[From nobody Sat Jan 1 16:01:18 2011 Return-path: <sayma-bounces@kitenet.net> Received: from mailrelay.samford.edu ([199.20.16.53]) by gw4.samford.edu with ESMTP; Tue, 07 Mar 2006 08:00:17 -0600 Received: from kitenet.net (kitenet.net [64.62.161.42]) by mailrelay.samford.edu (Vircom SMTPRS 4.2.425.10) with ESMTP id <B0101853198@mailrelay.samford.edu> for <nmwhitt@samford.edu>; Tue, 7 Mar 2006 08:00:12 -0600 X-Modus-ReverseDNS: OK X-Modus-BlackList: 64.62.161.42=OK;sayma-bounces@kitenet.net=OK X-Modus-RBL: 64.62.161.42=OK X-Modus-Trusted: 64.62.161.42=NO Received: from kitenet.net (localhost [127.0.0.1]) by kitenet.net (Postfix) with ESMTP id C47D118C9F; Tue, 7 Mar 2006 14:00:11 +0000 (GMT) X-Original-To: sayma@kitenet.net Delivered-To: sayma@kitenet.net X-Greylist: delayed 315 seconds by postgrey-1.24 at kite; Tue, 07 Mar 2006 14:00:06 GMT Received: from mailrelay.samford.edu (mailrelay.samford.edu [199.20.16.53]) by kitenet.net (Postfix) with ESMTP id 1A3AD18C9F for <sayma@kitenet.net>; Tue, 7 Mar 2006 14:00:05 +0000 (GMT) Received: from gw3.samford.edu (unverified [199.20.16.233]) by mailrelay.samford.edu (Vircom SMTPRS 4.2.425.10) with ESMTP id <B0101852023@mailrelay.samford.edu>; Tue, 7 Mar 2006 07:54:40 -0600 X-Modus-BlackList: 199.20.16.233=OK;nmwhitt@samford.edu=OK X-Modus-Trusted: 199.20.16.233=YES Received: from gwia1-MTA by gw3.samford.edu with Novell_GroupWise; Tue, 07 Mar 2006 07:54:42 -0600 Message-Id: <440D3C35020000F5000183EF@gw3.samford.edu> X-Mailer: Novell GroupWise Internet Agent 7.0 Date: Tue, 07 Mar 2006 07:54:29 -0600 From: "Nancy Whitt" <nmwhitt@samford.edu> To: <sayma@kitenet.net> Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Disposition: inline Cc: Bart Grooms <hhg3@bellsouth.net>, Roderick Davis <jrdavis@samford.edu> Subject: [saymaListserv] Jean Zaru X-BeenThere: sayma@kitenet.net X-Mailman-Version: 2.1.7 Precedence: list List-Id: Southern Appalachian Yearly Meeting and Association <sayma.kitenet.net> List-Unsubscribe: <http://kitenet.net/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/sayma>, <mailto:sayma-request@kitenet.net?subject=unsubscribe> List-Archive: <http://kitenet.net/pipermail/sayma> List-Post: <mailto:sayma@kitenet.net> List-Help: <mailto:sayma-request@kitenet.net?subject=help> List-Subscribe: <http://kitenet.net/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/sayma>, <mailto:sayma-request@kitenet.net?subject=subscribe> Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable Sender: sayma-bounces@kitenet.net Errors-To: sayma-bounces@kitenet.net To All: The following is the text of a talk that Jean Zaru, long time Clerk of the = Friends Meeting in Ramallah, presented to those of us who attended the Fri= ends of Sabeel Conference in Pittsburgh on 24 February 2006. True to the Q= uaker spirit, Jean presented an inspiring message of non-violent resistance= to the occupation and denial of human rights experienced daily by Palestin= ians living in the territories. Further, she challenges us to courageously= expose the denials, lies and obfuscations of the powerful who seek the sub= jugation of the Palestinians. But hers is a universal message for all thos= e who suffer as do the Palestinians. This universality is echoed in the Af= rican American spiritual: Nobody knows the trouble I've seen. Nobody knows but Jesus. Nobody knows the trouble I've seen. Glory Hallelujah! = Sometimes I'm up, Sometimes I'm down Oh, yes, Lord. Sometimes I'm almost to the ground Oh, yes, Lord. Refrain: = I never shall Forget that day Oh, yes, Lord, When Jesus washed my sins away, Oh, yes, Lord. Refrain: = Yes, in knowing that Jesus knows there is hope for those who have been depr= ived of their humanity. But it is not just Jesus who knows, it is we who k= now. And in our knowing, there is hope. As the circle of those who know g= rows, so does the hope. So perhaps we need to work to enlarge the circle o= f the knowing, to bring light into darkness, to set the captive free so tha= t we might sing Oh, yes Lord, I shall never forget that day, when your trut= h set my people free. = Donald Peacemaking as a Journey of Transformation: = Our Inner Strength & Public Engagement 24 February 2006 Friends of Sabeel Pittsburgh Conference by Jean Zaru Sisters and brothers, I have traveled here today to share with you = my personal witness to peacemaking in my native land of Palestine, where to= be actively engaged in the building of a culture of peace and nonviolence = means to do so in a context of severe oppression, military occupation, and = continued displacement. = Friends, I come to you, representing a narrative of exclusion-- the= denial of basic human and community rights of my people. From the heart o= f Palestine I have come, from the midst of an indigenous people, from a nat= ion held in captivity. Nearly fifty-eight years ago, we were cast outside the course of hi= story, our very identity denied, our human, cultural and historical reality= suppressed. We became victims of an exclusivist agenda that usurped our r= ights, our lands, our water and confiscated our historical narrative, as we= ll. We became victims of a colonialist program. = More than 500 villages were either depopulated or destroyed in what= became Israel, leaving hundreds of thousands of Palestinians either as ref= ugees or internally displaced persons. Today, Palestinians constitute the = largest and the longest standing single refugee population in the world. O= ver five million of us are waiting to return home. Those who remained in w= hat later became the state of Israel continue to experience exclusion and d= iscrimination in their historical homeland. And those of us who, in 1967, = came under Israeli occupation in the West Bank, the Gaza Strip and East Jer= usalem have since been subjected to a unique combination of military occupa= tion, settler colonization and systematic oppression. I have lived all my life in Ramallah, and more than half of my life= under Israeli occupation but it was never as difficult as it is today. "N= ormal life" for Palestinians living in the occupied territories has disappe= ared. We are subjected to a policy of restrictions on our movement, a poli= cy of intentional impoverishment, house curfews, random shootings, targeted= killings, political assassinations, abductions, imprisonment, house demoli= tions, the illegal confiscation of our land and water resources and the des= truction of our crops and thousands of our trees. More than 80% of our wat= er in the West Bank is siphoned off; sometimes sold back to us, but at very= high prices. So, you see, we are not only dealing with direct violence, b= ut with structural violence that is political, economic, cultural, religiou= s and environmental. There is, indeed, an endless battering of Palestinians on a daily b= asis that either imprisons us in our own homes or leaves us to live within = fragmented communities separated from each other by endless walls, ditches = and checkpoints, making the means of daily life --jobs, trade, education, h= ealth care-- all but inaccessible. The people, land, houses and trees have= been brutally treated. Fear and insecurity is rapidly replacing compassio= n and trust. = Relations have become hard and tense. For when almost every aspect= of life is framed in oppression and humiliation, moral space is diminished= . Our own humanity is threatened and role models for our children become h= ard to find. People are tired and depressed. They are traumatized by the = violence that is perpetuated against them, which affects both their physica= l and mental health. = And yet, despite all of this I also come here this afternoon with a= message of hope. It is a message of hope embodied in the spirit and will = of all those throughout the world who refuse to submit to forces of oppress= ion, who refuse to submit to violence, injustice and structures of dominati= on. Indeed, hope is revealed when truth is spoken. It is within this l= ight that I share with you that the most basic form of deception in my cont= ext is the fabrication of a fake symmetry between occupier and occupied --b= etween oppressor and victim. For me it is clear: the Israeli military occu= pation of the West Bank, Gaza Strip and East Jerusalem must end. It is ill= egal according to international law and furthermore, the occupation remains= the most pervasive form of violence, human rights violations, and the immo= ral enslavement of an entire nation. It is the ultimate provocation at bot= h the individual and collective levels. = Nevertheless, no degree of violence --whether direct or structural= -- can succeed in subjugating the will of a people or destroying their spir= it when they are struggling for their freedom, dignity and the right to sov= ereignty on their own land. All attempts at intensifying the brutality of = the occupation has only led to the escalation of the conflict and increased= our determination to gain our liberty. = Conflicts can only be resolved politically and legally, on the basi= s of parity of rights and the global rule of law. All, without double stan= dards, should adhere to United Nations Security Council resolutions and int= ernational law, including the Geneva Conventions. No state is above the la= w. = It is important to remind ourselves that the victims of oppression = are not always blameless. For, too often, they themselves become the oppre= ssors of others. They seem to forget that the humanity of the oppressor is= violated at the very moment of oppressing another human being. Hence, the= liberation of the oppressed and violated will also lead to the liberation = of the oppressor. Jesus distilled from the long experience of his people that nonvio= lent resistance was a way of opposing evil without becoming evil in the pro= cess. He advocated for means that were consistent with the desired end; th= at is, a society of justice, peace and equality. He repeatedly spoke of th= e reign of God which is free of domination. We pray constantly for God's w= ill on earth as it is in heaven. In other words we are calling for the rei= gn of God. = But how do we move beyond word to actualizing that reign? This is = our challenge together. WHERE is God's reign? = God's reign is wherever domination is overcome, wherever people are= freed, wherever the soul is fed, wherever God's reality is known. WHEN is God's reign? = God's reign is whenever people turn away from worshiping power, wea= lth and fame. It is whenever we insist on creating a society of equals. WHAT is God's reign? = God's reign is the transformation of the Domination System into a n= onviolent, humane, ecologically sustainable, livable environment which enab= les all creation to grow and live well. = The reign of God cannot just be inner or outer; it must be both or = it is neither. When I received the invitation to speak at this conference, for a m= oment I was excited about the possibility to be with all of you. But then = remembering my last trip to Jordan (for I, as a West Bank Palestinian, am n= ot allowed to fly out of the Tel Aviv airport) my heart sank. It should take less than one hour to travel from Ramallah to the on= e bridge that West Bank Palestinians are permitted to use to exit our count= ry. However, when I crossed a few weeks ago it took 5-6 hours, and an addi= tional 13 hours to cross the border itself and subsequently arrive in Amman= . My friends, I could have flown to New York in the same amount of time! = For you see, the tolls we pay are many. And even if I take this one, smal= l example of crossing the bridge, it is difficult to fully describe. For t= he tolls involved in traveling under occupation drain our lives, impair our= health, add to our financial burden and increase our separation anxieties,= as neither leaving nor returning is ever guaranteed. The state of Israel = has claimed that these measures are for security. And so I wonder whether = they can, with all their sophisticated devices, check our hearts and minds = as well. Can they see how we feel? Do they notice our pain? Or is this n= ot part of the security check? Or not part of building peace with one's ne= ighbor? So often I feel like screaming: We are sacred! We are part of God'= s creation! Why do you treat us like this? And other times I feel like cr= ying out the words of the Psalmist: My God, my God why have you forsaken me? = Why are you so far from helping me, = from the words of my groaning? = Oh my God, I cry by day, = But you do not answer; = And by night, but find no rest. (Psalm 22:1-2) As I look at the people around me during the long waiting hours at = the checkpoints or in the bus to cross the bridge, I listen to their conver= sations and I hear individual stories of pain, of families being torn apart= , of despair and suffering, of longing and fear. Yet, hope is strengthened= when I see the sharing of food and water, the compassionate offers to help= the elderly and young mothers with children. Hope is strengthened when we= see the divine quality in those with whom we differ and 'yes' even the div= ine quality in those who impose the persecution! Without a doubt, the way of transformation calls us to stand agains= t the forces of death and evil, both within us, and around us. It challeng= es us to resist the temptation simply to re-arrange the furniture, whether = that re-arrangement is in the structures of our psyche, or those of our pla= net. = What is that inner force that drives us, that provides regeneration= and perseverance to speak the truth that so desperately needs to be spoken= in this moment in history? I am older, my health poor, my body fragile an= d yet, as do so many others, I believe that I have no choice but to bear wi= tness to what is happening in my land, to expose the structures of violence= and domination, to bring them out into the light, and thereby undercut the= ir power. If I deserve credit for courage, it is not for anything I do her= e, but for continuing in my daily struggle under occupation on so many fron= ts, for remaining samoud (steadfast) and, all the while, remaining open to = love, to the beauty of the earth, and contributing to its healing when it i= s violated. = My friends, struggle changes us in profound ways. = For the essence of struggle is neither endurance nor is it denial. = Rather, the essence of struggle is the decision to become new rather than = simply to become older. That is, within the essence of struggle lies the o= pportunity to grow either smaller or larger, to become more than what we al= ready are or to retreat into becoming less. Indeed, the process of life it= self may be found within this opportunity. For life is about movement. And everyday we either become more or = we diminish. = In the struggle, and in this particular struggle, we cannot give up. In so many ways, struggle gives life depth and vision, insight and = understanding, compassion and character. It not only transforms us, but em= powers us to be a TRANSFORMING PEOPLE, as well. = It is vitally important that we insist on a prophetic ministry in t= oday's threatened world, one that exposes the lies and myths that have been= created, mainly by the powerful, to cover up the pain and grief of our wor= ld. This prophetic ministry should resist the monopoly of knowledge and th= e power. Rather it should struggle to forge a new discourse, one that incl= udes critique from the margins. Therefore, it is essential that all engage= d in such a ministry make contact in each and every place with the refugees= , the displaced, the political prisoners, and the downtrodden. Spaces must= be created for such people to share their stories of grief, as well as to = express their anger and hope. Those who engage in prophetic renewal are called to be Truth Teller= s, rather than people who remain silent or re-route the conversation. Cont= emporary culture is marked by the great cover-up. And this is certainly tru= e in the case of Palestine. One of the most important tasks before us as p= eacemakers is to educate ourselves to be effective speakers, writers, teach= ers, and preachers, so that our silence is no more and our voice is informe= d. = This task is especially important for half truths and lies fill gov= ernment halls, institutions and the media, reminding one of the lament of t= he prophet Jeremiah, They all deceived their neighbors and nobody speaks the truth; = They have taught their tongues to speak lies. (Jer 9.5) These are very hard days in Palestine. The settlement expansion an= d the construction of the Wall continue unabated. International law and UN= resolutions sit collecting dust. While the political landscape has change= d dramatically in recent weeks and global powers maneuver a response, human= itarian aid is used like a playing card without regard to ordinary families= struggling to secure their daily bread. My friends, we have been working for a long time to end oppression = and occupation and have, thus far, not secured our rights. It is discourag= ing. Fear and loss surround us, and many forces are at work to make us fee= l marginalized and disempowered. At best the work ahead seems overwhelming. What do we do? = What actions do we take? = Some of my people have opted to withdraw, that is to either withdra= w internally or to both leave Palestine and withdraw internally. In fact, = many have responded in this manner because they truly perceive their situat= ion as intolerable. Regardless of the motivation, withdraw cushions us fro= m feeling the full impact of our situation, and it also cuts us off from in= formation and observations vital to our survival as a people. When we with= draw, our gifts and our perceptions often get buried. The realities of dom= ination go unchallenged, leading neither to inner nor outer transformation. Other people have chosen to accommodate, comply or manipulate. Whe= n we manipulate, we have the illusion of being in control. We can reap som= e rewards, but in doing so we are accepting the system's terms, its unspoke= n rules and values, including the often negative values it accords to us. = Furthermore, manipulation does not challenge the low value the system place= s on individuals. In order to manipulate, we cannot be ourselves, express = our true feelings, or share our real perceptions; we literally mask ourselv= es. Manipulation may get us some of the system's rewards, but it neither l= iberates us individually nor transforms the structures of domination. The alternative is to RESIST. Resistance challenges the system's v= alues and categories. Resistance speaks its own truth to power, and shifts= the ground of struggle to its own terrain. = Resistance is often thought of as negative. However, resistance is= the refusal to be neglected. Today, Palestinians find themselves embedded= in structures that neglect their humanity and human rights and only acts o= f resistance can transform these structures. And I, along with many others= , have opted for the path of active nonviolent resistance. To resist is to= be human, and yet resistance is not easy. It requires constant, hard work= . Indeed, it is not easy to sustain the path of nonviolent resistance for = years and years, over many issues. None of us can resist all the time, in = every area of life. We must choose our battles, meaning we must choose the= priorities of struggle. = But the question remains: where do we find sustenance? How are we = re-energized, how are we empowered to continue to go forward on the path of= resisting structures of domination and establishing the reign of God, inde= ed establishing a household of life? I believe that we continue because something is so sacred to us, so= sacred that it means more than our comfort and convenience. It might be G= od, or the Spirit, or the sacredness of life, or Mother Earth, or equality = and freedom, or human rights and human dignity. Whatever it is and whateve= r we call it, it CAN nurture us. To be nurtured personally empowers and su= stains us as individuals. But in the struggle we need community. We need = each other and we need to build together a local and global movement for pe= ace with justice, for the struggle is one. = As a peace and solidarity movement, we have been accused of lacking= a clear vision regarding the kind of future we want. I think we do have a= vision, which includes diversity and pluralism, and rejects uniform dogmat= ic, exclusive formulations. We want a world of freedom and justice for all= . In order to attain this, we need to mobilize people, but not around fear= , anger or blame, nor out of guilt and shame. I believe that this is the m= oment to reinvent our strategies and our tactics to affirm and engage the p= ossibility of moving people to act from hope and to act in the service of w= hat they love. To create the world we want, we have to translate that hope= and love into action; for faith without action is dead and useless. I have found that times of grief and anguish can actually strengthe= n our bonds. And now, in such times in this movement in Palestine and Isra= el and beyond, we need each other as never before. We need to treat each o= ther well, to cherish and care for and support each other to become the com= munity we imagine. Our solidarity must go deeper than we've ever known bef= ore. Solidarity means strengthening our openness and communication with ea= ch other, our willingness to bring everyone to the table, our practice of d= irect democracy, as well as our commitment to build broad based alliances a= nd network with like minded people. It is now more necessary than ever to move from statements to direc= t non-violent action, like divesting from structures that enable the Occupa= tion. Such action gives hope to the people in the forefront of the struggl= e. To vocally advocate for the implementation of international law and the= protection of human rights gives hope, as well. = But the ugly fact remains that Palestinians have always been viewed= as "a problem" for the Zionist project, whether we were good or bad, viole= nt or non-violent. Thus far, the so called peace process and initiatives h= ave only proposed to minimize, not resolve the conflict which can, of cours= e, only be accomplished by addressing the root injustices. Official Israel= i policy has always been to not accept the Palestinian people as equals or = to admit that their fundamental rights have been violated all along. Altho= ugh a few courageous Israelis over the years have tried to deal with this o= ther side of concealed history, most Israelis have made every effort to den= y, avoid, or negate the Palestinian reality. This is, fundamentally, why t= here is no peace today. The essence of the Israeli government position contradicts itself. = While the Jewish state publicly claims that it wants peace and security, i= t continues to create facts on the ground that guarantee neither one nor th= e other. And the United States government's virtually unconditional suppor= t to Israel coupled with the political support of right wing Christians doe= s not make it easier. It is shocking to me that the Israeli government acce= pts and even welcomes the support of Christian Zionist groups who are pro-I= srael politically and anti-Jewish theologically. Their theology must be re= jected by all, because it is a violent, exclusive agenda that has no respec= t for any other group that differs with it. They demonize Islam, do not re= spect Judaism and tell me as a Palestinian Christian, I am not among the ch= osen, but among the cursed for I stand in the way of the fulfillment of the= prophecy of God. As a Palestinian Quaker woman in the Holy Land, I have spent all my= life confronting structures of injustice. These structures have been at w= ork in a destructive way throughout our community and have caused both spir= itual and physical suffering for many, including myself. I often come back= to the same thought and wonder if there really is that of God or the indwe= lling divinity in every person, why is there so much evil in the world? Wh= y is it sometimes so hard for us to see God in others? My inward struggle has heightened my awareness of global suffering = which is, in turn, surely a reflection of the evils plaguing the human race= . It has also opened me to God's redeeming love and activity. Clearly, involvement in any just action has a price. Therefore the= question then becomes, "Am I ready to pay the price and share the sufferin= g of others?" Suffering for me is bearable, if it is for the cause of libe= ration. For we not only move closer to liberation but within the very proc= ess itself we may find a new, beloved community with others and with God. = I now understand that those who operate the structures of oppressio= n are dependent upon the people they oppress and are equally in need of lib= eration and God's grace. Yet, it seems to me that most often the will and = strength to end the oppression comes primarily from those who bear the oppr= ession in their own lives and those who understand their livelihood to be i= ntertwined and thus have made the commitment to accompany them in solidarit= y. We are called to conversion, to be converted to the struggle of wom= en and men everywhere who have no way to escape the unending fatigue of the= ir labor and the daily denial of their human rights and human worth. We mu= st let our hearts be moved by the anguish and suffering of our sisters and = brothers in Palestine, in Iraq and throughout the world. But how can we be= ar the pain, and where do we look for hope? Is there anything meaningful w= e can do to solve the political chaos and crisis in the world? Is there an= ything significant we can do to stop wars of all kinds? = Let us take a look into ourselves. The outward situation is merely= an expression of the inward state. It requires great self-denial and resi= gnation of our selves to God to be committed to peace and to nonviolent act= ion to bring about change. This technique may seemingly have no immediate = positive effect, and it may indeed lead to outward defeat. Whether success= ful or not it will surely involve sacrifice of some kind. However, if we b= elieve in nonviolence as the true way of peace and love, we must make nonvi= olence a principle not only for individuals but of national and universal c= onduct. = We should always try to avoid feeling morally superior, because we = know how soon we may stumble when we are put to the test. We may talk abou= t peace, but if we are not transformed inwardly, if we still are motivated = by greed or pride, if we are nationalistic, if we are bound by beliefs and = dogmas for which we are willing to destroy others, there is no way we can h= ave peace in this world. We, Palestinians, have gone through circumstances of great privatio= n, anxiety and suffering. All these seemed at times to weaken my dependenc= e on God, but what joy and hope I gain when I know, wherever I am, whether = in affluent circumstances or in poverty, whether I have personal liberty or= not, that I am under the guiding hand of God and that God has a service fo= r me to render wherever I am. I see things differently now. I know that the oppressor is not fre= er than the oppressed. Both live in fear and do not have peace. Others can= not bring it to us. What will bring us peace is transformation at all level= s *a transformation that leads to action. Our miseries are not going to st= op because we disapprove. My misery will not stop simply because you or I = disapprove. Rather, we must take action to bring about transformation of o= urselves and the structures of domination. = Our shrinking world makes us all neighbors and I am increasingly aw= are of two facts about ourselves as inhabitants of this world. One is that= we are very different from one another in color, lifestyle, culture and be= lief. The other is that we are exceedingly alike. There is a fantastic ra= nge of common needs and desires, fears and hopes that bind us together in o= ur humanness, and the well-being of each is interrelated with the well-bein= g of all. = Through the ages people have engaged in a search for ultimate meani= ng in life, but they have turned this search into a political conflict, int= o wars and death in order to secure the dominance of a particular ideology,= religion or nation. Our age of unparalleled advancement in education, sci= ence and technology has also been an age of enormous violence. = Meanwhile, the need for imaginative understanding, simple trust and= creative cooperation was never more urgent. Maybe the time has come when = we should unite in certain common affirmations of life. = I offer the following: = 1. We affirm that all forms of human power and authority are subject to Go= d and accountable to people. This means the right to full participation in= resisting oppression, the Occupation and more generally those powers and a= uthorities that prohibit the processes of transformation towards justice, p= eace and the integrity of creation. 2. We affirm God's preferential option for the poor and oppressed. It is = our duty to embrace God's action in the struggles of the poor and for the l= iberation of all. 3. We affirm the equal value of all races, religions, and peoples. All pe= ople reflect the rich plurality of God's creation. 4. We affirm that male and female are created in the image of God, and tha= t we should resist structures of patriarchy that perpetuate violence agains= t women. 5. We affirm that truth is the foundation of freedom. We should seek to c= ommunicate the truth in imaginative, prophetic, liberating and respectful w= ays. 6. We affirm that the only possible peace is one based in justice. True p= eace means every human being dwells in secure relatedness to God, neighbor,= nature and self. ("The effect of righteousness will be peace, and the result of righteousnes= s, quietness and trust forever." Isaiah 32: 17) 7. We affirm the land belongs to God. Human use of land and waters should= release the earth to replenish its life-giving power, protecting its integ= rity and providing ample space for its creatures. We should resist the dum= ping of toxic wastes into the lands and waters. 8. We affirm that there is an inseparable relationship between justice and= human rights. But it must be clearly understood that we refer not only to= individual rights, but also to the collective social, economic and cultura= l rights of peoples. = We will resist systems that violate human rights and deny the reali= zation of the full potential of individuals and peoples. We will resist, i= n particular, torture, disappearances, and extra-judicial killings. 9. We affirm the presence of a spirit of hope and compassion available to = all by which our lives may be more whole, more creative, more harmonious as= we draw directly upon that power around us and within us and within all li= fe. I have learned that the struggle for justice is one struggle, and t= hat an action taken to subvert violence and strengthen human rights in one = area is an action on behalf of people everywhere. Martin Luther King remin= ded us that "injustice anywhere is a threat to justice every where". = I now understand even more than before that our global responsibili= ties and relationships have a local face, and no matter where we live, we c= an work for human rights and a culture of peace. The kinships we form as w= e as we do so serve as a prototype for a new community, one that knows no b= oundaries. Those of us committed to peace and justice whether with respect to = the Palestinian experience or to any other issue, should not give up, for t= o give up is to give in and allow injustice to prevail. Rather, we must co= ntinue to fan the embers into flames of light; no matter how small they are= , because these embers of light give hope to those in the forefront of stru= ggle. And they will keep the work for justice and peace in the Middle East = alive. _______________________________________________ Southern Appalachian Yearly Meeting and Association list-server: -- address to subscribe (get on the list-server) or unsubscribe (get off): = http://kitenet.net/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/sayma -- address to send message to everyone on list: sayma@kitenet.net ]