Interfaith Summit's Guidelines to Peace  "More than guided missiles, all the world needs guided men."  Poem Helen Steiner Rice

Muslim, Christian, & Jewish Leaders  Release Joint Declaration Issuing Guidelines to Peace Call On President to "Draw Back From First Strike War"

April 30, 2003, CHICAGO - As President Bush prepared his Thursday evening address to announce "the end of the Iraq war," more than 75 Muslim, Christian, Jewish and other faith leaders from across the United States converged on Chicago to issue a set of principles to lead toward a peaceful future. The summit addressed the humanitarian, spiritual and civil costs of war and its ramifications here at home.

The summit participants’ "Urgent Call for Reflection, Hope and Action" calls on the President to:

• draw back from the use and threat of "first strike" war;
• draw back from unilateral US control over the reconstruction of Iraq;
• bring the US occupation to a prompt end by transferring to the United Nations and multilateral, non-governmental organizations the authority to work with the Iraqi people toward Iraq’s own reconstruction;
• make available US resources as part of a world effort to serve the needs and decisions of the Iraqi people.

The religious leaders also called on all people of faith to make this a time of deliberate reflection and to gather in town meetings, teach-ins and other community forums "to explore what kind of society we seek to become." In a second document, titled "Words of Reflection," they called for a national day of prayer and reflection, with a special emphasis on interfaith gatherings. "We further call on the President to distance himself from religious leaders who demonize the faith of others," they said, and urged Americans not to forget "the continuing suffering of the Iraqi people, which demands large-scale international humanitarian relief."

Read the full texts of the "Urgent Call" and "Words of Reflection:" 

• AN URGENT CALL FOR REFLECTION, HOPE AND ACTION
• WORDS of REFLECTION

NOTE: The Domestic Interfaith Summit was co-called by the National Council of Churches USA, Islamic Society of North America and Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism.  Individuals and groups wanting to endorse the "Urgent Call" and "Words of Reflection" may do so by clicking here.

Reprinted by permission from the NCC News Service

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