President joins signatories to G8 letter
IARF President Most Rev. Mitsuo Miyake and Council member Rev. Takeshi Nishida were among 80 religious leaders signatory to a letter to the Financial Times urging G8 countries to follow the UK in meeting existing commitments to spend 0.7% of national income on aid.
Original FT article requires subscription to view, but this story is reported on the Archbishop of Canterbury’s site.
Their names appear in the list of signatories below the article (Pres. Miyake #74, Rev. Nishida #77).
IARF Peace Commission Conference 2013
Theme: RELIGIOUS FREEDOM & RESPONSIBILITY
Co-Sponsored by IARF Peacemaking Commission and World Congress of Faiths (WCF)
Starts 20 August, continue though 23 or 24 August.
@Unitarian Church in Horsham (25 minutes from Gatwick Airport, one hour from London) rooms in the Travelodge 100 yards away.
Registration, room and board: £260 (approx $390 US), reduced for shared rooming.
£50 each for non-residential registration if lodging & supper not required.
Full registration has now closed.
Registration with meals but without accommodation will remain open until 15 August: £50 by cheque to “Horsham Interfaith Forum” c/o Richard Boeke 16 St. Mary’s Gardens, Horsham, RH12 1JP
IARF-WCF Horsham 2013 – Conference Poster
(Conference Poster — one-page print version)
IARF 2013 Horsham – Daily Schedule
Attending to speak and lead sessions:
Rev. Chris Hudson MBE, Belfast;
Dr. Marcus Braybrooke, President WCF;
Rt. Rev. Kieran Conry, Roman Catholic Bishop of Arundel & Brighton;
Dr Kishan Manocha, Director, Office of External Affairs of the Baha’i Community of the U.K.
Dr. Dan McKanan, Harvard;
Dr. Shlomo Alon, Vice-President IARF;
Adv. V. Rengapashyam, IARF Council, India;
Dr. Yehuda Stolov, IARF Council Member, Israel;
Professor Hal French, University of South Carolina, IARF US Chapter chair;
Sheikh Muhammad Amin-Evans
Charanjit & Ajit Singh MBE;
Dorothee Gehrmann, Germany;
Dr. Doris Hunter, IARF Council, USA;
Annelies Trenning, IARF Council, Netherlands.
Speakers’ bios (PDF)
Outing to Worth Abbey 22 Aug
23 Aug: Peacemaking Commission till 3pm.
Sanctions, Embargos and Human Rights: British Chapter resolution
18 December 2012
Preamble
“Sanctions and embargos directly affect Religious Freedom and other human rights. In December we learned that the United States’ economic blockade against Cuba has forced the postponement of the 6th General Assembly of the Latin American Council of Churches (CLAI), scheduled for 19 to 24 February 2013 in Havana, Cuba. (as reported 14 Dec 2012 <http://www.ekklesia.co.uk/node/17614>).
The American branch of the Ecuadorian bank Pichincha in Miami froze a deposit of 101,000 US dollars made by the CLAI headquarters in Quito, Ecuador. The transfer to Cuba was to cover costs of food and lodging for the 400 delegates and other participants expected to attend the meeting in that nation.
“This is greatly disappointing to the member churches of CLAI and to the entire constituency of the World Council of Churches (WCC),” the Rev Dr Olav Fykse Tveit said on Thursday 13 December 2012, after learning of the decision by CLAI to postpone the assembly.
“This shows that the decades old economic blockade of Cuba is out of touch with the realities in the world today, particularly in the faith-based communities, and should be ended for the sake of justice and peace,” Dr Tveit added.
The social effect of sanctions upon civilian populations historically may be seen in the shift of Cuban policy from left-wing nationalism to austere communism, the birth of the Russian Mafia in the black markets of the former Soviet Union and the growth of terrorist organizations in Palestine, Iraq and Syria. The current situation in Iran for people with long- term illnesses has recently been highlighted. International banks refuse to process payments for medicines because they fear incurring penalties for sanction-breaking.
Resolution
The British Chapter of the IARF questions the morality and long-term effectiveness of the indiscriminate use of sanctions, embargoes and blockades as ‘peaceful’ proxies for direct military action in pursuance of political, territorial or commercial aims or for collective punishment. Such actions inflict real and unjust harms upon the most vulnerable members of targeted nations. They often become an obstacle to the peaceful resolution of disputes. Sanctions and embargoes may in times of peace appear to be a less reprehensible response to ‘provocations’ than overt military action. However, this is only true if their consequences upon the human rights of the powerless are fully considered. They may directly and indirectly cause widespread personal injury and loss of life. This entrenches divided opinion, encourages violent response, and presents an obstacle to genuine meaningful negotiations.
We therefore urge states and nations enforcing or responding to sanctions, to act humanely, proportionately and moderately, to accept the responsibility to avoid or limit the harms caused by their actions, and to respect the Human Rights of vulnerable civilian populations.”
Rev. Dr. Richard Boeke, Chair, British Chapter IARF
Rev Chris Hudson MBE, Vice-Chair
Rev Feargus O’Connor, Secretary
With contributions by Shaykh Muhammad Amin Evans, Charanjit Singh, and Derek McAuley
Lapido Media – religious literacy
Centre for Religion in World Affairs
“An internationally networked, British-based philanthro-media charity, founded in 2005, that seeks to increase understanding among journalists and opinion formers of the way religion shapes world affairs”.
New Europe special edition on religious freedom
Special 2010 edition of New Europe on religious freedom, 35 articles with focus on Europe but ranging wider (and including UN special rapporteur on religious freedom Heiner Bielefeldt).
Religious Freedom – A New Europe special edition (PDF 38 pages, illustrated)
British Chapter meets Canterbury archbishop
Derek McAuley, Chief Officer of IARF member group the British Unitarian General Assembly, met the Archbishop of Canterbury at an Interfaith Reception at Lambeth Palace on Thursday 22 November 2012.
The event was held to celebrate InterFaith Week, mark the 25th Anniversary of the UK’s InterFaith Network, and to recognise the Archbishop’s contribution to inter faith relations over the last ten years.
Derek is pictured with Dr Rowan Williams and Harry Shukla MBE, an interfaith activist from Newcastle Gateshead who was one of the speakers at the event.
Picture: Paresh Solanki, InterFaith Network.
British Unitarians raise concerns about growing threats to religious freedom with UK Government
07 September 2012
IARF British Chapter board member Derek McAuley, Chief Office of our member group in Great Britain the GAUFCC (General Assembly of Unitarian & Free Christian Churches), has raised his concerns about the growing threats to religious freedom in many parts of the world with new government International Development junior minister, Lynne Featherstone MP.
Dutch Chapter seminar report
2012 Thursday, October 4th
@ Apostolic Society, Azielaan 155, 3526 SG Utrecht
Theme: “Religion and Diversity: Strength or Dilemma?”
IARF Dutch Chapter and her partners in Interfaith Dialogue, express their gratitude to The Apostolic Society in Utrecht, The Netherlands for hosting and sponsoring the seminar.
The Keynote speech – “Pussy Riot and the refusing civil servant – Liberal emancipation, a dilemma?” (PDF 17 pages, Dutch language) – was given by Professor Theo de Wit (Tilburg University).
Responses came from:
- Alper Alasag (Islam and Dialogue, Rotterdam);
- Mrs Riet Bons-Storm (emeritus professor, Expert in gender and religion, Groningen);
IARF.4.10.2012.coreferaat.Bons.Storm - George Gelauff (Netherlands in Dialogue, Delft);
IARF.4.10.2012. coreferaat en workshop G Gelauff - Arie Nico Verheul (Platform of Religion and Belief, Utrecht).
IARF.4.10.2012 coreferaat Verheul
Each also offered a contribution in the workshop session.
IARF.4.10.2012.workshops.suggestions and conclusions
President of the meeting was Tom Mikkers (general secretary Remonstrants Brotherhood).
New was the presence of 25 students from Utrecht University for applied Sciences and their Supervisor Mrs Ella van ‘t Hof. All are Dutch-speaking, and from different (ethnic) backgrounds. For one semester they work on the subject “Islam in society today”. Many of them attended this kind of meeting for the first time.
Reaction: “It would be interesting to have such a meeting every year!”
Photos (Flickr link)
Fideology, Trust and Oneness
A talk given by Rev. Dr. Richard Boeke at the “Globalisation for the Common Good Initiative” (GCGI) 10th Annual International Conference, “Sharing the Wisdom, Shaping the Dream: Reclaiming the Moral & Spiritual Roots of Economics & Capitalism”, Waterperry House, Oxford, September 2-5, 2012…
Fideology, Trust and Oneness (PDF, 7 pages)
Dutch Chapter, Fall 2012 meeting
Please see Poster NLG (Dutch Chapter) Fall meeting 4 oktober 2012 (PDF 1 page, Dutch language)