wfn.org | Push for Iraq compliance, but not war, NCC assembly says

["NewsDesk" <NewsDesk@UMCOM.ORG>]

Nov. 20, 2002	    News media contact: Linda Bloom7(212) 870-38037New York  
  10-21-71B{536}

By United Methodist News Service*

Working through the United Nations Security Council, President Bush and
Congress should do everything possible - short of going to war - to ensure
that Iraq complies with U.N. mandates, U.S. religious leaders say.

Delegates to the National Council of Churches' General Assembly in Tampa,
Fla., also urged the U.S. government to use the context of the United Nations
to play an active role "in working toward a peaceful and just resolution of
the Israeli-Palestinian conflict."

Both issues were part of a resolution, "After September 11, 2001: Public
Policy Considerations for the United States of America," adopted unanimously
by delegates Nov. 16. The ecumenical organization represents 36 Protestant,
Orthodox and Anglican member communions, including the United Methodist
Church.

In the aftermath of Sept. 11, the resolution praised Bush, first lady Laura
Bush and other leaders "for their efforts to promote respect for religious
diversity in this country and abroad, and especially the outreach to the
Muslim community."

But delegates also expressed concern about the rise of militarism and
escalation of violence during the past year and the tendency to divide people
into camps of good and evil. "Demonizing adversaries of enemies denies their
basic humanity and contradicts Christians' beliefs in the dignity and worth
of each person as a child of God," they stated. The loss of civil liberties
and U.S. efforts to pursue economic and political goals in unilateral fashion
also were concerns.

Besides working through the United Nations on the Iraq and
Israeli-Palestinian conflict, Bush and Congress are urged to pay the U.S.
arrears to the United Nations.

Action items in the resolution for NCC member communions include seeking a
meeting with the president and others in his administration; helping
congregations understand and express concern for worldwide peace and justice;
helping congregations cope with the fear of terrorist attacks and threats to
national security; and advocating for public policy that increases genuine
international cooperation.

Member communions are encouraged to participate in the World Council of
Churches' Decade to Overcome Violence and to invite overseas partners to help
interpret for U.S. churches the consequences of the "war on terrorism" in
other places.

In a Nov. 15 keynote address, Tarek Mitri, an Orthodox Christian from Lebanon
and World Council of Churches staff executive, warned against pitting "Islam"
and "the West" against each other, noting that they "are not two monolithic
blocks confronting each other."

Tracing the history of Christian-Muslim relations through the centuries and
beyond the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, he explained that terrorist violence
does not reflect traditional Islamic values but rather a loss of those
values.

Both Christians and Muslims, he said, can uphold their own religious values
and ideals by taking a stand in solidarity with victims of oppression and
exclusion. Promoting human rights for both Muslim majorities and Christian
minorities in certain countries, he added, helps safeguard those minorities. 
 

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*The National Council of Churches communications office contributed to this
report. 

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United Methodist News Service
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