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  in the Middle East
Peace in the Middle East
Peace in the Holy Land

We are a group of Jews, Christians and Muslims who in response to the tensions among our faith communities exacerbated by the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001, the Iraq War and the ongoing Israeli - Palestinian conflict have met together for the purpose of increasing our understanding of our respective religious traditions in order to build better relationships. The Greater Dayton Christian Connections first called us together and has provided a place to meet and other support. We have met monthly for two years, visited each other’s houses of worship and studied each other’s beliefs. Together we have planned programs for the general public on ways we can work together for peaceful coexistence and limit the influence of those extremists in our three traditions whose view is that we are providentially destined to be locked in violent struggle until the world as we know it comes to an end.

Members of our Trialogue have come to respect, trust and care for each other. Though our differences of belief are real, and we remain committed to our own faith traditions, we also celebrate the beliefs we hold in common:

• One God calls all of us, as God called our forefather Abraham, to trust God, search for truth, love and do justice.

• The importance of being part of a religious community where through ritual and discipline we are encouraged to endure in times of testing, and to repent when we have put ourselves in the place of God.
• Persuasion, not coercion, is our way of adding members to our communities. We reject and regret the violence that too often has been used and is still being used to win new believers to our religious communities.
• We oppose all forms of oppression on the basis of race, ethnic background, gender or religious affiliation. We believe that all people, men and women alike, have the right to vote, hold public office, be educated, have equal job opportunities and have the same civil and legal rights. We oppose the teaching of hate, or dissemination of misinformation about any group of people.
• We find ourselves very comfortable with the idea of a democratic society where decisions are made by majority vote while respecting the rights of minorities. We are committed to government that supports the common good and does not play favorites in matters of religion.

We celebrate also our common humanity. The search for a decent wage, a safe and attractive place to live with good schools for our children is common to all. We want to be able to live together in peace and mutual respect. We have learned that regardless of which of our traditions contains the truest vision of God, all contain truth, and often as individuals we are enriched in our understanding of God by the witness of a tradition not our own. We leave it to God, in God’s time, to sort out the varying degrees of truth with respect to our differences.

However, we have learned that there are substantial numbers of people in all three of our religious communities who, unfortunately, are appalled and threatened by any emphasis on mutual respect, peaceful coexistence or cooperation, and do what they can to keep conflicts alive and violent.

Examples would be:

• Those in the Jewish Community associated with the Israeli Settler Movement who reject the possibility of a negotiated peace with the Palestinians because they believe that God gave the land to the Jewish people only.
• Those in the Christian Community who support Israelis who refuse compromise with the Palestinians because they wish through the spread of conflict in the Middle East to hasten the return of Christ.
• Those in the Muslim Community who support killing civilians and advocate death for those who insult their interpretation of Islam.

We have learned that the existence of those extremists who teach hatred and who promote violence in each of our traditions promotes extremism in the others, and is a major cause of conflict overseas, and tension at home.

We have learned that the major responsibility for dealing with extremism in our own tradition belongs to those of us who are members of those traditions. We do not deny that there are texts in each of our sacred books that can be misused to justify violence and condemnation. But we insist that taken as a whole and with respect to their contexts our sacred books and the historic commentaries on them call us to mutual respect and peaceful persuasion despite our differences, for God who spoke to Abraham, in many ways has spoken to all of us. We are determined to spread that authentic message and confront extremists in our own traditions with the truth, while at the same time working to eliminate the injustices, the poverty, the immorality and the ignorance that are so often the seedbed of extremism.

To that end we invite all people interested in constructive dialogue on the issues presented in this message in the cause of peace to join us. Contact sclark36@juno.com for information as to the times of our meetings and to arrange for speakers to further explain what the Interfaith Trialogue is about and what it has meant to those who have participated.

Juanita Wehrle-Einhorn, Wright State University
Edward Klaben, community activist
Ron Gilbert, Jewish Federation of Dayton
Ken Rosenzweig, Co-chair, Dayton Christian Jewish Dialogue
Bill Alexander, community activist
Dr. Edward D. Garten, Dean of University Libraries Emeritus, University of Dayton
Robert Obach, Ph.D., Teacher of Philosophy & Religion at McGregor School (in Yellowsprings at Antioch College) and at Sinclair Community College
Bill Gronefeld
Ramzieh Azmeh, Muslim Public Affairs Council
Wayel Azmeh, Muslim Public Affairs Council
Norman Cary, Professor Emeritus, Wright State University
Ken Clark
Malcolm Gillespie
Edmund A. Ashitey, student, UTS
Bob Wehrle-Einhorn
Rev. Darryl Fairchild