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Communities and individuals of all faith traditions and spiritualities who are committed to ending the war in Iraq are planning an interfaith witness in Washington D.C. on March 7, 2008 to demonstrate our unwavering commitment to the sacredness of human life. The world cries out for a common voice for peace from across religious traditions and paths. Learn more at OliveBranchInterfaith.org. 

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Thousands of Americans crossed the lines of faith traditions to fast from dawn to dusk last Monday (October 8th) to call for an end to the Iraq War. 

Prayer and fasting events were also reported in Canada, Australia and elsewhere, said the Rev. Dr. Shanta Premawardhana, associate general secretary at the National Council of Churches USA (NCC), one of the fast’s organizers.

Christians, Jews, Muslims, Buddhists, Hindus, Unitarians, people of other faiths and people of no faith observed a day of fasting together.  In many communities the breaking of the fast was observed at Islamic centers with an “iftar” dinner on the “Night of Power,” the holiest night in Ramadan. 

“This war must end!” said the religious leaders in their statement organizing the fast. “We must end the shattering of Iraqi and American lives by offering American generosity and support – but not control – for international and nongovernmental efforts to assist Iraqis in making peace and rebuilding their country, while swiftly and safely bringing home all American troops.”

Breaking the fast at sundown dinners rolled west across the nation in the different time zones.  They began in Washington, D.C., North Carolina and Pennsylvania to Kansas, Colorado, California and Washington State.

What may have been a first was a fast that took place in the online virtual community of Second Life (secondlife.com), organized by the Fellowship of Reconciliation (FOR) and the Peacemaker Institute.  Through their avatars, participants met for hourly mediation sessions throughout the day and then broke the fast with a closing ceremony and virtual snacks.  “Since I don’t live near any of the real life celebrations, participating in Second Life gave me the opportunity to be in community with others while I was fasting” said Ruby Sinreich of FOR.

At an Islamic center in Sterling, Va., just outside the nation’s capital, several Christians and Jews gathered with Muslims to break the fast.  Also present were officials of the U.S. State and Homeland Security departments and elected officials.

“Perhaps more than ever before religious people in small communities and large cities throughout the U.S. are gathering right now to break the fast,” the Rev. Dr. Premawardhana told the gathering.  “It is now imperative that we work to expand and deepen those relationships.”

Rick Ufford-Chase, former Moderator of the Presbyterian Church, USA, spoke of the efforts of Christians to bring an end to the war in Iraq, including those of Christian Peace Witness, which brought over 3000 religious leaders to Washington on the 4th anniversary of war.

“Christians must own that our Christian president took us to war,” he said.  “That was the focus of the gathering in March. Now, working hand in hand with our interfaith partners we are much stronger.”

The leaders of many faith communities invited Americans to join interfaith events for the common goal of peace which is common to all major religions in the world.

“American culture, society, and policy are addicted to violence at home and overseas,” said the organizers.  “In our time, the hope of a decent future is endangered by an unnecessary, morally abhorrent, and disastrous war.  Ending this war can become the first step toward a policy that embodies a deeper, broader sense of generosity and community at home and in the world.”

Among the religious who organized or endorsed the event were: Rabbi Arthur Waskow, Shalom Center, Philadelphia; Dr. Sayyid M. Sayeed, Islamic Society of North America, Plainfield, Ill.; Rev. Dr. Shanta Premawardhana, NCC Associate General Secretary for Interfaith Relations and Rev. Michael Livingston, NCC President; Jean Stoken, Pax Christi Roman Catholic peace ministry; Dr. Tarunjit Singh Butalia, Moderator of Religions for Peace USA; Jim Winkler, United Methodist Board for Church and Society; Rick Ufford-Chase, Presbyterian Peace Fellowship and Christian Peace Witness, and Bishop Christopher Epting, The Episcopal Church.

By the way, we are now up to 53 events listed in our system, and we’re sure there are more that we don’t even know of! If you’re one of the organizers that posted an event, click here to log in and see RSVPs or change information.

I also want to thank the many people that have been spreading the word about Monday’s fast, and linking to our site. Google now counts hundreds of links to us, and dozens of people have even blogged about the Fast including: Faith In Public Life, Warped Galaxies, Darvish, National Coalition for Dialogue & Deliberation, The Lead, On Not Being a Sausage, Reclaiming The F Word, and especially the Black Jewish Experience who had this to say:

In Jewish, Muslim and indeed many faiths a fast is used to show importance and sincere mourning for our actions and sorrow. Nothing could be more important than raising awareness and spiritual importance for peace in Iraq.

October 8th take a day to set your intentions and soul on stopping the violence that is destroying our soldiers’ lives, taking too many Iraqis’ lives, and threatening our country’s future.

I do believe prayer/intentions/meditation, whatever way you get in touch with the everlasting spirit makes a difference in this earth.

Fasting will make those thoughts even more poignant. So please self-sacrifice for the day on behalf of all too many making the ultimate sacrifice. And tell as many people about it as possible.

The following press release was just issued by the National Council of Churches.

Washington, DC - Interfaith leaders call for day of fasting to end the Iraq war.

Several religious leaders representing tens of millions of faithful Americans stood today in the shadow of the U.S. Capitol calling religious communities of various traditions to a day of fasting and prayer to end the Iraq war.

“We must return to the ancient disciplines so that we will turn away from violence toward reverence,” said Rabbi Arthur Waskow, director of the Shalom Center, Philadelphia, to reporters gathered in front of the United Methodist Church office building on Maryland Avenue.

Represented at the news conference were leaders of Muslim, Jewish, Roman Catholic, Unitarian, and Baptist traditions. The Rev. Dr. Shanta Premawardhana, associate general secretary for interfaith relations at the National Council of Churches USA (NCC), and himself a Baptist, organized the news event.

Ancient practices were used at the news conference in the call to the nation. The ram’s horn, or Jewish shofar, was sounded to “wake up” a nation. Ashes were placed on the leaders’ foreheads as signs of repentance. A bell was tolled to call America’s people of faith to join together on October 8 to fast from dawn to sunset, breaking the fast with their Muslim sisters and brothers.

“When you are fasting for Ramadan, you are enhancing your sense of compassion,” said Dr. Sayeed Syeed from the Islamic Society of North America. “We will be asking mosques to open their doors to people of other faiths around the world on October 8 for prayer and dialogue.”

Dr. Syeed said the Islamic Center in nearby Sterling, Va., will open its doors to interfaith neighbors Oct. 8 to break the Ramadan fast together. Local religious groups are registering events at www.interfaithfast.org, a website managed by the Fellowship of Reconciliation.

“From beginning to end the biblical revelation is a revelation of peace,” said the Rev. Stan Hastey from the Alliance of Baptists and an officer of the NCC’s Governing Board.

Hastey said the NCC has opposed the war since the beginning and recommended the “withdrawal of troops in an orderly way.” The Baptist leader also called the war “unjust and seemingly unending.”

“Our nation is engaged in a horrendous war, one destructive of civilizations and divisive of communities. We have a responsibility to end our violence and to make concrete our compassion for the people of Iraq,” said Sister Marge Clark, BVM, a member of Pax Christi USA.

“May our prayer and fasting bring us to live our responsibility for the precarious world which we have shaped,” said Sister Clark, who is also a member of NETWORK, the women religious-led Roman Catholic Social Justice group.

In addition to events in localities members of the internet site Facebook are organizing virtual communities to observe the day of fasting and prayer. One of the organizers is Alex Winnette from the Unitarian Universalist Association.

“Young people are unfairly and negatively stereotyped. We believe the opposite is true. We are connecting to a global effort,” said Winnette of the Facebook plans. “We will take the lessons of our ancestors as inspiration (in this fast).”

Congregations may find material about fasting and other bulletin inserts at www.interfaithfast.org as well as an organizing tool kit to hold an event. A list of sponsoring organizations and individuals endorsing the day of fast is also at that website.

NCC News contact: Dan Webster, 212.870.2252, NCCnews@ncccusa.org

Photos by Leslie Tune

I am thrilled to announce that one of the many events that will commemorate our fasting on Monday October 8th will be in Second Life! Second Life is an online virtual world created by its members or “residents.” Two national nonprofit organizations, the Fellowship of Reconciliation and the Peacemaker Institute, will sponsor the event on Commonwealth Island, which is a home for progressive organizations in Second Life. Our celebration will include a meditation for world peace, speakers, and even virtual food!

Several different groups have also been organizing in Facebook, an online social networking community, to spread the word about the fast. One group of Young Universalist Unitarian Peacemakers has already got over 300 people signed up!

Now you are probably wondering: will our fast also be “virtual?” And if so, what meaning does it have? Personally, I will be fasting in real life, but celebrating it with a spiritual community in Second Life. For many of us, this is just as real and moving of an experience as you might have in a church, and has the added benefit of allowing us to connect with people across the country and across the world.
Click here if you’d like to join us the virtual fast-breaking celebration in Second Life.

We call on all Americans to join in fasting from dawn to dusk on Monday, October 8, the day officially known as “Columbus Day,” to call for an end to the Iraq War. On this day, people of faith in local communities across our nation will act as catalysts to transform the meaning of the day from one of conquest to community and from violence to reverence.

On Monday, October 8th

• Have a simple meal before dawn, committing to fast throughout the day as a sign of your commitment to move our core values from conquest to community and from violence to reverence. 
   

• While fasting, many of us in cities as New York, Chicago, San Francisco and in local communities across the United States will take part in public vigils, inviting community leaders and elected officials and candidates for the presidency to join us as we commit to take immediate action to end the war. In Washington DC, religious leaders will gather to fast together and engage in a public action to draw attention to the nation-wide events that will take place that day.
  

• At sunset: We will eat together once again to break bread in public places as a sign of our commitment to work together for peace and an end to violence. This shared meal will be a sign of our covenant with one another – as individuals and as communities - to stand against the war in Iraq, and to work with one another to stand against violence in our communities and around the world. (Communities should be aware that for Muslims, later in the evening there will be large-scale gatherings for the Night of Power, commemorating the first revelation of the Quran. Shared break-fast meals should be scheduled so as to take account of these gatherings.)