Friends
United Meeting Statement on Iraq
December
20, 1998
To Friends
and to all citizens of countries involved in recent hostilities
in Iraq:
In February
1998, during a period of high tension between Iraq and the coalition
of governments organized to enforce the post-Gulf war sanctions,
Friends United Meeting's General Board issued a statement warning
both sides that military action was a morally and pragmatically
unacceptable alternative.
For a time,
it seemed that the way forward which we had urged, the use of
the good offices of the United Nations Secretary-General, was
proving to be productive, despite the many years of mistakes
on both sides of the chasm between Iraq and some other countries,
notably Britain and the USA. Now that hostilities have begun,
with additional suffering for Iraqi people and the risk of death
or injury for soldiers of several countries, it is clear that
the chasm is too wide. Nothing less than radical faithfulness
and the power of prayer is called for. We earnestly plead for
the following steps to be taken:
1) all
those involved with the conflict must cease their hostilities
and preparations for hostilities, and to engage in a time of
reflection and consultation and fervent prayer during this holy
season;
2) all
Christians in the countries attacking Iraq should consider prayerfully
whether they can in good conscience celebrate the birth of the
Prince of Peace while preparing to inflict lethal violence on
the people of Iraq, or supporting such preparations;
3) all
governments in the nations surrounding Iraq must make their
own plans for relating to Iraq and its leadership, a leadership
clearly not committed to the norms of human rights and international
behavior, and these countries must stop asking (tacitly or explicitly)
countries outside the region to solve their regional political
dilemmas;
4) Friends
in all countries involved should direct relief aid to ordinary
Iraqi citizens through such channels as the American Friends
Service Committee; should support the strengthening and independence
of international institutions such as the United Nations; and
should do all they can at work and school and in social contacts
to counteract hostile stereotypes of Iraqi, Arab or Muslim people.
Our conviction
as Friends is that violence and Christian discipleship are incompatible.
Our call is to lift up the way taught and demonstrated to us
by our Lord who invites us to follow Him. This conviction is
not meant to be the private scruples of a small band of spiritual
idealists: it is, we believe, the way toward a humane future
for all the people of the earth. This beautiful vision will
always be just a pious hope if we do not also make a forthright
declaration of warning: if we are unable to dedicate the energy,
imagination, honesty and prayer it will take to find nonviolent
solutions to international dilemmas, then the future will be
one of widespread human agony and continued spiritual corrosion.
In the
name of the Lord Jesus Christ, we call on all involved to put
as much care into confronting each other face-to-face and solving
our conflicts peacefully as we now seem ready to dedicate to
each other's destruction.
C. Wayne
Carter, Presiding Clerk, and Johan Maurer, General Secretary
Friends United Meeting
OTHER
QUAKER STATEMENTS & LETTERS
Reviewed:
09/06/2005
More
on Iraq
|
