Local Multi-Faith Group Travels to Israel and West Bank
In January, twelve Muslim, Jewish, and Christian leaders from Minneapolis went to Israel and the West Bank, where they met with groups and peace activists from all three faiths to gather information for their congregations. “We are deeply committed to our own faiths, yet we find common ground,” says Michael O’Connell, of the Basilica of St. Mary and Church of the Ascension. “We plan to bring back to Minneapolis all that we learn, and to instill a greater acceptance and understanding of unity in our congregations.” (See their blog at www.journeyinfaith-mpls.org, 2/6/07.)
Muslim Leaders Call for Peace Initiative
The presidents of Pakistan and Indonesia recently called for the Muslim world to work together for peace in the Middle East. Indonesia hopes to host a meeting with Hamas to work out conflicts within the Palestinian governing group. (The Sydney Morning Herald, 1/31/07, http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2007/01/31/1169919399808.html)
Palestinian Power-Sharing Agreement
Fatah and Hamas leaders signed a power-sharing agreement on February 8 covering principles for a coalition government and a political platform. They met in Mecca, Saudi Arabia, and although Saudi Arabia did not participate in the talks, the Saudi government spent considerable effort convening the talks. The agreement states that it will “respect” previous peace deals between the Palestinians and Israel. The agreement calls for Hamas to name an independent candidate and for Abbas to approve the candidate. (Minneapolis Star Tribune, 2/29/07)
Progress in North Korea Nuclear Talks
Six-nation talks with North Korea are making progress toward a disarmament agreement. Under the draft proposal North Korea would shut down its main nuclear facilities within two months (according to a South Korean news agency) in return for security agreements and aid. The talks got hung up on February 11 over the amount of aid and its timing. (Minneapolis Star Tribune, 1/9, 1/10, 1/11/07)
War Protests Increase in Scope
Protests against the Iraq war have increased since President Bush announced his plan to send more troops. True Majority’s “America Says No!” project and Move On organized more than 1,000 nationwide events, most taking place on January 11. On January 27 rallies were held across the country in solidarity with the war protest on the National Mall in Washington, D.C., where tens of thousands turned out. According to United for Peace and Justice, a coalition group who sponsored the protest, its Internet site had more than five million hits in January and 650,000 on January 24, the day they briefed the media about the protest. (True Majority e-mail, 1/12/07; The New York Sun, 1/27/07, http://www.nysun.com/article/ 47505?page_no=3)
“Appeal for Redress” Signed by Hundreds of Soldiers
A group of military members is using the little-known Military Whistleblower Protection Act, to protect their right to protest the war in Iraq. Service members can exercise free speech or protest the war if they are not on duty and not in uniform. In January, 1,171 of them, 60 percent of whom have already served in Iraq, signed the Appeal for Redress asking Congress to support the prompt withdrawal of troops from Iraq. Navy Seaman Jonathan Hutto and Marine Corps Sgt. Liam Madden announced the appeal to Congress at a news conference and were careful to wear civilian clothing and not to criticize the president or speak on behalf of the military.
GI Rights Hotline Swamped with Inquiries
Antiwar sentiment is significant among those in the military. The GI Rights Hotline, affiliated with the Center on Conscience and War, gets roughly 4,000 calls a month. Center director J. E. McNeil, attorney for the group that presented the Appeal for Redress, estimates that 40 percent of the calls are questions about going AWOL. (1/24/07, http://www.alternet.org/story/47085)
Book Award Values Peace Themes
The Jane Addams Children’s Book Award annually honors books that “effectively address themes of peace, social justice, equity, and world community.” To see the book list go to www.janeaddamspeace.org. (“Listen to Women for a Change,” WILPF newsletter, January-February 2007)
Students Opting Out in Record Numbers
More high school students are opting out and declining to provide personal information to the military under the No Child Left Behind Act. In Portland, Oregon, which had banned recruiters in schools until the act was passed in 2002, 61 percent of the students have opted out. In Duluth, the numbers opting out increased from 82 to179 in the past year. In the St. Paul school district, where the Youth Against War and Racism group is asking for limits on access to students by recruiters, the numbers have dramatically increased:
2004-05, 615 in grades 9-12
2005-06, 1,390 in grades 9-12
2006-07, 2,462 in grades 9-12
(Minneapolis Star Tribune, 2/3/07) |
