WASHINGTON — People of faith from a variety of religious
traditions — including Christians, Jews and Muslims — will
join here in a day of worship and witness in opposition to
the war in Iraq on March 7.
Called the Interfaith Peace Witness, the event is
co-sponsored by the Christian Peace Witness for Iraq and
the Fellowship of Reconciliation, and will include other
coordinated events around the country. It will also
coincide with the March 7-10 Ecumenical Advocacy Days, an
annual conference co-sponsored by nearly 50 churches and
other religious and humanitarian organizations, including
the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.).
“It is our obligation to be the moral conscience and
compass of our nation,” said Rick Ufford-Chase, former
PC(USA) General Assembly moderator and executive director
of the Presbyterian Peace Fellowship. “Ending the tragedy
of the war, which most of our religious bodies advised
against five years ago, will be the greatest political
challenge of our time.”
Ufford-Chase, who helped organize the first Interfaith
Peace Witness a year ago on behalf of the Christian Peace
Witness for Iraq, noted that this spring marks the fifth
anniversary of the invasion of Iraq. In staging this year’s
event, he said, “We commit to be relentless in our common
effort to end the war, to honor the service of our
soldiers, and to help all of those who have been affected —
in the U.S. and in Iraq — to rebuild their lives.”
Keynote speakers for the event, which will include
workshops, a worship service and a public demonstration
against the war, are the Rev. James Forbes, recently
retired pastor of Riverside Church in New York and founder
of Healing of the Nations; Rabbi David Saperstein, director
of the Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism; and Ms.
Asma Mirza, president of the national Muslim Students
Association.
by Jerry L. Van Marter
Presbyterian News Service
