U.S.-Sponsored Torture Stirs up Interfaith Dialogue
March 10, 2010
"When our nation tortures, all of us are victims," MPAC Senior Advisor Dr. Maher Hathout told an interfaith audience last week. "Torture is a violation of human diginity which is a concern of people of all faiths."
Since 9/11, many Muslims have been taken into U.S. custody and treated in inhumane and degrading ways. Many Americans have remained silent on the issue of torture, which will leave a scar on our nation's history. The Interfaith Relations Commissions of the National Council of Churches in Christ recently met in Los Angeles to mobilize action.
The members of the Interfaith Relations Commission include representatives from a wide range of Christian denominations across the country. A presentation and discussion took place regarding U.S.-sponsored tortured led by Reverend Peter Laarman, Executive Director of Progressive Christians Uniting, Dr. Maher Hathout, MPAC's Senior Advisor, and Saadia Khan, Hate Crime Prevention Coordinator.
"We hoped through this presentation to raise awareness of the connection between Islamophobia and U.S.-Sponsored torture, and to inspire people in other parts of the country to have the kinds of interfaith programs and discussions on this issue that we have had in the Los Angeles area," said Virginia Classick, a board member of the National Religious Campaign Against Torture.
To get involved in the campaign against torture, please visit www.tortureisamoralissue.org or email campaign@nrcat.org.
- Saadia Khan (saadia@mpac.org)
Interfaith Coordinator
