Friends,
As you may know, FOR has been working with Syrian political prisoners who have been part of the nonviolent movements there.
Today, many of us are organizing to stop a U.S. bombing of Syria, which would imperil nonviolent Syrian activists' work and the lives of countless Syrian civilians. But we think it's important to begin with this reminder: nonviolent activism exists in Syria, and is a viable path toward peace for the country. We only wish the world had begun paying attention sooner.
Take action to prevent U.S. bombing of Syria
Several FOR allies have organized methods for you to contact your members of Congress. In particular, members of both parties in the House of Representatives have expressed skepticism, so we hope you'll reach out to them to express your views:
Contact Congress by phone using FCNL's easy directory look-up.
Publicly call on Congress via social media using Peace Action's Thunderclap, a tool that will schedule a coordinated flurry of posts to Facebook, Twitter, or Tumblr.
Tweet at your members of Congress using Peace Action West's Twitter tool (this requires having a Twitter account).
Read more at left for ways to demonstrate and donate to prevent the bombing and support Syrians.
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A prayer for peace
“Prayer is not an old woman's idle amusement. Properly understood and applied, it is the most potent instrument of action.” ~ Mahatma Gandhi
Many of you will be attending vigils, rallies, and worship services in the coming days, as well as lifting up Syria within your own daily spiritual discipline. FOR has collected prayers for peace for use at this time. We invite your own offerings, and here is another collection of peace prayers we shared two years ago, at the time of the ten-year commemoration of the 9/11 attacks in the U.S.
Take action
You can be the difference in preventing U.S. military intervention on Syria. The vote in the House of Representatives, especially, is expected to be very close. At right we've collected three different ways you can call on Congress to vote down the proposal to bomb Syria. Several publications are tracking the stated positions of members of the House and Senate, including The Washington Post, ThinkProgress and the Huffington Post.
Looking for talking points for talking to elected officials? United for Peace and Justice has compiled a good list of talking points on Syria by Phyllis Bennis of the Institute for Policy Studies.
We need to do more than call on Congress. Regardless of the actions the House and Senate take, and regardless of President Obama's decision that follows, Syrian civilians and Syrian nonviolent activists will be under constant threat from their government, militias, and future U.S. involvement.
Attend upcoming demonstrations opposing the bombing of Syria. Several networks have organized and compiled local protests, including:
Give to humanitarian aid agencies operating in Syria. Some examples include:
Call on the United States to engage with Iran. The organization Avaaz has noted the new moderate Iranian president's condemnation of the Syrian chemical gas attacks on civilians could provide an opening for a negotiated peace. Encourage the United States to work with President Rouhani.
Further analysis and commentary
Some recent essays and articles we've found helpful in recent days:
"Optimism and Fear: President Obama on War in Syria," by Phyllis Bennis, Institute for Policy Studies.
"What Would Muhammad Do? A rebuttal to Obama’s war against Syria: A point by point refutation," by Omid Safi, Religion News Service.
"Syria: It's Still a Revolution, My Friends," by Mohja Kahf, Fellowship of Reconciliation.
"Civil society provides common ground in Syria," by Mel Duncan, Nonviolent Peaceforce.
"Syria: Six Alternatives to Military Strikes," by Sarah Van Gelder, YES! magazine.
Rev. Kristin Stoneking
Executive Director
Fellowship of Reconciliation
Top image: Peace Action, via Thunderclap.
Bottom image: Rukn Eldeen, Damascus, Syria, Nov. 20, 2012: Rallying around the nonsectarian, secular democratic values of the Syrian Revolution. |
