Ruby Sinreich's blog

FOR is partnering with our long-time friends at September Eleventh Families for Peaceful Tomorrows in an effort to support an innovative Iraqi nonviolence initiative.

LaOnf ("nonviolence" in Arabic) is organized by men and women across Iraq, from every ethnic and religious group. They are working to advocate "non-violence as the most effective way to struggle for an independent, democratic, peaceful Iraq." LaOnf has organized nonviolence trainings all around Iraq, and is preparing to hold the third annual Week of Nonviolence, in concert with upcoming regional elections this fall.

The repercussions of last week's shooting at Tennessee Valley Unitarian Universalist Church in Knoxville are echoing around the country. Is this the inevitable conclusion of decades of intolerance preached from conservative pulpits (both literal and figurative)?  And do open-minded people of faith now need to live in fear - as many abortion providers already do - of the one unbalanced so-called Christian seeking vengeance for our sins?

Upon hearing the news, I immediately became concerned for my mother's UU congregation. They are located in a small beach town on the coast of North Carolina, surrounded by rural communities in Down East NC - not especially known for modern social ideas, but quite likely to have access to hunting rifles. As we observe Americans trending toward living more in safe, homogeneous communities, we can see both the cause and effect of this increased ideological segregation.

My friend James Protzman blogged about his daughter's reaction to the shooting. She had met several teenagers from the Tennessee Valley congregation at a UU retreat and was grief-stricken at the irony of a house of peace being attacked so violently. "She wonders about all the other deaths that can be laid at the feet of right-wing political hate. Abraham Lincoln. Martin Luther King. John Kennedy. Robert Kennedy. Will it ever stop? she asks."

I'll start with the bad news: our August Iran delegation has encountered a delay in receiving their travel visas from the U.S. State Department. While unfortunate, this comes as no surprise. Many of our delegations come down to the wire with this process, but it always works out... sometimes after a short delay. The delegation now plans to depart for Tehran next week on August 12th.

Our August delegation to Colombia is well underway!  We look forward to bringing you some updates on that trip shortly.

Our own Rev. Osagyefo Sekou will appear at 10pm EDT tonight on the Blackademics radio show discussing FOR's upcoming peace delegation to Iran and his new position in social justice ministry at Middle Collegiate Church. You can listen on WPFW 89.3FM if you are in the Washington DC area, or online at WPFW.org.

I just learned that Barack Obama and John McCain will appear together on the same stage for the first time in the presidential race.  What is the incredible force bringing them together? Evangelical megachurch leader and best-selling author Rev. Rick Warren. The forum at Saddleback Church will also be co-sponsored by Faith in Public Life.

Mr. Warren, the author of the best-selling book “The Purpose-Driven Life,” said he had called each man personally to invite him to his event, which will focus on how they make decisions and on some of Mr. Warren’s main areas of focus, like AIDS, poverty and the environment.

[...] Mr. Warren said he would devise his questions with input from the Muslim, Jewish and Christian leaders associated with [Faith in Public Life].

Musician Ed Hale was a member of one of our Iran delegations earlier this year. He recently posted over 300 of his fabulous photos in our group photo pool for Iran delegates on Flickr. Below is Ed's stunning picture of the ancient Persian capital Persepolis.

Click here to see more photos by Ed and other participants in FOR's peace delegations to Iran.

This week we received some bad news in the case of Dr. Sami Al-Arian. The announcement is below.

Three months after refusing to testify before a third grand jury, Dr. Sami Al-Arian - whose trial has been the single most important test case of the PATRIOT Act - was charged on two counts of contempt of court. Dr. Al-Arian refused to testify not only because the plea agreement he concluded with the government in 2006 clearly exempts him from having to do so, but also because it was a clear perjury trap.

We were so pleased to find FOR featured in this month's Yes! magazine in a feature about "DIY Foreign Policy Heroes."

Yes! published a photo (without credit) of members of our December Iran delegation, but did give us credit for being "Citizen Ambassadors" in this short piece:

Last week the staff and National Council of FOR got a very special treat. The legendary troubadour for justice Si Kahn hosted a fundraising house party at our national headquarters. Si went south to work for civil rights in the 60's and never looked back. In 1980, he founded Grassroots Leadership, a nonprofit which works to support progressive organizing in the South and he still writes and sings songs that move the movement.

FOR Executive Director Mark Johnson (left) and Si Khan.

In addition to the request we posted earlier calling on African leaders to save Zimbabwe from Robert Mugabe, we also invite you to send an e-mail to your U.S. Senators urging congressional action for peace and the restoration of democracy.

Here is the letter we hope you will send: