May 5, 2003
by James Solheim

As Americans celebrate the military victory in Iraq, a group of about 80 interfaith religious leaders - most of whom opposed military action in Iraq - gathered in Chicago April 30 to consider the humanitarian, spiritual and civil consequences of that war.

"The purpose is to look at the next steps in the healing process and to talk about the consequences of war," said the Rev. Robert Edgar, general secretary of the National Council of Churches, the ecumenical organization that called the summit.

In a joint statement, "An Urgent Call for Reflection, Hope and Action," the Christian, Muslim and Jewish leaders argued that American society is "at a moment of choice even more urgent than before the war in Iraq began. We are faced with choices between hope and courage or fear and violence; between a future characterized by global solidarity, international cooperation and multilateral action or one characterized by unilateralism and wars by choice rather than necessity; continuing terrorism; unfettered efforts to extend U.S. power and the exploitation of fear."

The statement added, "As many Americans celebrate a moment of military victory, we as people of faith ask all people to make this a time of deliberate reflection... War is a blunt instrument which provides no lasting solution but too often leads to further violence." Therefore the church leaders urged religious leaders to "gather in town meetings, teach-ins and other forms of community reflection to explore what kind of society we seek to become."

International faith summit

Noting that the religious traditions in all three faiths "are rooted in justice, compassion and peace," the statement calls on political leaders in the U.S. to "draw back from the use and threat of first strike war," reconsider unilateral control over the reconstruction of Iraq and seek a role for the United Nations.

Finally, the statement calls for an International Faith Summit to "provide a worldwide forum for religious leaders to meet and discuss in depth ways to eliminate the rhetoric of hate and to end violence perpetuated in the name of religion."

In another short statement called "Words of Reflection," the participants expressed gratitude for the end of hostilities, "the end of an oppressive regime, and the safe return of our troops." They also called for "a national day of prayer and reflection, with a special emphasis on interfaith gatherings," and called on the president to "distance himself from religious leaders who demonize the faiths of others."

"What does 'just war theory' mean in an age of nuclear weapons?" asked Rabbi David Saperstein, director of the Religious Action League of Reform Judaism that concluded that the use of military force in Iraq was "a morally justifiable act." Yet he participated in the summit because of a commitment to "developing an ethical and moral foreign policy for America something that urgently calls us to come together and find common ground," he said in an interview with the Chicago Sun-Times.

"The role of religion on the international scene can be an enormous sense of healing and coalition building, or can be enormously divisive and a factor in justifying violence," he said.

Secretary General Sayyid M. Syeed of the Islamic Society of North America said that, despite opposition to the war, "we can still be of influence in bringing people back together." In an interview with the Associated Press he thought that the influence of the religious leaders had actually increased as they pulled together to oppose the war. "We may not have stopped a major storm, but what was started has taken on a life of its own."

Common commitment to peace

Bishop Christopher Epting, the Episcopal Church's deputy for ecumenical and interfaith relations, said that it was "a very exciting gathering. It could be the beginning of a new nationwide - or even international - network of interfaith organizations and individuals building upon the wonderful things that are going on locally in this many parts of our country and the world."

Not only was it possible to build consensus around the statement, Epting reported, "but even more importantly we found ourselves becoming friends and colleagues after only a few hours together. Surely our common commitment to the one God and to that God's yearning for the healing of the world unites us on a deep level."

The Rev. Jackie Lynn, executive director of the Episcopal Peace Fellowship, also attended the meeting and supported the statement. She said that EPF members across the country will review the document and continue to work in interfaith settings seeking nonviolent solutions to the issues at hand. "This is a crucial time to reach out to our sisters and brothers in the Arab and Muslim communities in the U.S. and the Middle East, to build unity and to work together to prevent discrimination and oppression."

Full texts of the Urgent Call and Words of Reflection are available on the NCC web site at www.ncccusa.org.

Episcopal News Service
James Solheim is director of the Episcopal News Service. Carol Fouke of the NCC news office supplied background information for this article.