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Behind the news: Visions for peace -
Voices of faith
Issue no. 1
4 October 2001
Providing church, ecumenical and interfaith information,
resources, and analysis on issues of current global concern.
Table of Contents
- Introduction
- Statements and actions of the global church
and ecumenical family
- Statements and actions of US churches
- Responses from other faith communities
- Humanitarian concerns
- Summaries of intergovernmental responses
- Resources for study and worship
- Calls for action
1. Introduction:
In response to the threatening global situation in the wake
of the September 11 attacks in the United States, the World
Council of Churches (WCC), Action by Churches Together (ACT)
and the Ecumenical Advocacy Alliance (EAA) have agreed to set
up a short-term response mechanism to share information with
our broad church constituency.
Specifically, we hope to:
- Help discern and interpret the signs of the times from perspectives
different than the dominant discourse, in particular from
churches, ecumenical and interfaith partners,
- Nurture hope and strengthen commitment for peace and justice,
- Give voice to those who suffer most and help them to cope
in these times of crisis,
- Provide solid analysis and selected resources to strengthen
ecumenical action and study
- Propose common ecumenical actions.
While there is no shortage of information circulating in light
of the attacks and possible US/international response, we thought
it would be useful to offer as a service to our constituencies
a selection of useful information, thought-provoking reflections,
and worship resources which might aid in church responses to
the unfolding situation
This bulletin will be distributed at least once a week, with
summaries and references to selected resources that can be found
through our web site at http://www.wcc-coe.org/wcc/behindthenews
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) World Council of Churches: "That the answer
to terrorism cannot be to respond in kind, for this can lead
only to more violence and terror," is the central tenet
of a letter from the general secretary of the World Council
of Churches (WCC), Rev. Dr Konrad Raiser, to United Nations'
(UN) secretary-general Kofi Annan. In the letter dated 1 October,
Raiser refers to the Decade to Overcome Violence launched by
the WCC in February this year and states that "the Decade
represents a call to repentance and calls churches and individual
Christians to reflect deeply on the violence we bear within
us." (http://wcc-coe.org/wcc/news/press/01/34pu.html
)
b) National Council of Churches in Pakistan: At an emergency
meeting on 27 September, the National Council of Churches in
Pakistan urged the US administration to "exercise restraint
and prudence" in dealing with this complex crisis and "to
ensure that no country is victimized without credible evidence".
The statement affirms that minorities are an "integral
part of the nation and as an expression of unity, the entire
Church and Christian Community fully supports the Government
and will stand shoulder to shoulder with the nation and will
give any sacrifice that may be needed for the protection of
the Motherland". (http://www.wcc-coe.org/wcc/behindthenews/us73.html)
See related news story at http://www.eni.ch)
c) Armenian Apostolic Church (Cilicia): His Holiness
Aram I, Catholicos of the Armenian Apostolic Church (Cilicia)
and moderator of the WCC Central Committee, appealed for interreligious
collaboration to combat terrorism at a meeting of Orthodox and
Catholic patriarchs in the Middle East, held on 26 September
in Lebanon. He stated, "Terrorism cannot be justified by
any religious values and teachings. In this part of the world,
we know Islam very well out of our experience of so many centuries.
We have lived together with Islam on the bases of mutual respect,
understanding and confidence. We remain committed for a peaceful
co-existence with Islam." (http://www.cathcil.org/v04/index.htm
)
d) Russian Orthodox Church: His Holiness Patriarch Alexy
II of Moscow and All Russia and the Holy Synod of the Russian
Orthodox Church issued a statement on 12 September expressing
grief and solidarity with the victims of the attacks on the
United States. "Our people know what war, terror and violence
are," the statement says. "After yesterday's catastrophe
the world has changed…Let these tragic days make us reevaluate
the modern world order and begin to create it in a manner allowing
peoples of the world to live in accordance with their own traditions
and aims, without exploitation and suppressing each other, but
staying in peace and harmony." (http://www.russian-orthodox-church.org.ru/ne109123.htm)
e) Ecumenical Coordination Service in Brazil: CESE,
Coordenadoria Ecumênica de Serviço of Brazil, expresses
grief and solidarity with the victims of the 11 September attacks
and warns against an "exaggerated response", noting
that "it would reduce the world´s civilized nations
to the level of those who committed Tuesday's atrocities, and
this would indeed be a victory for them and not for the world.
We believe that a different world is possible, overcoming the
fundamental causes of great conflicts between nations, such
as social and economic inequalities and racial discrimination
and hatred." (http://www.wcc-coe.org/wcc/behindthenews/us75.html)
f) National Council of Churches of Japan: In a recent
letter to the National Council of Churches of Christ in the
USA, NCC Japan urges that "peaceful measures" be used
in bringing the perpetrators of the US attacks to justice. The
letter notes that "the words 'Pearl Harbor,' which were
repeatedly mentioned during the period immediately after these
terrorist attacks, remind us again of the Japanese surprise
attack. As a result of that foolish act many civilians were
sacrificed, both Japanese and from other countries, including
the victims of the atomic bombs. War always affects ordinary
people and creates a vicious circle of violence. http://www.wcc-coe.org/wcc/behindthenews/us74.html
3. Statements and actions
of US churches
a) US response: Churches, ecumenical organizations,
and religiously-based organizations have been very active in
responding to the September 11 attacks with prayer, statements,
resources, advocacy, and disaster relief. Statements and actions
of the US churches can be found at
http://www.wcc-coe.org/wcc/behindthenews/statements.html#namerica
b) US Interfaith Statement: "Deny Them Their Victory:
A Religious Response to Terrorism" was delivered September
21 to every Congressional office and to the White House. The
nearly 3,000 signers cover a broad spectrum of the U.S. religious
community, including Christian, Jewish, Muslim, and Buddhist
leaders, have joined their signatures to the statement. Signers
from the Christian community include Protestant, Roman Catholic,
Evangelical, Orthodox, Historic Black Church and Historic Peace
Church traditions. The breadth of participation has made the
document one of the most inclusive religious statements ever
released.
The statement urges that "those responsible for these utterly
evil acts be found and brought to justice," but cautions
that "we must not, out of anger and vengeance, indiscriminately
retaliate in ways that bring on even more loss of human life".
"Let us deny them [the terrorists] their victory by refusing
to submit to a world created in their image," the signers
argue, adding: "We must not allow this terror to drive
us away from being the people God has called us to be."
(http://www.sojo.net )
4. Responses from other
faith communities
a) Islam: Almost all authorized voices of the Islamic
world have unequivocally stated their moral and political condemnation
of the criminal acts of September 11. Islamic organizations
and individuals have issued many statements condemning the terrorist
attacks, addressing the need to look at root causes, reflecting
on the Quran and religious teaching, and calling for peaceful
action. A few that have been circulated widely in English:
- Statement of the World Muslim Congress (Motamar Al-Alam
Al-Islami), one of the oldest international Muslim non-governmental
organizations, established in 1926 to promote Muslim unity
and world peace, and a speech by Malik S. Khan, World Muslim
Congress Permanent UN Representative (http://www.wcc-coe.org/wcc/behindthenews/us54.html)
- Call for world-wide coalition for peace and against another
war by M. Abdus Sabur, Secretary General, Asian Muslim Action
Network, (http://www.wcc-coe.org/wcc/behindthenews/us67.html)
- Letter to US President Bush from Dr Chandra Muzaffar, president,
International Movement for a Just World (http://www.wcc-coe.org/wcc/behindthenews/us69.html)
- Statement on the terrorist attacks in the US by the Revolutionary
Association of the Women of Afghanistan (RAWA) (http://www.wcc-coe.org/wcc/behindthenews/us68.html)
- Article by Asghar Ali Engineer, an internationally known
scholar of Islam, on the attack on the World Trade Centre
and its implications (http://www.wcc-coe.org/wcc/behindthenews/us66.html)
b) Christian-Muslim responses:
- A group of concerned Muslims and Christians in Egypt, at
the initiative of Marie Assad, former WCC deputy general secretary,
called for prayer and fasting for peace, October 1-3.
- A Christian-Muslim colloquium, convened by the Lebanese
National Dialogue Forum, held on September 29, issued a communiqué
condemning the criminal acts of September 11 and offering
reflections on the difference between terrorism and people's
resistance to occupation. It recommended the statements and
initiatives of Christian religious leaders calling for dialogue
between religions and cultures.
c) WCC inter-faith dialogue resources:
- Striving Together in Dialogue: A Muslim-Christian Call
to Reflection and Action was published in early 2001 by the
WCC and other partners, including Islamic organizations and
specialized journals for use in discussions and educational
programmes. The document reflects on various Christian-Muslim
dialogue initiatives since 1991 where Christian and Muslim
religious leaders, educators and activists have discussed
the thorny and sometimes divisive issues of religion, law
and society, human rights, religious freedom, community rights,
mission and da'wa and communal tensions. This document draws
largely on their questions, reflections and conclusions. (http://wcc-coe.org/wcc/what/interreligious/striving-e.html)
- Guidelines for Dialogue with People of Living Faiths and
Ideologies was first published in 1979 and now, more than
20 years later, is still much in demand. The Guidelines are
intended to encourage people to engage in the practice of
interfaith dialogue. (http://wcc-coe.org/wcc/what/interreligious/glines-e.html)
5. Humanitarian concerns
a) An overview of the humanitarian considerations in
Afghanistan is provided at (http://www.wcc-coe.org/wcc/behindthenews/humanitarian.html)
b) Action by Churches Together: ACT provides humanitarian
alerts, news, and articles, including :
- A Vulnerable Target: Increasingly Afghanistan looks like
a likely target for American military action following the
September 11 terrorist attacks on New York city's World Trade
Center and the Pentagon. (http://act-intl.org/news/dt_nr_2001/dtafghan0101.html)
- ACT in Afghanistan: Three years of drought and a continuing
civil war threaten the lives of millions of people in Afghanistan.
Despite the current military tension in and around Afghanistan,
ACT members and partners remain committed to helping civilian
Afghans through their plight. (http://act-intl.org/news/dt_nr_2001/dtafghan0301.html)
- Caught between war, drought and closed borders: The fear
of military action is not the only crisis facing Afghanistan.
The country's already exhausted population is trapped between
a triple curse of drought, war and closed borders. (http://act-intl.org/news/dt_nr_2001/dtafghan0201.html)
- ACT staff are heading to Pakistan to meet with partners
and assess the regional humanitarian situation as it develops.
6) Summaries of intergovernmental
responses
a) United Nations: The UN Security Council unanimously
adopted a resolution that condemns the terrorist attacks in
the United States on 11 September and lays out wide-ranging
strategies to combat international terrorism. The resolution
says all countries should prevent and suppress the financing
of terrorism, as well as criminalize the willful provision or
collection of funds for such acts. The resolution includes a
number of other measures on issues such as data-sharing, granting
of refugee status, and bringing those involved in terrorism
to justice. The Council also established a Committee to monitor
the implementation of its resolution and called on all States
to report within 90 days on actions they had taken to that end.
(http://www.un.org/News/Press/docs/2001/SC7143.doc.htm)
The UN General Assembly opened its week-long debate on measures
to combat international terrorism on 1 October. Representatives
of governments around the world strongly condemned terrorism,
while pledging to take specific steps to eradicate it. Participants
advocated adherence to existing UN anti-terrorism treaties as
well as the elaboration of new legal instruments to fight terrorism.
There was also broad support among the more than 20 speakers
for the recently-adopted Security Council resolution. (http://www0.un.org/apps/press/latest.asp)
b) World Bank: The World Bank warns that poverty will
rise in wake of terrorist attacks on the US. The Bank estimated
that developing country growth would fall from 5.5 percent in
2000 to 2.9 percent in 2001 as a result of slowdowns in the
US, Japan and Europe. World Bank President James D. Wolfensohn
said "We have seen the human toll the recent attacks wrought
in the US, with citizens from some 80 nations perishing in New
York, Washington and Pennsylvania. We estimate that tens of
thousands more children will die worldwide and some 10 million
more people are likely to be living below the poverty line of
$1 a day because of the terrorist attacks." (See press
release on Poverty to Rise in Wake of Terrorist Attacks in US:
(http://www.worldbank.org)
c) NATO: NATO Defence Ministers, meeting in Brussels
from 26-27 September, reiterated their support for their US
ally, signaled that they were prepared for a long campaign against
terrorism, and discussed practical measures being put into effect.
They also considered the impact of the terrorist attacks on
the future structure and tasks of the Alliance and the need
for more flexible forces and intelligence-sharing. The impact
of the attacks on relations with partner countries, particularly
Russia, was also discussed. (http://www.nato.int/docu/update/2001/0924/e0926a.htm)
d) Organization of American States: The Ministers of
Foreign Affairs of the Organization of American States, meeting
on 21 September, adopted a resolution stating that the "terrorist
attacks against the United States of America are attacks against
all American states" and that in accord with treaty provisions,
all states shall provide reciprocal assistance to address such
attacks. (http://www.oas.org/OASpage/crisis/RC.24e.htm)
7. Resources for study
and worship
a) Worship: US churches have gathered and composed many
resources in response to the attacks of 11 September and continuing
prayers for peace. Links to US church websites can be found
at http://www.wcc-coe.org/wcc/behindthenews/resources.html
Some additional US sites with worship resources include the
Ekklesia Project at http://www.ekklesiaproject.org/Sept-11/re-sept11.htm
and the Pax Christi Community at http://www.paxchristiusa.org/news_events_more.asp?id=101
b) Requesting and sharing resources: A discussion board
to request and suggest resources, add reflections and invite
discussion can be found at http://www.wcc-coe.org/discussions
c) Reflections and commentary. A good source for a variety
of individual and organizational reflections and commentary
can be found through Sojourners at http://www.sojo.net/special/index.cfm/action/home.html
8. Calls for action
What can I do? Some Proposals for Action haves been prepared
by the coordinator of the Ecumenical Advocacy Alliance, listing
ideas for individual and collective action in pursuit of peace,
justice, tolerance, and human rights. (http://www.wcc-coe.org/wcc/behindthenews/calls.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 churches and church-related organizations who have pledged
themselves to change unjust policies and practices related to
global trade and HIV/AIDS. Participants 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.
Please distribute this bulletin widely and encourage friends
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Behind the news: Visions for peace - Voices of faith
Web: http://www.wcc-coe.org/wcc/behindthenews
E-mail: bulletins@wcc-coe.org
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