Religion, Peace, and Sanctuary

In 2021, we are witnessing the number of forcibly displaced people approach 100 million globally as a result of proxy wars and economic exploitation led by superpowers, brutal dictatorships, oppression and persecution of civilians, and climate catastrophes wrought upon indigenous populations by colonial powers, multinational corporations and the military industrial complex. The governments that hold permanent seats on the so-called UN Security Council, especially the United States, hold primary responsibility for this state of global mayhem and despair, as they are the world’s largest purveyors of warfare, venture capitalism, global heating, exploitation of indigenous land and resources --- and motivated to perpetuate their wealth and world domination.

In April 1967, at New York City's Riverside Church, the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King delivered a sermon against imperialism that offered a profound diagnosis of militarism, poverty and racism as the “three evils of society” and “plague of western civilization.” He called for "a radical revolution of values" and a need for people to have a deep-seated aversion to injustice. “There comes a time when one must take a position that is neither safe, nor politic, nor popular, but he must take it because conscience tells him it is right,” said King.

It is in this spirit that we invite you to a conversation with seven radical visionaries and activists for peace, who have been inspired by their faith traditions to use their power, privilege and trust in God in the struggle to end war, open borders, and provide sanctuary honoring the dignity and human rights of all people. As you will hear, their brave and principled advocacy has sometimes put them at odds with their governments and co-religionists.



Rev. Bob Brashear, Co-founder of the International Sanctuary Declaration Campaign and Network, and member of the Presbyterian Church USA Committee on Central America and the Border Crisis. Bob will speak about the origins and theological groundings and mandates of the ISD Movement, as well as the inalienable human right of people to move.



Maglaha Hamma, Western Saharan Refugee and Peace Activist. Maglaha will talk being born and raised in a refugee camp, and how Islam motivates her peaceful pursuit of liberation and self- determination, and that of NOVA, the Nonviolent Sahrawi Resistance Organization.



Robert Herbst, Esq., Jewish Voice for Peace, ICAHD-USA. Robert will speak about the world’s largest refugee population – the Palestinians – and how Judaism calls for their human rights and “Right of Return” contrary to the ideology of political Zionism. He will also touch upon democratic confederalism as a path to self-determination and peace for the Palestinian and Israeli people.



Runbir Serkepkani, Christian Peacemaker Teams, Aegean Migrant Solidarity Program, Kurdish Activist. Runbir will talk about CPT’s multi-faith network and commitment to undoing systems of war and oppression, while focusing on spiritually-centered peacemaking, creative public witness, nonviolent direct action, and protection of human rights of refugees in Greece, many of whom are Kurdish and seek democratic confederalism as a path to peace and self-determination.



Chrissy Stonebraker-Martinez, Co-director of the Inter-Religious Task Force on Central America and FOR-USA Co-Chair. Chrissy will talk about the situation of Central and South America since the end of the Cold War with the USSR, and how the United States needs to take responsibility, accountability and action to end the military, political, economic and environmental destruction of those regions, which have led to cataclysmic and inhumane forced migration and human rights violations of people on the move.



All speakers represent some of the 100+ international organizations which have endorsed the International Sanctuary Declaration Campaign and its five principles of sanctuary (compassionate response, due process, family unity, restorative justice, and civil initiative), which are to be used to guide grassroots and governmental response to the global escalation of displacement: tinyurl.com/ global-sanctuary

Susan H. Smith, Fellowship of Reconciliation - USA, Moderator

Coordinated by Susan Smith [USA], Fellowship of Reconciliation - USA

More info:
www.ipb.org
www.ipb2021.barcelona
www.facebook.com/ipb1910