U.S. religious leaders say Iranians want peace
Members of a 13-person religious delegation talk
about their recent meetings in Tehran with Iranian religious and
political leaders. A UMNS photo by Jay Mallin.
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A UMNS Report
By Kathy L. Gilbert*
Feb. 26, 2007
Jim Winkler (right), representing The United
Methodist Church, and the Rev. Ron Flaming, of the Mennonite Central
Committee, take part in a Feb. 26 news conference in Washington after
their trip to Iran. A UMNS photo by Jay Mallin.
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The Iranian people don't want war with the United States and say a
sign of U.S. goodwill would go a long way toward preventing conflict,
said a United Methodist leader who just returned from Iran.
"Even with this tragic history we have visited upon Iran for the past
55 years, there is an amazing depth of appreciation and love for the
U.S. people," said Jim Winkler, top executive of the United Methodist
Board of Church and Society, the denomination's social action agency.
"I am hopeful if our government would capitalize on that and offer to
sit down and negotiate with the government of Iran, our conflicts could
be resolved."
Winkler was part of a 13-member delegation of U.S. religious leaders
that visited Iran Feb. 17-25. The group, which included Episcopal,
Catholic, Baptist, Evangelical, Quaker and Mennonite traditions,
released a statement on the trip during a Feb. 26 news conference in
Washington.
"As Christian leaders from the United States, we traveled to the
Islamic Republic of Iran at this time of increased tension, believing
that it is possible to build bridges of understanding between our two
countries. We believe military action is not the answer, and that God
calls us to just and peaceful relationships within the global
community," said the statement.
Jim Winkler, top staff executive of the United Methodist
Board of Church and Society, listens to questions during a news
conference at the National Press Club. A UMNS photo by Jay Mallin.
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The U.S. delegation met with Muslim and Christian leaders, government officials and other Iranian people.
"There have been lots of contacts between Muslim religious leaders
and Christian leaders from around the world--and with American
Christians--over the years, but this was considered to be significant
because it was attached to meetings with government leaders," Winkler
said.
"The Iranians don't want war. Every political and religious leader we
met with said Islam forbids the possession or development or use of
weapons of mass destruction of any kind including nuclear weapons," he
said. "They would love to talk to the U.S. if there was but some sign of
goodwill."
Next week, the delegation will meet with members of Congress
including House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton, Sen.
Joseph R. Biden Jr., Sen. Richard G. Lugar, Sen. Barack Obama and Sen.
John Warner, among others.
"These meetings have been very easy to set up because members of
Congress are very interested to hear our report and reflections," said
Winkler.
The group’s meeting with Iran President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad was the
first time a U.S. delegation had talked in Iran with an Iranian
president since the Islamic revolution in 1979. The meeting lasted more
than two hours and covered a range of topics, including the role of
religion in transforming conflict, Iraq, nuclear proliferation and the
Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
The delegation urged both the U.S. and Iranian governments to:
- immediately engage in direct, face-to-face talks;
- cease using language that defines the other using "enemy" images; and
- promote more people-to-people exchanges including religious leaders, members of Parliament/Congress, and civil society.
"As people of faith, we are committed to working toward these and
other confidence-building measures, which we hope will move our two
nations from the precipice of war to a more just and peaceful
relationship," the statement said.
The United States and its Western allies have said Iran must halt
uranium enrichment as a precondition to talks. They believe Iran is
using its nuclear program to produce an atomic weapon, but Iran says it
is working to generate electricity.
Ties between the United States and Iran have been broken or poor
since Iranian students stormed the U.S. Embassy in Tehran in 1979 and
held its occupants hostage for 444 days. President Bush has named Iran
part of an “axis of evil” and, in recent weeks, his administration has
claimed Iran is behind attacks on troops in Iraq—a charge that Iran
denies.
Winkler said the Iranian people are keenly aware of their history and
say the U.S. overthrow of their elected government in 1953 set
U.S.-Iranian relations on a destructive course. "Needless to say, the
capture of American hostages contributed very negatively from their
side. But then we gave huge support to Saddam Hussein in the 1980-88 war
between Iran and Iraq, which resulted in the deaths of hundreds of
thousands of Iranians."
More information on the delegation can be found at http://mcc.org/iran/delegation/
*Gilbert is a United Methodist News Service news writer based in
Nashville, Tenn. Information for this report was provided by the
Mennonite Central Committee.
News media contact: Kathy L. Gilbert, Nashville, Tenn., (615) 742-5470 or newsdesk@umcom.org.
Audio Interview: Jim Winkler
"They would love to talk to the U.S."
"Our conflicts could be resolved."
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