Jewish Telegraphic Agency

Faith leaders urge White House to work toward peace in Sudan.

By Eric Fingerhut · October 2, 2009

American Jewish World Service president Ruth Messinger was among 14
faith community leaders who met with White House Office of Faith-Based
and Neighborhood Partnerships director Joshua DuBois on Friday to urge
the Obama administration to continue to work hard for peace in
Sudan. They presented a letter, which can be read here, which asks the
White House to ask the administration to work with multilateral
coalitions "to help bring a sustainable peace agreement that will
restore security and allow the Darfuri people to freely return to
their homes and rebuild their lives" and urges the White House to
ensure that "all aspects" of the 2005 Comprehensive Peace Agreement
"are fully implemented to help achieve a just and lasting peace." It
also urges the administration to play a role in making sure that the
2006 agreement in Eastern Sudan is upheld.

There has been some controversy over the administration’s Sudan policy
— envoy J. Scott Gration had indicated he would support a policy of
engagement and possibly even normalized relations with the Sudanese
government, while Darfur advocates have called him naive and the White
House has said Gration’s remarks are being misinterpreted — but on a
conference call, Messinger said the meeting Friday focused on the
overall goal of achieving comprehensive peace in Sudan and did not
deal with specific strategies. The White House is scheduled to reveal
more details on their policy in the region in the coming days.

Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism director Rabbi David
Saperstein was originally scheduled to be part of the group but could
not attend.

After the jump, the press release from the Interfaith Sudan Working
Group and Save Darfur Coaltion:

Today, representatives from faith communities nationwide met with
Reverend Joshua DuBois, Director of the White House Office of Faith
Based and Neighborhood Partnerships, to discuss the ongoing vi
e leaders are members of the Interfaith Sudan Working Group, a
coalition of faith-based organizations working for lasting peace in
Sudan. During the meeting, Rev. DuBois expressed that Sudan is a
critical issue for President Obama and that faith groups play an
important role in drawing attention to the ongoing tragedy there.

At the meeting, Dr. Stephen Colecchi, director of the Office of
International Justice and Peace for the U.S. Conference of Catholic
Bishops delivered the Interfaith Sudan Working Group letter signed by
1,410 Christian, Jewish and Muslim Clergy. The letter asks the Obama
administration to work with multilateral coalitions to ensure that the
Darfuri people can return safely to their homes and begin to rebuild
their lives. It also asks the United States to continue to lead for
justice and lasting peace in Sudan and work toward full implementation
of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement. Furthermore, the letter asks for
a resolution in the lesser-known conflict in Eastern Sudan.

The faith leaders asked Rev. DuBois to convey their message to
President Obama that Sudan should be a priority for his
administration. Ruth Messinger, president of the American Jewish World
Service stressed that, `Full engagement and leadership now is critical
as we move toward elections and the referendum.’ Bishop David Jones
from the Episcopal Church in Virginia added, `When the U.S. pays
attention, the government of Sudan responds. We need the U.S. to take
an interest.’

The group also asked administration officials to incorporate important
policy recommendations from the Interfaith Sudan Working Group when
they convene regular meetings prior to the 2010 Sudanese elections and
2011 referendum. Imam Mohamed Magid, the vice president for the
Islamic Society of North America and director of the VA-based ADAMS
Center noted that it is important to `reach out to religious leaders
on the ground in Sudan to bring peace.’ He added that we must `work to
empower civil society and advocacy groups in Sudan.
the National Association of Evangelicals said, `The Comprehensive
Peace Agreement was a major achievement, but it is an asset that is
being wasted. The next few months are critical to moving things
forward.’

Violence against women, which has been reported in staggering numbers
recently, was also an area of concern for the faith
leaders. Rev. DuBois stated that addressing gender-based violence was
a priority for the President. AME Pastor and Co-Founder of My Sister’s
Keeper Reverend Gloria White-Hammond articulated that `the impact of
gender-based violence lasts long after the assault and effects the
entire fabric of the society.’

Archbishop Vicken Aykazian for the Armenian Church of America conveyed
a broader message regarding genocide prevention and history. `If
justice is not found in Sudan, there will be more genocide. We would
like to find ways to end genocide in the 21st century.’

David Saperstein, director of the Religious Action Center, who was not
able to attend the meeting said, "Activists around the world,
including many within the North American Jewish community, have
committed to continuously raising awareness of and being a voice for
Darfur. But this critical issue is not just a call to the Jewish
conscience – rather, it is a call to the conscience of all humanity,
as genocide knows no religious or ethnic borders. For this reason, we
are pleased that a number of prominent faith leaders across the
religious spectrum met today with Joshua DuBois to underscore the
importance of an interfaith alliance advocating for peace and security
in Darfur and Sudan."