September 25, 2008

Last night, Rev. William G. Sinkford, President of the Unitarian Universalist Association, participated in a gathering of religious peacemakers in New York City with President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad of Iran as well as other Iranian state officials. In this gathering hosted by Fellowship of Reconciliation, delegations from more than 150 organizations met with the Iranian leader. But only 12 delegates, including Rev. Sinkford, had the opportunity to ask a question.

Questions were asked about Iran's relationship with neighboring nations, Iran's search for nuclear energy, and the role of diplomacy with the United States in Iranian policies. Rev. Sinkford's question focused on the status of political dissenters in Iran, particularly women and the BGLTQ community. Today, at UUA.org, you can read the story about Rev. Sinkford's trip along with the rest of the UU delegation-including the UU United Nations Office (UU-UNO), UU lay leader activists and the UUA Washington Office for Advocacy's very own Acting Director, Adam Gerhardstein. Rev. Sinkford's question is available in its entirety, as well as President Ahmadinejad's answer. You can also read reflections from Rev. Sinkford and Bruce Knotts, Executive Director of the UU-UNO.

We would like to remind you that our October Action of the Month, "Publish for Peace," focuses on Iran. We are requesting UUs across America to participate in citizen diplomacy by writing to their local newspaper about America's relationship with Iran. We urge you to write about the importance of U.S. and Iranian diplomacy and the dangers of war with Iran. Please visit our campaign site at http://www.uua.org/socialjustice/.

UUA Washington Office for Advocacy