---

U.S. Christian, Jewish, Muslim Religious Leaders Rally Oct. 24 Against U.S.-Iraq War

Calling a unilateral pre-emptive action against Iraq immoral, more than 125 Christian leaders and representatives from Jewish and Muslim faiths in the United States have signed onto a Statement of Conscience on the Iraq War.

The statement was released at rallies Thursday morning October 24 in cities across the country.

Citing sacred texts from the Qu'ran, Jewish and Christian scriptures, and elsewhere, religious leaders caution their government to take action against Iraq only through the United Nations, if at all. The signers further call on the U.S. government to become a "moral superpower" instead of merely the world's dominant military power. "People whose lives are rooted in the sacred stories must always act as responsible peace advocates, ready to resist the misuse of military power and ready to help national leaders address the deeper sources of war and aggression," according to the statement. Citing the threat to civilian lives in Iraq, the statement says, "to believe that an American family is more precious and sacred than an Iraqi family is to turn one's back on God and God's beloved community...."

"Rabbis, Imams, Ministers and Bishops are calling upon President Bush to meet his moral obligation as the leader of our one nation under God," said Rev. Dr. George Regas, convener of the Progressive Religious Partnership, which coordinated the statement. "Actions resulting in the death and suffering of thousands of innocent people and fueling further terrorist acts at a cost of billions and billions of dollars in the absence of exhausting all available and legally binding means of resolution is an offense to the ethical foundation upon which our country is founded."

Rev. Dr. Regas and other members of the Progressive Religious Partnership Executive Committee met with the Senate Leadership in Washington, D.C. earlier this month to protest the U.S. government's unilateral war preparations.

In addition to Rev. Dr. Regas, other signatories to the statement include Rev. William Sloane Coffin Jr.; Rev. Andrew Young, former UN Ambassador; Rev. Bob Edgar, secretary general of the National Council of Churches and former member of Congress; Dr. James A. Forbes Jr., senior minister of the Riverside Church, New York; Rabbi Michael Lerner, editor of Tikkun magazine; Dr. Nazir Khaja, Islamic Information Service; Rev. John H. Thomas, general minister and president, United Church of Christ; and Sister Maureen Fiedler, Catholics Speak Out, among many others.

Events were held in New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, San Francisco, Atlanta, St. Louis, Detroit, and Claremont, Calif. Signatories in other parts of the country are also available for comment. See accompanying event and contact information or check website for details.

The Progressive Religious Partnership is a coalition of American Christian, Muslim, Jewish, and Buddhist leaders seeking to raise a prophetic voice on issues of racial, economic, sexual and gender justice, and also to be an alternative voice on war and peace. More details and a copy of the statement can be found at www.ProgressiveReligiousPartnership.org  

CONTACT: Rev. Dr. George Regas of Progressive Religious Partnership, 626-683-9400 (Work) or 636-793-0816 (Home)

-end-