Brief van Victor Kazanjan Executive Director URI

As I write to you, the winds of prejudice and injustice are blowing strong across our North America Region as our Muslim sisters and brothers, and those refugees of all nationalities and beliefs fleeing persecution and violence are being targeted by dehumanizing prejudice that has found its way into politics in the United States. As a movement of people of all religions, spiritual expressions and Indigenous traditions who stand together against the forces of violence, extremism, oppression, and prejudice, we must and will respond to these actions and provide leadership rooted in nonviolent, compassionate action, to celebrate diversity, and manifest love and justice among all life in our Earth community, as is called for in the URI Charter. But I don't want us to forget that URI is a global community confronting prejudice, violence and injustice and building cultures of peace, justice and healing in communities all over the world. (Even though the world's media tends to over emphasize things happening in the United States.)

URI is engaging rising political unrest and increasing violence in Nigeria, Gambia and Somalia. URI responded to bombings of holy sites in Pakistan over the holiday season. URI is engaging youth in citizenship training in Yemen and investing in youth in Ethiopia. URI is working against rampant Islamophobia and anti-Semitism in Europe and training volunteers to respond to the refugee crisis in Spain. URI is building bridges of peace in Latin America and the Caribbean through the power of music, continuing to support the fragile peace agreement in the Philippines, supporting community development projects in Mozambique, planning an interfaith arts exhibit which will travel across the Middle East, supporting Indigenous actions to save our planet in the Canada and the United States, empowering women to take action for sanitation in Uttarakhand, India and marching for women's rights around the world. And these are just a few of the stories reported by the URI global community in the last week. And beginning this next week, URI Cooperation Circles Across the globe will take part in Interfaith Harmony Week, as hundreds of thousands of people in countries across the globe, "Recognizing the imperative need for dialogue among different faiths and religions in enhancing mutual understanding, harmony and cooperation among all people."

URI is a global community whose loving arms, your arms, stretch around the entire planet. The challenges we face are many, but they are no match for the power of the love and the commitment to peace, justice and healing that flows from all corners of URI. May our actions during this Interfaith Harmony Week and every week bring us closer to the world we seek.

30 January 2017

In peace... Victor

The Rev. Victor H. Kazanjian Jr.
Executive Director
United Religions Initiative

PO Box 29242
1009 General Kennedy Avenue
San Francisco, CA 94129-0242
Tel: +1 415 561 2300
Fax: +1 415 561 2313
Email: vkazanjian@uri.org

Bart ten Broek – secretary Steering Committee URI NETHERLANDS

President of CC Interreligieus Beraad Segbroek, Den Haag, NL

Member of the Global Council URI
bart.tenbroek@online.nl
Loosduinseweg 251, 2571 AD Den Haag,, Netherlands
Phone: +31.70.3624009
www.uri-europe.eu - www.uri.org – www.stichtingibs.nl - www.unitedreligionsinitiativenederland.nl

The purpose of the United Religions Initiative is to promote enduring, daily interfaith cooperation, to end religiously motivated violence and to create cultures of peace, justice and healing for the Earth and all living beings.

Thu, 02 February