Amid all the allegations of anti-Semitism being hurled at the Presbyterian Church as if it is the only group urging reason and restraint for peace in Israel/Palestine, we hear a joint call for peace from Jews, Muslims and Christians. They recognize how violence is connected in Iraq, Israel/Palestine, terrorist groups, and more - and call for a "Nonviolent Coalition" that will welcome all to their tent as Abraham did, "to share his food and water with travelers from anywhere."
 

THE TENT OF ABRAHAM

We are members of the families of Abraham - Muslims, Christians, Jews.

Our traditions teach us to have compassion, seek justice, and pursue peace for all peoples. We bear especially deep concern for the region where Abraham learned and taught, journeyed and flourished. Today that region is known as the greater Middle East - from Iraq, where Abraham grew up, to Israel and Palestine, where he sojourned.

Today our hearts are broken by the violence poured out upon the peoples of that region.

That violence has included the occupation of Palestinian lands by Israel and of Iraq by the United States; terrorist attacks on Americans, Israelis, Iraqis, and others by various Palestinian and Iraqi groups and by Al Qaeda; the torture of prisoners by several different police forces, military forces, and governments in the region.

From our heartbreak at these destructive actions, we intend to open our hearts more fully to each other and to the suffering of all peoples.

In the name of the One God Whom we all serve and celebrate, we condemn all these forms of violence. To end the present wars and to take serious steps toward the peace that all our traditions demand of us, we call on governments and on the leaders of all religious and cultural communities to act.

We urge the US government to set a firm and speedy date, preferably no later than December 1, 2004, for completing the safe return home from Iraq of all Americans under military control or contract - so that Hanukkah, Christmas, and Eid el Adha can actually be celebrated as festivals of peace. We urge the UN to work directly with Iraqi political groupings to transfer power in Iraq to an elected government.

We urge the UN, the US, the European Union, and Russia to convene a comprehensive peace conference through which the governments of Israel, the Palestinian Authority, Iran, and all Arab states conclude a full diplomatic, economic, and cultural peace with Israel and Palestine, defined approximately on the 1967 boundaries, with small mutual adjustments.

We urge the international community to work out lawful and effective means to deal with the dangers of international terrorism, the spread of nuclear and similar weapons, and conflicts over the control of oil and water.

We ourselves will act to create transnational and interfaith networks of Jews, Christians, and Muslims who will covenant together -

According to tradition, Abraham kept his tent open in all four directions, the more easily to share his food and water with travelers from anywhere. In that spirit, we welcome all those who thirst and hunger for justice, peace, and dignity.

Signed by

- Sister Joan Chittister, OSB; Rev. Bob Edgar, National Council of Churches; Dr. Sayyid Muhammad Syeed, Islamic Society of North America; Rabbi Arthur Waskow, The Shalom Center --- and YOU?

You can DONATE ONLINE by clicking on http://www.shalomctr.org/index.cfm/action/donate.html or going to http://www.shalomctr.org (which will give you a sense of our work in general) and looking for "Donate' in the right-hand column - or print out this coupon and send it to:

"Abraham's Tent," Shalom Center, 6711 Lincoln Drive, Philadelphia PA 19119

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This thought-letter flows from the work of The Shalom Center, a North American network committed to draw on Jewish wisdom, old and new, and to learn from other wisdom traditions and communities, in order to pursue peace, justice, and the healing of the earth. For more information about The Shalom Center, go to http://www.shalomctr.org

Thanks to Witherspooners Darrell and Sue Yeaney for sharing this announcement.