglican, as well as church-related organizations who themselves represent and serve many Christian faith traditions. Alliance participants are committed to speak out with one voice against injustice and structures which deprive human beings of dignity, and for alternative visions based on the Gospel.

Action by Churches Together (ACT) - an international alliance of churches and relief agencies assisting thousands of people recovering from emergencies in more than 50 countries worldwide.

This bulletin/website is intended to provide an ecumenical space for visions for peace and voices of faith; these materials do not necessarily reflect official policy of WCC, ACT, or EAA.

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