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| ON THIS PAGE: PYM Statement on Violence in Yugoslavia Independence Mall Vigil for Peace AFSC Efforts · Information Links |
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In a world long used to relying on violence, Friends' historic Peace Testimony recognizing that of God in everyone is still valid. As stated in 1660:
"We utterly deny all outward wars and strife and fightings with outward weapons for any end or under any pretense whatsoever; this is our testimony to the whole world ...."
Philadelphia Yearly Meeting of the Religious Society of Friends urges a cessation of hostilities in Yugoslavia and a commitment to a non-military solution. We urge the redirection of federal funds to non-military alternatives which would maintain contact with all sides in the conflict and promote open, honest communications. We believe that an increase in funding for peaceful resolution of conflict and a decrease in military spending would enhance security for all beyond the level achievable by military means.
Written and Approved in Philadelphia Yearly Meeting, March 27, 1999, Fourth & Arch Streets Meetinghouse
On April 4, 1999, a collection of individual Friends felt moved to witness for peace when the U.S. engaged in fighting in Kosovo. They met again the next Sunday, silently praying for an hour on the sidewalk in front of the Liberty Bell in Philadelphia. And the next Sunday. And the next.
Each week since, Friends and people of other faiths gather at Independence Mall on Sunday evenings at 4 PM to worship for peace, in the world and in our lives. They welcome any who care to join them.
Vigil Reports:
(The dates indicate when the report was first issued, not the date of the vigil.) - 4 April 1999 · The first vigil is visited by students, a Park Ranger, and a reporter.
- 12 April 1999 · The vigilers focus beyond one or two gatherings.
- 21 April 1999 · A passerby experiences "the best hour of his day."
- 1 May 1999 · Vigils emerge in other locations.
- 2 May 1999 · Marcelle Martin relates the burden, need, and privilege of participating in the vigil.
- 15 May 1999 · Henry Beck reflects on the potent simplicity of the vigil.
- 21 May 1999 · Jorge Aráuz seeks help with his doubts and concerns in prayer.
- 25 May 1999 · The taunt, "Get a life!," inspires reflection.
- 4 June 1999 · Vigilers look beyond the Balkans conflict, to peace in the world and in themselves.
- 11 June 1999 · Kathryn Gordon looks for leaders "who strain to hear the prayers of the world."
- 15 June 1999 · Attention is called to the war in North Philadelphia.
- 26 June 1999 · The vigilers decide to continue beyond a Kosovo resolution.
The vigil has continued, focusing on personal and international peace. The continuing reports are indexed on the vigil's own page.
They prepared a statement explaining the vigil and its expansion in scope beyond the Kosovar conflict.
Elsewhere, we have a report of Salem Quarter's called meeting for worship with a concern for Kosovo and the Balkans, held on 23 May 1999.
Reports on the efforts of the American Friends Service Committee can be found at http://www.afsc.org/kosovo.htm.
The AFSC Emergency and Material Assistance Program (EMAP) needs volunteers to help us process 20,000+ refugee kits (from all over the country) throughout June and July. Come for an hour, come for a day, come once or come every week. Please call Tim O'Connell at 215-241-7041 in advance to schedule a time.
The work takes place at Friends Center, 1515 Cherry St, Philadelphia, PA 19102. More information about EMAP can be found at http://www.afsc.org/emap/koshelp.htm.
The Peace Justice Environment Network has information about many peace events scheduled in the Philadelphia area and in Washington. To receive this information, contact Charles: e-mail—pjenet@juno.com, phone/fax—215-386-4322.
PeaceWeb, coordinated by Carl Stieren of Ottawa Monthly Meeting, has established a "Kosova/Kosovo: Friends Respond" page at http://www.web.net/~peaceweb/komain.html, focusing on "what you can do in (your location here, such as Philadelphia)."
From the Scout Report
NOTE: The following links and descriptive text are presented for information purposes, only. These do not reflect the views or positions of Philadelphia Yearly Meeting.
Copyright Internet Scout Project 1994-1999. http://scout.cs.wisc.edu/BBC News: Kosovo Crisis
[RealPlayer, Frames]http://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/special_report/1998/kosovo/ NATO Air Strikes Against Yugoslavia: "War in Europe" – USIA http://www.usia.gov/admin/005/wwwh9m25.html Editorial Cartoons on Conflict in the Former Yugoslavia http://www.cagle.com/news/yugo/ Kosovo Issue Area – CDI http://www.cdi.org/issues/Europe/kosovo.html Kosovo Crisis – Jane's Defense Weekly http://www.janes.com/defence/features/kosovo/kosovohome.html Radio B92 Open Yugoslavia
[RealPlayer]http://b92eng.opennet.org/ Kosova Crisis Center http://www.alb-net.com/index.htm Serbia Info http://www.serbia-info.com/ The major news story of the week is, of course, the airstrikes on Yugoslavia. For the first time in its 50-year history, NATO has made war on a sovereign nation that is outside of the alliance. The strikes have raised a host of troubling questions, and their impact on the humanitarian and political situation in Kosovo, the NATO alliance, US foreign policy, and NATO-Russian relations remains to be seen. In addition to their favorite online news sites, interested users will want to examine some of the following resources. Always a dependable and thorough news source, the BBC has posted a special report on the bombing, with breaking news, analysis, and an interactive map. The US Information Agency (USIA) has compiled a very large selection of excerpts from editorials on the strikes from newspapers worldwide, organized by region. Users interested in how the crisis has been represented by editorial cartoonists around the world will want to visit the sizable and constantly-updated collection of cartoons at Daryl Cagle's Professional Cartoonist Index. More detailed analysis is provided at the Center for Defense Information's (CDI) Kosovo Issue Area, which features maps, reports, fact sheets, and related links. Users curious about the military aspects of the operation will be hard-pressed to find a more authoritative site than Jane's Defense Weekly. Jane's Kosovo feature offers analysis, reference information on the military forces and equipment, and background on the political and ethnic situation in the region. Radio Station B92, one of the most prominent independent voices in Yugoslavia, was shut down by the authorities on March 23. However, a number of online mirror sites in Europe and the US have banded together to distribute B92 broadcasts and written reports via this site. Given the uncertainties of the situation and today's decree banning all contact with the foreign media, these reports may be sporadic or may stop at any time. Finally, for news from a pro-Kosovar independence viewpoint or a pro-Serbian viewpoint, users should visit the Kosova Crisis Center and Serbian Info site, respectively. Users interested in additional resources for understanding the Balkans and the diplomatic fallout of the strikes will find a number of items in the Scout Report Signpost, the Scout Report's database. These include the International Crisis Group (ICG) South Balkans Reports Index, RAND reports on US and Russian Policymaking with Respect to the Use of Force, and The Department of Defense's BosniaLINK.
Philadelphia Yearly Meeting
1515 Cherry Street
Philadelphia, PA 19102-1479
215-241-7000
fax: 215-567-2096
Last modified: Wednesday, February 18, 2004 at 08:18 AM