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Press Releses / Sabrang Alerts ______________________________________________________

April 1, 2003 

PRESS RELEASE

INDIAN CHURCHES CONDEMN WAR AGAINST IRAQ

The National Council of Churches in India is grieved at the human tragedy
and suffering caused by the military action by the coalition forces led by
the United States, United Kingdom and Spain against Iraq. As Christians, we
are compelled to oppose war as a matter of faith. We are extremely concerned
and pray for peace, freedom, justice and safety for all the people of Iraq
and the Middle East as a whole.

We deplore the fact that the most 'powerful' nations continue to regard war
as an acceptable instrument of foreign policy, even in spite of the lessons
learnt in the past. The ongoing War simply creates an international culture
of fear, threat and insecurity. The ideology of preemptive military strike
and regime change of a sovereign state, are not only immoral but also in
violation of the UN Charter. All the designed mechanisms of the UN weapons
inspections were not given the time needed to complete their work.

In this war, hundreds and thousand of Iraqis will suffer for a second time
even after twelve years of sanctions. All religions are against war and
American aggression should not be contrived as a Christian war against a
Muslim world. This interpretation should be categorically rejected.

The National Council of Churches in India condemns the ongoing war which has
already killed several innocent lives and has also destroyed the Iraqi
nation and the region as a whole. We express our solidarity with the victims
of war and also demand that the governments of United States, United
Kingdom, and Spain stop this war. Iraq has the right as a sovereign nation,
to decide its political present and future. Collateral damage, including
loss of innocent lives, lack of basic resources of food, water and shelter,
will leave a nation completely destroyed. Bombs first and food next is an
irony we cannot accept in this situation. The member churches of the NCCI
strongly condemn this war and also request the member churches, the United
States, United Kingdom and Spain, to continue to pressurize their
governments to put an end to this inhuman anti-life misery. The NCCI also
requests its member churches to continue to pray for peace and non-violence


Rev. Dr. Ipe Joseph H.G. Geevarghese Mar Coorilos
General Secretary, President
National Council of Churches in India National Council of Churches in India

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