| Founded | 1984 |
|---|---|
| Type | 501(c)(3) |
| Focus | Israeli–Palestinian conflict, peace, security |
| Location | |
Area served |  United States,  Israel,  Palestine |
Key people | Mae Elise Cannon, Executive Director |
| Website | http://www.cmep.org |
Churches for Middle East Peace (CMEP) is a US 501(c)(3) non-profit advocacy organization based in Washington, D.C. As a coalition of Orthodox, Catholic and Protestant churches, CMEP states that it works to influence American policy in ways that will bring justice and peace for all people and countries in the Middle East.[1] In 2010 Churches for Middle East Peace had over 100 partner churches, which are religious orders, congregations, church committees, regional church bodies, and church-related organizations such as peace fellowships that commit to working for Middle East peace, and can agree with CMEP's mission and views.[2][3]
YouTube Encyclopedic
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The World's Most Persecuted Minority: Christians
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Early Christian Schisms - I: Before Imperium - Extra History
Transcription
Which is the most persecuted religious group in the world today? The answer in terms of sheer numbers and sheer horror might surprise you. It’s Christians, specifically Christians living in Muslim-majority countries, countries where Christians often preceded Muslims by centuries. I’m not talking about “War on Christmas” type harassment; I’m talking about “know your place or we’re going to kill you” persecution. Astonishingly, the Western mainstream media barely acknowledge what is happening. Let’s look closer at this issue. It tells us a lot about the world we’re living in. One hundred years ago, 20% of North Africa and the Middle East, the birthplace of Christianity, was Christian. Today, Christians make up 4% of the population. Much of that decline has occurred in the last decade. In essence Muslims are rendering North Africa and the Middle East free of Christians. Take Egypt, for example, my ancestral homeland. In just the past two years, tens of thousands of Christian Copts have left Egypt. And many others want to leave, but they simply cannot afford to. Why they want to leave is no mystery. On New Year’s Day 2011, the Two Saints Church in Alexandria was bombed, leaving 23 Copts dead and 97 injured. In recent years dozens of Coptic churches have been attacked, many burned to the ground. In August 2013 alone, the Muslim Brotherhood and its supporters attacked and destroyed some 80 churches. Unfortunately, Egypt is more the rule than the exception. Hundreds of Nigerian churches have been destroyed in recent years, with especially deadly attacks reserved for Christmas and Easter church services, leaving dozens dead or mutilated. Churches have been bombed or burned in Iraq, Syria, and just about every place in the Middle East where churches still exist except Israel. Christian businesses have been torched, Christian girls have been kidnapped, sold as child brides or slaves, and had acid thrown in their faces for not being veiled. Anyone born a Muslim who converts to Christianity faces jail and possibly execution. The list of fresh atrocities by Muslims against Christians grows longer almost every day. Even in Muslim countries often portrayed as “moderate” -- Morocco, Indonesia, Malaysia, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan -- Christian minorities are under legal pressure not to build churches or evangelize. The Christians in these Muslim countries are often identical to their co-citizens in race, ethnicity, national identity, culture, and language; there is no political dispute between the Christians and Muslims, no land dispute. Vastly outnumbered and politically marginalized, these Christians simply wish to worship in peace. Instead they are hounded and attacked. So, then, why is this happening? And why is the media making so little mention of it? The first question is easy to answer. Christians are being persecuted in Muslim countries because they’re Christians, or as the Quran puts it, “infidels,” that is, non-Muslims, who are regarded by many fundamentalist Muslims as inferior. As a fundamentalist interpretation of the holy books of Islam has grown in the last fifty or so years, Christians have suffered. And in recent years, they have suffered terribly. I document this in my book, Crucified Again: Exposing Islam's New War on Christians. If this were happening to any other group besides Christians, it would be the human rights tragedy of our time. There would be loud worldwide calls for action. But the silence in the mainstream Western media is, as they say, almost deafening. Why? Because Muslim persecution of Christians throws a wrench in the media’s narrative that “Muslim violence is a product of Muslim grievance.” That grievance is, first and foremost, portrayed as the sin of European colonialism and alleged American imperialism. In the Muslim world’s mind, those two sins are personified by the Jewish State of Israel, a nation the Muslim world believes was forced upon it by the colonial powers of Europe following World War II and is currently supported by the United States. Much of the Western world and the Western media have largely bought at least some of this narrative. Here’s how it works: Because Israel, with the backing of the United States, is stronger than its Muslim neighbors, the media, while not defending Islamic terrorism, often portray terror against Israel, America, and even Europe as the actions of understandably angry “underdogs” fighting for what they deem “justice.” But what happens to this media narrative when Islamic terror is directed against a minority weaker than them -- in this case, the millions of indigenous Christians throughout the Islamic world? The answer is that, rather than abandon this narrative, the media just don’t report Muslim persecution of Christians except for the most sensational cases. That’s why you probably don’t know that there are barely any Christians living in Algeria, Tunisia and Libya, nations where Christianity once thrived. Or, that this is happening in Egypt, Iraq, Iran, and even Lebanon. So, yes, Christians are indeed the most persecuted religious group in the world today. But reporting it would violate the media’s narrative of Christians as persecutors and Muslims as victims. I’m Raymond Ibrahim, author of the Al-Qaeda Reader, for Prager University.
Advocacy
CMEP has stated the following policy positions:
- 1) Pursue a just and durable resolution of the Israeli–Palestinian crisis in which Israelis and Palestinians realize the vision of a just peace, which illuminates human dignity and cultivates thriving relationships.
- 2) Pursue an end to the Israeli occupation of East Jerusalem, the West Bank, and the Gaza Strip, to promote a solution that advances security and self-determination for Israelis and Palestinians;
- 3) Recognize settlements as illegal and an impediment to peace and ensure accountability for policies about settlements which disregard legal restraints and international consensus;
- 4) Promote a shared Jerusalem by Palestinians and Israelis, as well as full access to the Holy Sites by the three religious traditions -- Jews, Muslims, and Christians -- by those who call them holy;
- 5) Promote restorative justice, trauma healing, and multi-level peacebuilding efforts with a particular recognition of the contribution and role of women;
- 6) In order to defend free speech and religious liberty, uphold the right of churches and organizations to find appropriate and various ways to end unjust practices and policies that violate international laws and conventions, including exerting economic leverage on commercial and government actors;
- 7) Support the right for engagement in nonviolent resistance while raising concerns about all forms of violence regardless of actor;
- 8) Recognize the religious importance of the Middle East to Jews, Christians, and Muslims and others; to protect the religious freedom of all as well as support measures to ensure the viability of the historic Christian community in Palestine, Israel, and the entire region;
- 9) Encourage negotiated, just, and peaceful resolutions to conflicts in the region and the demilitarization of conflict;
- 10) Encourage needs and rights based development and humanitarian assistance to reduce inequality and promote human dignity, especially in the West Bank and Gaza while ensuring access and protection for aid agencies and others;
- 11) Respect for human rights of all in the region, including refugees and displaced people, based on full observance of the Geneva Conventions and other international law agreements;
- 12) CMEP opposes anti-Semitism, anti-Muslim sentiment, and anti-Christian sentiment and all other forms of racism or bigotry in rhetoric or actions that dehumanize, stereotype, or incite distrust or violence toward anyone.
CMEP emphasizes the important role that Christians have to play in prospects for pluralism and democracy in Palestinian society and supports a safe and secure state of Israel. It urges the United States to pursue the creation of a Palestinian state and the end of Israel's occupation as integral to helping Israel achieve the security, recognition and normalization of relations with all countries of the region that it has long been denied.[4]
CMEP supported the efforts of the Obama Administration to re-establish direct negotiations between Israeli and Palestinian parties. On August 30, 2010, they organized a letter to President Obama stating support for his goal of ending the occupation that has existed since 1967 and achieving a just and comprehensive two-state solution to the current conflict. Signed by the leadership of 29 national Catholic, Orthodox, mainline Protestant, Evangelical, and historic African American denominations and organizations, the letter acknowledged the difficulties in achieving this goal, but pledged the U.S. Christian community's efforts to expand the dialogue with American Jewish and Palestinian communities to help achieve this goal.[5]
CMEP has also advocated for U.S. leadership in ending the humanitarian crisis in Gaza. In June 2010 they issued a statement advocating for the relief of the blockade of Gaza. In doing so, they affirmed their position that Palestinians have the right to more than just humanitarian aid. They are entitled "to trade, travel, study, and engage in productive work, subject only to reasonable security requirements, and to take part in building a viable Palestinian state together with those who live in the West Bank. Israel has the right to self-defense and to prevent illicit trafficking in arms."[6]
CMEP takes an even-handed approach, emphasizing the need for both sides to create the conditions for peace. During the 2008–2009 Gaza War, CMEP acknowledged that "Israel's massive military operation has taken a terrible toll on Gaza's population and public infrastructure, while ongoing indiscriminate rocket attacks against towns in southern Israel have made normal life there impossible."[7] CMEP has received praise for its bi-partisan and even handed approach, seeking only to move toward a negotiated peace for both Israel and Palestinians.[8]
Management and organizational structure
Churches for Middle East Peace's executive director, Mae Elise Cannon, is a minister, writer, and academic. She has written several books, including Social Justice Handbook: Small Steps for a Better World (IVP, 2009) and Just Spirituality: How Faith Practices Fuel Social Action (IVP, 2013) and was a co-author of Forgive Us: Confessions of a Compromised Faith (Zondervan, 2014). Cannon is an ordained pastor in the Evangelical Covenant Church (ECC).
CMEP's governing board, which makes all policy decisions, is composed of staff from the national policy offices of the coalition members and two independent members. This board makes all policy decisions by consensus. CMEP's Board Members include:
Antiochian Orthodox Christian Archdiocese of North America
Catholic Conference of Major Superiors of Men's Institutes
Christian Church (Disciples of Christ)/Common Global Ministries Board
Evangelical Lutheran Church in America
Evangelicals for Social Action
Friends Committee on National Legislation
Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America
Unitarian Universalist Association
United Church of Christ/Common Global Ministries Board
United Methodist Church/ General Board of Church and Society
United Methodist Church/ Women's Division
Statements about CMEP
... Your organization's bipartisan efforts ... to advocate for sustained U.S. leadership in the peace process are admirable ... Your vision for a negotiated agreement to end the conflict, with a secure Israel living side by side with a viable and independent Palestinian state, is both valuable and timely ... CMEP's advocacy work is important. Thanks to you and your members for your continued work to promote a just, lasting and comprehensive peace.
— Sen Richard Lugar (Indiana) [9]
The Arab – Israeli conflict is not primarily religious in nature. But I believe religious leaders – Christian, Jewish and Muslim – can play a critical role in finding solutions. Of course, the path to peace will be long and difficult. But we will find strength if we travel it together. I thank you for your commitment in this endeavor and congratulate you on a successful conference.
— Sen. John Kerry (Massachusetts) [9]
While it is important to always pray for peace, your active commitment to peacemaking at the grassroots level is imperative to the success of the President's peace efforts
— Rep. Donald Payne (New Jersey-10) [9]
CMEP is not a fair witness. The group has strong anti-Israel prejudices. Yes, I found a CMEP resolution that condemned terrorist attacks, but it is buried on a web page. But I heard no reference to terrorism at all at their conference. Israel was criticized at every turn. There is a binary mentality at the CMEP: Palestinians are the victims and Israel the perpetrators. Jewish concerns were largely ignored or trivialized. If only the occupation would end, we are to believe, the conflict would end. But wasn't there a conflict before 1967 and the start of the occupation? Perhaps, then, all of Israel is an "occupation"?
— Rabbi Kenneth L. Cohen, Founder of The Vine and Fig Project [10]
... these are good people. But if they are not the enemy, they are opponents. And while positions articulated often have some measure of truth, the general tone lacked balance and fairness; I said as much quietly, politely, but firmly. What was encouraging to me is that I think people were ready to listen. There was good will.
— Rabbi Kenneth L. Cohen, Founder of the Vine and Fig Project [10]
Churches for Middle East Peace is grateful to Rabbi Kenneth Cohen for his sincere reflections about our annual advocacy conference. We hope that Rabbi Cohen's commentary will open further dialogue between CMEP and the Jewish community.
— Former CMEP Executive Director Amb. (ret.) Warren Clark in response to above statements.[11]
By your presence and activity, you manifest the true spirit of this country. I applaud you for your work and I am happy to be on the same team as CMEP
— Representative Brian Baird (Washington) [12]
Churches for Middle East Peace presents opinions and information both to me and to my staff that are balanced and that I take seriously. On the thorny issues that are part and parcel of Middle East policy, CMEP gives clarity to the voice of the churches.
— United States Senator Jim Jeffords (Vermont) [13]
As one who believes that peace in the Middle East is possible, I applaud the work of Churches for Middle East Peace. I have found CMEP's advocacy efforts in Washington to be indispensable, both in my role as general secretary of the National Council of Churches and as a former member of Congress.
References
- ^ "Churches for Middle East Peace". Archived from the original on 2010-03-10. Retrieved 2010-02-18.
- ^ "CMEP's Partners". Churches for Middle East Peace. 2010. Archived from the original on 2011-05-12.
- ^ "Be a Partner in Peacemaking". Churches for Middle East Peace. 2010. Archived from the original on 2011-05-12.
- ^ Policy in Brief: https://cmep.org/about/policypositions/
- ^ "Letter from Heads of Denominations to President Obama on Restart of Direct Talks (August 30, 2010) | Churches for Middle East Peace". Archived from the original on 2013-02-02. Retrieved 2012-10-22.
- ^ "Relieving the Blockade of Gaza (June 22, 2010) | Churches for Middle East Peace". Archived from the original on 2011-07-25. Retrieved 2012-10-22.
- ^ Episcopal Life Online, January 20, 2009, www.episcopalchurch.org/79901_104178_ENG_HTM.htm
- ^
...Your organization's bipartisan efforts ... to advocate for sustained U.S. leadership in the peace process are admirable ... Your vision for a negotiated agreement to end the conflict, with a secure Israel living side by side with a viable and independent Palestinian state, is both valuable and timely ... CMEP's advocacy work is important. Thanks to you and your members for your continued work to promote a just, lasting and comprehensive peace.
— Sen Richard Lugar (Indiana) - ^ a b c CMEP Advocacy Conference Statement, June 2010
- ^ a b "Op-Ed: Pushing a pro-Palestinian crowd to question assumptions | JTA - Jewish & Israel News". Archived from the original on 2012-08-23. Retrieved 2012-10-22.
- ^ "Churches' group on the Middle East | Quibbles and Kibbitz | JTA - Jewish & Israel News". Archived from the original on 2013-04-15. Retrieved 2012-10-22.
- ^ http://cmep.org/
- ^ a b http://www.cmep.org/sites/default/files/cmepbrochure.pdf[dead link]
External links
- Website: http://www.cmep.org/
This page was last edited on 12 May 2023, at 22:44