Multifaith Voices for Peace and Justice

September 11: A Day for Unity and Peace

September 11 was a tragedy that struck Americans of all religions. On that terrible day nine years ago, we were united by grief, and our losses have made the day a solemn and even a sacred one. Now a Florida pastor named Terry Jones has desecrated that memory by planning to burn Korans on September 11, seeking to turn grief into intolerance.

As people of many faiths working together for peace and justice, we deplore the distortion of Christianity from a message of love to hate. We know that Islam's very name comes from the root "peace" and that it is as unjust to judge all Muslims by the terrible acts of a few as it would be to judge all Christians by Dr. Jones's ignorance. We honor the dead on September 11 by working for a world where the beautiful variety of human religion no longer divides us, but brings us peace and joy, and we urge everyone in our community to do the same through acts of service, justice and education.

We hope that all who share our vision will join us for a day of Interfaith Witness for Peace on September 19, at Heritage Park and St. Thomas Aquinas Church in Palo Alto. Instead of burning each other's sacred books, we will walk through a World Peace Village, learn from other faiths, lift our voices together in an interfaith service, and celebrate our shared hopes.

Interfaith Witness for Peace - September 19th

The costs of war are too high. Together we can build a world of peace. Join us at Heritage Park and St. Thomas Aquinas Church in Palo Alto on September 19th from 3pm to 5pm. Visit the World Peace Village in Heritage Park, participate in activities for children and adults, building a world of peace. Then, at 4pm, there will be an interfaith peace service in the church with music, prayers, and speakers from Palestine/Israel, Iraq, and Afghanistan, sharing their hopes for and concrete ways we can create, a world of peace.

Click here to download a flyer in Microsoft Word format

Quaker Initiative to End Torture Conference

Hear internationally known anti-torture activists Scott Horton and Fr. Roy Bourgeois on September 24-26 at the Quaker Center in Ben Lomond, CA!

Keynote speaker Scott Horton is a human rights lawyer and author, and is one of the most tenacious reporters and investigators on issues of torture and accountability.

Special guest Fr. Roy Bourgeois, a decorated Vietnam Veteran and former missionary to Bolivia, is the founder of the School of Americas Watch and leader in the effort to end US involvement in torture.

Everyone is welcome, but registration is required.

The Words of Children Living with War

The following are the words of children compiled by members of the steering committee of Multifaith Voices for Peace and Justice. They come from children in Pakistan, Afghanistan, Iraq, Jordan, Israel, Palestine and Canada. All of these children are living in the midst of war. Some of these messages from children arrived within the last 72 hours.

We thank the Rebuilding Alliance (and especially intern Bryce Druzin) for bringing us many of these messages from partner organizations like Other Voice - Sderat, Al Basma Club for the Disabled in Gaza, the Rachel Corrie Sports Initiative and the UNRWA School for Girls in Gaza, and the children at the Al Aqaba Kindergarten in the West Bank.

Other messages from children were gathered through personal interviews by Deborah Ellis, an author whose award-winning work includes the Breadwinner trilogy, novels that portray the life of a young Afghan girl, pretending to be a boy so that she can feed her family. In Ellis' Three Wishes, Off to War, and Children of War, she brings us directly into the daily lives, hopes, dreams and fears of Palestinian, Israeli, and Iraqi children, plus she shares the voices of American and Canadian children whose parents are stationed in Kuwait, Iraq and Afghanistan.

We encourage you to read these words and if you'd like to respond, please submit a comment. We will gather those comments and as possible and appropriate, share them with the children.

These and more were shared during a public worship service on March 21st at 2pm at Lytton Plaza in Palo Alto California. The gathering was hosted by the Palo Alto Friends Meeting and Multifaith Voices for Peace and Justice. Together, we heard their words, prayed for peace, and committed ourselves to continuing our work to bring about a world where children won't have to be afraid to sleep at night or face the terrors of trying to live through another day at war.

Click each of the links to read the words of children at war.

If you'd like to post a general comment about the event, these messages from children, or the work we are doing at Multifaith Voices for Peace and Justice, use the comment link below.

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MVPJ Steering Committee Member Featured Online for Peace Work

InMenlo, a Menlo Park blog site, recently featured MVPJ's own Dick Duda, talking about his passion for eliminating nuclear weapons from the planet. Dick is one of the people who stepped up to the plate around a year ago when the MVPJ team was wondering if there were new people who would be willing to help MVPJ continue the work we've been doing since 2001. He's a joy to work with and we're pleased that he is being featured on InMenlo.com Click here to check out the article.

MVPJ Attends White House Teleconference on Afghanistan

The White House held a teleconference today to discuss the President’s announced plans for Afghanistan and Pakistan. I attended representing Multifaith Voices for Peace and Justice.

The teleconference didn’t help to overcome the disappointment our steering committee experienced last night listening to the President speakat the US Military Academy, or our deep concerns for the upcoming increase in military forces in Afghanistan, but it did provide me with some hope that there’s more going on than just the “surge.”

MVPJ Statement on Fort Hood Tragedy

We are horrified by the mass shooting at Fort Hood and lift up our prayers of comfort for the grieving and healing for the wounded. As the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) said in response to the shootings, "No political or religious ideology could ever justify or excuse such wanton and indiscriminate violence." At this moment we once again affirm our unity across faiths. No one should have to walk in fear because someone who shares their religion, ethnicity, or appearance has committed a crime. Just as we mourn together the tragic loss of life at Fort Hood, we will stand together to keep every member of our community safe.

We continue to work and pray for an end to war so that everyone at Fort Hood and every military base can live out their full lives in peace.

The Steering Committee Multifaith Voices for Peace and Justice.

Full Accountability for Torture Prosecution!

Join Amnesty International's campaign for FULL ACCOUNTABILITY of U.S. Sponsored Torture.

According to recent news reports, Attorney General Eric Holder is close to appointing a Special Prosecutor to investigate allegations of torture and abuse. This would be a welcome and crucial step towards demonstrating a commitment to human rights and the rule of law. However, it is possible that the investigation will be limited in scope. After years of evidence that torture and human rights violations were ordered and authorized from above, only lower level personnel have been held to account. We can’t let impunity for torture continue. Urge President Obama to ensure full accountability for torture and other human rights violations, as required by U.S. and international law: with a full investigation, prosecutions where warranted and remedy for victims.
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Give to Sam Provance Accompaniment Fund

Sam Provance, one of the whistle blowers of the Abu Ghraib scandal who was featured in the film "Ghosts of Abu Ghraib" is currently living in South Carolina and facing what many whistle-blowers experience - a lot of prejudice against him, making it very difficult to get a good job as well as create community. The Project on Ethics and Art in Testimony (PEAT) which was founded by Jean Maria Arrigo (who spoke at the Torture is a Moral Issue Conference in Palo Alto in June), has set up a fund for people to "accompany" Provance with financial support.
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In War, There Are Innocents

MVPJ Steering Committee member Craig Wiesner responds to recent news stories quoting a group claiming that in war, there are no innocents.
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