JANUARY 20, 2003

GOVERNMENT
Iraq: bigger tent in peace camp

Last weekend's antiwar rallies in Washington, D.C., and San Francisco showed that efforts to avert war in Iraq, quietly spearheaded by religious groups months ago, are accelerating. The movement has expanded beyond the traditional "peace churches" to include members and leaders of most denominations and faiths. Secular groups - from labor unions to the Sierra Club - are joining forces with religious groups, and 41 cities have passed peace resolutions against war in Iraq. From national television ads and rallies to local educational forums and protests, religious groups are trying to make the case that opposition to war is patriotic, moral and mainstream.

How vocal and visible has the peace movement become in your area? How instrumental have local religious groups been in educating and organizing citizens for peace? And how united are they? Not all religious groups oppose invasion plans; Jewish groups are divided and many conservative evangelical groups back the president's call for war.

Why it matters
The United States is known as one of the world's most religious nations, but polls show that religious leaders' moral voice, tainted by scandal, has eroded. Are people listening to religious leaders and groups as they speak out on war and peace?

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National sources

Click the map for interview sources in your state and region

• ANSWER (Act Now to Stop War and End Racism) is a national coalition of dozens of groups, many of them faith-based, that organized the Jan. 18 rallies in Washington and San Francisco. Contact 202-544-3389.
• Win Without War is a coalition of faith and secular interest groups, including the National Council of Churches, the Sierra Club, the National Organization for Women and the NAACP. Contact spokesman David Cortright, president of the Fourth Freedom Forum, an organization that promotes the use of international law and nonviolent dispute resolution, 800-233-6786 ext. 14 or dcortright@fourthfreedom.org.
• United for Peace is a coalition of more than 120 groups. Contact Andrea Buffa, 415-255-7296 ext. 263, cell 510-325-3653, andrea@globalexchange.org; Leslie Cagan, 212-927-8342, lesliecagan@igc.org; Bill Fletcher, 202-223-1960 ext. 113, bfletcher@transafricaforum.org.

CATHOLIC
• Maryann Cusimano Love, professor of politics at Catholic University of America, wrote in the Jan. 20-27 America magazine of the Jesuit order that preventive use of force is ineffective. She is writing a book on the ethics of the war on terror. 202-319-4783 or cusimano@cua.edu.
• The U.S. Roman Catholic bishops wrote a letter in September to President Bush saying the United States should "pursue actively alternatives to war" because striking Iraq does not meet criteria for just war found in Catholic social teaching and reaffirmed their reservations at their annual meeting in November.

PROTESTANT CHRISTIANS
• The National Council of Churches sent a 13-member delegation to Iraq in December and argued that preemptive war is "immoral and illegal" in a statement. The NCC has an index of resources. Contact 212-870-2252.
• Dr. Richard Land is president of the Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission for the Southern Baptist Convention, the nation's largest Protestant denomination, which supports President Bush's policy on Iraq. Contact 615-244-2495.

JEWISH
• Rabbi Michael Lerner is the editor of Tikkun magazine and the founder of the Tikkun Community, a peace and social justice movement. Contact 415-575-1200, rabbilerner@tikkun.org.
• David Harris, executive director of the American Jewish Committee, says Saddam Hussein is a "clear danger" and must be dealt with. Contact him through Kenneth Bandler, 212-751-4000 x 271, bandlerk@ajc.org.
• Rabbi Arthur Waskow of the Shalom Center is urging American Jews to contact leaders of Jewish organizations to speak out against war in Iraq. A letter contains the signatures of 125 prominent American Jews. Contact the center, 215-844-8494.
• American Jewish groups are divided in their positions on Iraq. The Union of Orthodox Jewish Congregations of America applauded Bush's leadership. The Union of American Hebrew Congregations, which represents Reform Judaism, gave qualified support for unilateral action. The Jewish Council for Public Affairs said Oct. 14 it supported the use of force as a last resort.

MUSLIM
• Muslim Peace Fellowship is forming local groups in San Francisco, Columbia, S.C., and San Antonio, Texas. Contact Rabia Harris, 845-358-4601 ext. 43.
• Arab American Institute president James Zogby wrote Jan. 13 that Bush won't invade Iraq, despite urgings from advisers. Contact 202-429-9210, jzogby@aaiusa.org.
• The Muslim Students Association is active in the antiwar coalition. Contact president Altaf Husain, 703-820-7900.

BUDDHIST
• The Buddhist Peace Fellowship is active in the antiwar movement. 510-655-6169.
• Roshi Bernie Glassman heads the Massachusetts-based Peacemaker Community, which has global chapters. 413-367-2080.

OTHER SOURCES
• Four representatives of Families for Peaceful Tomorrows, members of families of Sept. 11, 2001 victims, returned from a trip to Iraq on Jan. 15, 2003 and urged U.S. leaders to find alternatives to military action. Contact David Potorti, 919-466-9355.
• William J. Bennett is most recently the author of Why We Fight: Moral Clarity and the War on Terrorism. A co-director of Empower America, he is an advocate of a moral justification for action in Iraq, with or without support from other nations. Contact 202-452-8200.
• Jen White, 22-year-old graduate of Bennington College is coordinator of the Student Peace Action Network, one participant in the Jan. 18 rallies. Contact 202-862-9740 ext. 3051 or span@peace-action.org.
• Teresa Panepinto is GI Rights Coordinator of the Central Committee for Conscientious Objectors, a resource for youth required to register as well as those already enlisted, with offices in Oakland and Philadelphia. Contact 888-231-2226 or teresa@objector.org.

Background

• View a television ad that debuted Jan. 16, 2003, developed by MoveOn.org, an internet-based organization of political activists and one of the partners in the Win Without War coalition.
• Polls majority support for Bush's Iraq policy. Support levels vary for specific actions, such as sending in ground troops or beginning air strikes. A Jan. 16, 2003, poll by the Pew Research Center for People and the Press found that three in 10 Americans support military action in Iraq if no weapons program is found.
• Sojourners magazine, a faith-based social justice magazine, offers a variety of resources on faith groups' positions against the war, including links to official statements from faith denominations and traditions.
• A Jan. 17, 2003, Christian Science Monitor article describes peace activists' efforts to involve mainstream Americans in the peace movement.
• Web resources with definitions and debate about just war theory from the University of San Diego Values Institute Forum.
• A Nov. 25 AlterNet article discusses concerns of labor unions and lists locals that have taken anti-war actions.