Dear Friends,
Greetings of love and peace.
I trust most, if not all, of you are aware of the tragic events of the last two weeks - the March 20 burning of a Quran following a mock trial by an extremist Christian pastor in Florida; and the violent responses by extremists in Mazar-i-Sharif and Kandahar, Afghanistan that resulted in the deaths of at least 24 people and the wounding of 81 on April 1 and 2.
The cries of outrage and anguish over both of these acts of hate resound around the world. Outrage, first, over the senseless, inflammatory desecration of a great religion’s sacred text. Then anguish over the brutal killing and wounding of innocent civilians.
United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon called the violence in Afghanistan "outrageous and cowardly," saying that it could "not be justified under any circumstances."
United States President Barack Obama stated, "The desecration of any holy text, including the Quran, is an act of extreme intolerance and bigotry. However, to attack and kill innocent people in response is outrageous, and an affront to human decency and dignity."
I believe URI members around the world would echo the words of these two global leaders. We are people dedicated to respecting and celebrating diversity. We are dedicated to using “our combined resources only for nonviolent, compassionate action, to awaken to our deepest truths, and to manifest love and justice among all life in our Earth community.” The actions of extremists only serve to strengthen our resolve.
In these turbulent times, I give thanks for the efforts of URI’s global community for helping to transform the scourge of division and violence by sowing the seeds of solidarity and engaging in cooperative action to address the pressing issues that challenge all of us. I feel keenly that these times call for us to expand the impact and visibility of our work.
Today, April 5, is Golden Rule Day, a day honored and celebrated by individuals, organizations and governments in more than 90 countries of the world. Let this be a rallying point for all of URI, an opportunity to spread the word that people of different faiths are working together all over the world and living by a principle common to all of our faiths: to treat others as you would want to be treated.
Faithfully,
The Rev. Canon Charles P. Gibbs
Executive Director
