A Personal Story and Statement from a MVPJ Steering Committee Member

Amidst the rubble of what was once a beautiful mosque in Afghanistan in 2002, a boy was rocking back and forth reciting a portion of the Qur'an. I sat next to him, reminded of how he resembled children in a Jewish synagogue from my childhood, rocking back and forth as they recited Hebrew prayers. The Imam walked over and lightly touched the boy on the shoulder. He stopped praying and looked up. The Imam told the boy that I was Jewish and asked him, "What do we call Jewish people?" The boy smiled at me and responded "People of the Book." "Very good," the Imam replied as he touched his heart. With a nod from the Imam, the boy resumed reciting prayers. Muslims refer to Jews and Christians as people of the book because we share common sacred texts, the Torah, the Bible, and for Muslims, the Qur'an. 

How do you respond when...

...your dinner guest makes an Islamophobic comment?

...you witness public instances of racist, anti-Semitic, anti-Muslim, anti-Trans or any other form of oppressive interpersonal violence or harassment?

American Friends Service Committee (Quakers) has six thoughtful and helpful tips to counteract anti-Muslim rhetoric in your conversations.

They also have bystander intervention do's and don'ts for how to intervene in public situations while considering the safety of everyone involved.

Both articles provide guidelines that may be contrary to your first instinct, however noble those may be. These are important reads!

The Rev. Dr. William Barber II at Stanford Memorial Church

The Rev. Dr. William Barber II riveted those gathered at Stanford Memorial Church on January 17, 2019, with a call to not shrink back from the tasks at hand, and to liberate the legacy of Martin Luther King, Jr. so fervently needed in our world today.

Did you miss it? Or hunger to hear it again? Click here for six minutes of excerpts from his speech.

Rev. Barber is the founder of the Poor People's Campaign: A National Call for Moral Renewal and Repairers of the Breach.

blessed are you... blessed are we

At our October 2018 Peaceful Presence the Rev. Matthew Dutton-Gillett of Trinity Church in Menlo Park led us in this litany. The author, the Rev. Anna Blaedel, Theologian-in-Residence at enfleshed, generously gave us permission to publish it here. May it give us solace, strength and courage for the new year and beyond.

blessed are you who are raging.
blessed are you who are mourning.
blessed are you who feel numb.
blessed are you who feel sick. and tired. and sick and tired.

blessed are you who refuse to turn away.
blessed are you who need to turn away.
blessed are you who keep breathing deep.
blessed are you who are tending to your own needs.
blessed are you who are tending to the needs of another.

blessed are you who have been calling.
blessed are you who have been organizing.
blessed are you who have been testifying.
blessed are you who have been hearing.
blessed are you who have been resisting.

Stand in Solidarity with People Seeking Asylum

Join Faith in Public Life and people of faith and conscience across the nation in signing the PLEDGE TO STAND IN SOLIDARITY WITH PEOPLE SEEKING ASYLUM.

As politicians try to divide us against one another according to race, ethnicity, and  or nationality, we remain united and steadfast in our conviction that all people deserve dignity, respect, and equity, and that together we can make such a world possible. We are people of faith and conscience, coming from a long tradition of welcoming the sojourner and loving our neighbor and, following the example of our sacred texts, pledge our commitment to be good neighbors to those seeking refuge in our community, and to build a community where all are welcome.

Click here to read full statement and sign it.

Statement of Solidarity and Prayers

We grieve the lives lost and dreams broken in Pittsburgh, and extend our prayers to the families and friends of those wounded and killed, to Jews around the world, and especially to our own local Jewish communities.

We will stand together, cry together, pray together, and work together to build a world beyond fear and division, a world of compassion, inclusion, justice and peace.

MVPJ Solidarity Plans in Place

Multifaith Voices for Peace & Justice (MVPJ) has set up a process which will allow us to respond quickly with publicly visible acts of solidarity on behalf of any religious, ethnic, or other targeted communities in our local area which are being threatened, or which have been harmed or violated in some way.  Examples of triggers could be receipt of hate mail, defacing of property, threats to the well-being of the community or to a member of the community.   Our goal is to gather in response and public solidarity within 24-48 hours of learning about the incident. These MVPJ solidarity responses will be faithful, peaceful demonstrations of solidarity and friendship, and do not require the training necessary for the Rapid Response teams who will be possibly confronting ICE agents or raids.  Supportive, peaceful, faith-based signs may be brought by participants to these public solidarity events. 

 

When an action is needed, our email subject title will be “IMMEDIATE LOCAL RESPONSE NEEDED”, and the body of the email will include instructions as to where and when to gather.

 

If your community is targeted or threatened in some way, and you want to ask for a public show of solidarity, or simply discuss this possibility, please contact us through this email: solidarity@multifaithpeace.org. You may certainly talk with anyone on the MVPJ steering committee personally if you prefer, however the "solidarity@multifaithpeace.org" email is set up to be checked several times every day, for a quick response.

 

If your community is required to evacuate its premises due to an emergency such as a bomb threat or threatening graffiti and needs an alternate space for worship or study on short notice, we have several congregations who are willing to host you if at all possible. You may inquire about this offer through solidarity@multifaithpeace.org and we will help you connect to these communities as quickly as possible. 

 

Multifaith Voices for Peace and Justice Non-Violent Commitment

 

In all actions that it takes, members of Multifaith Voices for Peace and Justice commit to the principles of non-violence, and pledge that all their actions will be peaceful, respectful, prayerful and non-violent.

Multifaith Prayers for Peace on 11th of the Month

Monthly Multifaith Prayers for Peace
7-7:30pm on 11th of every month
NEXT GATHERING: Saturday, May 11, 7-7:30m, St. Mark's Episcopal Church, 600 Colorado Ave., Palo Alto, 94306

In the midst of difficult times, Multifaith Voices for Peace and Justice will host “Peaceful Presence,” a monthly prayer service on the evening of the 11^th of each month, offering a time of quiet multifaith prayers for peace and strength for the journey.  All are welcome: those of all faith traditions and of no defined faith, those who are suffering at the hands of their own government, those who need a pause in the midst of intensive work on behalf of others, and all who would like to pray with others for the well-being of all.  The prayer time will include elements from several religious traditions.

Upcoming: 
Saturday, May 11, 7-7:30m, St. Mark's Episcopal Church, 600 Colorado Ave., Palo Alto, 94306
Tuesday, June 11, 7-7:30pm, Bahá'í Community of Palo Alto, Rinconada Library, Embarcadero Room, 1213 Newell Road, Palo Alto, 94303
Thursday, July 11, 7-7:30pm, TBA

California AJR 33 PASSED! Embrace the UN Treaty on Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons

California Assembly Joint Resolution 33 (AJR 33) calls on our federal government and our nation to make nuclear disarmament the centerpiece of our national security policy by embracing the United Nations Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons.

Update: AJR 33 PASSED ON AUGUST 28! Thank you for your work in supporting this step toward nuclear disarmament! Click here to read the press release with more information from the Nuclear Age Peace Foundation.

This resolution is short and easy to read (click here for full text), and it gives us a rare opportunity to act. It is also easily summarized. It calls on our federal leaders to:

• Embrace the UN Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons
• Make nuclear disarmament the centerpiece of our national security policy
• Renounce first use
• Take our nuclear weapons off of hair-trigger alert
• Cancel the plan to replace the entire arsenal with enhanced weapons
• Actively pursue a verifiable agreement among nuclear-armed states to eliminate their nuclear arsenals