Religious communities must stop blessing war and violence...
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| July 03, 2009, at 07:57 PM | ICUJP: Interfaith Communities United for Justice and Peace / Main / HomePage |
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HomePageINTERFAITH COMMUNITIES UNITED FOR JUSTICE AND PEACEWar, Violence & ReligionMonday, July 20th, 2009, from 7:00 p.m - 9:30 p.m. Rev. Dr. James Lawson
…whom Dr. Martin Luther King called “the leading theorist and strategist on non-violence in the world” Dr. John B. Cobb, Jr.
Emeritus Professor, Claremont School of Theology and Claremont Graduate School, Co-founder, Progressive Christians Uniting Milia Islam-Majeed, Executive Director of the South Coast Interfaith Council, will present the Closing Prayers.
What: An important dialogue of the times and a call to action. Two historical figures of the Civil Rights Movement and Theology discuss the explosive topic of "War, Violence and Religion."
Is war and violence justified by any of our Religious/Spiritual traditions when done in the
service of combating oppression, tyranny, injustice or in self defense? ICUJP invites you
to witness and explore these and related issues with Q & A.
When: Monday, July 20 - 7:00 - 9:30 PM (ICUJP meets every Friday Morning - 7:00-9:00 AM - same location)
Where: Immanuel Presbyterian Church (side entrance) 3300 Wilshire Blvd. L.A. 90010 @ Berendo St.
FREE, Limited Early Bird Parking in Rear (Alternative Parking @ UTLA Structure - Berendo St. - North of Wilshire)
Statement On the Crisis in Gaza and IsraelICUJP-INTERFAITH COMMUNITIES UNITED FOR JUSTICE AND PEACE firmly believes that people of faith and conscience must speak out against war and violence. WE INSIST that every human life is sacred and mourn the loss of Israeli and Palestinian life in the conflict in Gaza and Israel where the overwhelming burden has been borne by civilians. Over 1,300 Palestinians and 13 Israelis, according to the New York Times (1/19/09) have been killed since Israel launched its offensive on December 27, 2008 and each day brings news of more tragedies. Our shared faith history teaches us that the suffering of the oppressed can never be equated with the suffering of the oppressor. To remain silent in the face of this ever-increasing level of violence directed overwhelmingly against noncombatants is to give legitimacy to an intolerable situation. Full Text: 01.21.09.gaza.pdf ICUJP Convenes Third Interfaith Anti-Torture EventICUJP held its third anti-torture program at Temple Beth Shir Sholom on January 11, 2009, the 7th anniversary of the opening of the Guantanamo Prison, featuring Rabbi Neil Comess Daniels, Rev Louis Chase, Michael Rapkin, Esq., who represented a detainee at Guantanamo, and Rabbi Haim Dov Beliak. The event was co-sponsored by the Islamic Shura Council and Rabbis for Human Rights, under the auspices of the National Religious Campaign Against Torture. Israel Policy Forum: Proposal for Obama's First 100 DaysICUJP is encouraging you to view Proposal to the President-Elect for the First 100 Days in the Arab-Israeli Dispute and the Crisis in Gaza. This policy paper argues for the President-Elect to spend considerable attention to the current crisis. Upcoming Events:NEWS FLASHOn the evening of November 23rd at St. John's Episcopal Cathedral, a call was delivered. People of faith and good will were called to face squarely the reality that torture has worked its way like a deadly virus into the bloodstream of American life. We were challenged to see our own complicity and to take decisive action. Speakers shared insights arising from the core principles of faith, personal experience of torture, and candid reflection on the recent and long history of a U.S. society that has tolerated this assault on human dignity and the national soul. Within the soaring majesty of the cathedral, as the panel deliberated and as a sublime Evensong service progressed, the mandate to see, to reflect, and to act was compelling. Jon Bruno, Bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Los Angeles, shared that he had devised a recommendation that a certain church body debate the merits of issuing a strong denunciation of torture. He decided instead to drop the written recommendation in the waste basket and simply state that there is no debating this issue. Torture under any circumstances is wrong. This is not up for debate. In this spirit of clarity, we move ahead. If you have not yet signed on to the National Religious Campaign Against Torture, please go to NRCAT.org. This website will provide all you need to become part of the national campaign. For local support and cooperative action, email us at ICUJP@pacbell.net. We of ICUJP are grateful to our hardworking co-sponsors for the St. John's event: Episcopal Diocese of Los Angeles Peace and Justice Commission, Commission on Ecumenical and Interreligious Concerns (also of the diocese), Progressive Christians Uniting, and the St.John's Peace and Justice Committee. We are grateful to our speakers: Rev. Canon Henry Atkins, Dr. Sarah Sentilles, Dr. Glen Stassen, Eisha Mason, as well as Rev. Dr. Gwynne Guibord, panel moderator and Bishop Jon Bruno, Evensong Homilist. We appreciate the ongoing support of our original partners in this campaign: National Religious Campaign Against Torture (NRCAT) and Islamic Shura Council. We also are indebted to the diligence of Virginia Classick. Active with Progressive Christians Uniting, she also serves on the national board of NRCAT Action Fund. Please note that this was the second of three major events, each of which is in the venue of a different faith tradition: Islam, Christianity, and Judaism respectively. The next event, sponsored by Rabbis for Human Rights, Islamic Shura Council, and ICUJP, will be at Temple Beth Shir Sholom, Santa Monica, January 11, 2 p.m. Contact ICUJP@pacbell.net for more information. Position Statement: Campaign Against TortureAN INVITATION TO Join in the Struggle Against Torture “The voice of the faith community cannot be silent in the face of torture. The soul of the country is at stake.” Dr. George Hunsinger, Princeton Theological Seminary
Interfaith Communities United for Justice and Peace invites you to join in the rising tide of organized resistance to the use of torture. This cruel, inhuman, degrading practice has become an integral part of the US “war on terror.” Torture is universally condemned by people of faith and conscience as a violation of our most deeply held values. ICUJP has joined with the National Religious Campaign Against Torture, Islamic Shura Council of Southern California, Progressive Christians Uniting, Rabbis for Human Rights, the American Friends Service Committee and many other groups in seeking an end to torture. Please see the announcements below and lend your support. Past events:A CONFERENCE!!!Afghanistan: Obama’s Iraq?  As US bombs rained down on Afghanistan in October 2001, interfaith voices called for "justice, not vengeance" and insisted that 'religious communities must stop blessing war and violence'. Now, with additional US troops on their way to that war-ravaged country, it's again time to speak out and to act. As we continue to insist on the complete withdrawal of US military forces from Iraq, we must do the same with respect to Afghanistan. We must urgently take action while preparing to carry out a long-term struggle to dismantle the war system. Let us begin to create a culture of peace, based on social and economic justice, that will bring our world at last into one Beloved Community. This important conference will feature keynote speaker Sonali Kolhatkar of KPFK and the Afghan Women’s Mission. It will address multiple dimensions of the expanding war in Afghanistan and neighboring Pakistan, including:
We invite members of faith communities, students, peace activists, veterans and military personnel, and others to join us for a program of speakers, films, workshops, and action plans. Download the Flyer! Escalating the occupation of Afghanistan "will bleed us of the resources needed for economic recovery, further destabilize Pakistan, open a rift with our European allies and negate our improved image in the Muslim world prompted by our withdrawal from Iraq. Escalation will not increase US security or secure a better future for the Afghan people - indeed, more troops will certainly mean more dead civilians....Up to this point, the Afghan war belonged to George W. Bush, but Obama's escalation threatens to make it his own. There's still time to change direction. President Obama, don't make this your war!" --Katrina Vanden Heuvel, "Obama's War?" The Nation, March 9, 2009
sponsored by SUNDAY, JANUARY 11, 2009, 2-4 p.m. Please join us at Temple Beth Shir Sholom for a special afternoon with Attorney Michael Rapkin as he shares about his experience of defending Guantanamo Bay inmate Yousuf Abdullah Al-Rabaish; work on a text study with local rabbis on "The Question of Self-Defense and the Ticking Bomb"; and come away as a community committed to end torture. This event is co-sponsored with Rabbis for Human Rights and the Islamic Shura Council of Southern California. Temple Beth Shir Sholom 1827 California Avenue, Santa Monica 90403 Sunday, November 23, 3 p.m. to 5 p.m., Evensong following Panelists:
Moderator: Rev. Dr. Gwynne Guibord Preacher at Evensong: The Rt. Rev. Jon Bruno\\
Held at: Sunday, October 19, at 3 p.m.Keynote Speaker: Chaplain James YeeHeld at IMAN Center This event was one of a series of events related to our ongoing Stop Torture Campaign Saturday, October 18, at 10 a.m.Dr. Wayne Cornelius: Encuentro EventSaturday, October 18 at 10 a.m. at Throop Church in Pasadena. 300 S. Los Robles Ave. Pasadena, CA 91101 (626) 795-8625 Sunday, October 12, at 2 p.m.Dr. Helen Caldicott: The Presidential Campaign and the Fate of the EarthSunday, October 12 at 2 p.m. at First Congregational Church of Long Beach. 241 Cedar Avenue Long Beach, CA 90802 (562) 436-2256 Click here for flyer with full details (PDF file). MPAC document dissects the "Obsession" propaganda videoPart of the "Truth Over Fear: Countering Islamophobia" campaign.Please take the time to look over this pdf file to understand the scope of the attack and what we can, and must, do to counter it! Tom HaydenWar & Politics in the Era of ObamaFriday Morning, April 3 - 7:00 AM - 9:00 AM Former politician and always activist Tom Hayden delivers a critical analysis on post Bush reconstruction, Obama’s challenge and civic responsibility followed by Q & A ICUJP Interfaith Communities United for Justice and Peace (ICUJP) is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization, and any donation is tax-deductible to the extent permitted by law. War Is Not The Answer ~ Religious Communities Must Stop Blessing War & Violence |
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