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Sinkford Joins Fellowship of Reconcilliation for Meeting With Iranian President - http://www.uua.org/news/newssubmissions/120089.shtml
On Wednesday, September 24, during the opening of the United Nations General Assembly, Unitarian Universalist Association President William G. Sinkford participated in a meeting between members of the United States peace movement and high level Iranian officials, including President Ahmoud Ahmadinejad, Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki, and
the Ambassador to the United Nations, Mohammad Khazaee. The meeting took
place at the Grand Hyatt Hotel in New York City and was organized by the Fellowship of Reconciliation, one of the oldest peace organizations in the United States.
Rev. Sinkford was joined by a delegation of Unitarian Universalists, including Adam Gerhardstein, Acting Director of the UUA Washington Office for Advocacy, Bruce Knotts, Executive Director of the UU-United Nations Office, Marilyn Mehr, Board President of the UU-UNO, and Helen Lindsay and Marion Ward, both Unitarian Universalists who traveled to Iran with Fellowship of Reconciliation peace-building delegations.
Rev. Sinkford was one of twelve attendees invited to address the Iranian delegation. He shared the following remarks and question with President Ahmadinejad:
"Central to our religious heritage as Unitarian Universalists is the defense of religious and political freedoms and full equality for all people, regardless of gender, sexual orientation, race, or national origin. In the United States we struggle to make these freedoms and that equality real. The reports we receive about the treatment of women and political dissidents in Iran raise questions and concerns for us. Is Iran moving towards allowing its citizens more freedom of choice and affiliation? Is the government working towards equality for women in public life? Are protections being created for citizens who identify with different political parties, religious beliefs, and sexual orientations? Our governments and our cultures are very different. Given those basic differences, I would like to hear from you how the U.S. and Iran can best work together to find non-violent resolutions to our differences."
Read the complete story:
http://www.uua.org/news/newssubmissions/120089.shtml .
The UUA invites UUs across the nation to practice citizen diplomacy by participating in our Action of the Month: Publish for Peace with Iran.
Find more information at our Action of the Month Campaign Headquarters (http://www.uua.org/socialjustice/issues/irandiplomacy/index.shtml ).
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