LaOnf

Today marks the eighth anniversary of the tragic terrorist attacks in the United States, and as we have every year since 2001, the Fellowship of Reconciliation joins members of September 11th Families for Peaceful Tomorrows in calling for alternative methods of addressing international conflict. Today, Peaceful Tomorrows released a statement saying, "As the 8th anniversary of the loss of our loved ones approaches, we at September 11th Families for Peaceful Tomorrows remain hopeful that the world and our nation will stop all violent acts in the names of our loved ones. We advocate now as we did on that fateful day that the response to evil must not be more evil, that it must be a response that envisions, not just peaceful tomorrows, but peaceful todays. It is beyond time."

In September 2001, when family members of those who died that day courageously urged our government to not retaliate with violence, FOR stood with them, and served as Peaceful Tomorrows' first fiscal sponsor. Now, eight years after the U.S. government invaded Afghanistan in retribution for the attacks, our nation is mired in a deepening war with rapidly growing casualties of both troops and civilians.

Guest post by Jennifer Kuiper of September 11th Families for Peaceful Tomorrows. FOR is partnering nationally and locally with Peaceful Tomorrows to support La'Onf.

Today in Iraq, there is a growing movement of citizens pursuing an end to violence, occupation and corruption through nonviolent means. La’Onf is a network of men and women and over 100 Iraqi organizations, from across the country and across religious and ethnic groups, who have joined together to promote nonviolence as the most effective way to struggle for an independent, democratic, and peaceful Iraq.

Starting TOMORROW October 11, La’Onf members will hold their 3rd annual campaign, the Iraqi Week of Nonviolence, in which they will advocate through nonviolent action for measures to ensure the freedom and security of Iraqis who will exercise their right to vote during Iraq’s upcoming provincial elections.

FOR & CRC Support LAONFI spoke yesterday with Terry Rockefeller, who is one of the founders and ongoing volunteer coordinators of September 11th Families for Peaceful Tomorrows. Over the past couple months, FOR has partnered with Peaceful Tomorrows (an organization that FOR fiscally sponsored, when it began in late 2001) in a campaign to support a growing community of groups in Iraq that are making a deep commitment to nonviolent resistance.

IVAW Denver march 8/27/08: Photo: Rocky Mountain NewsSeptember is just hours away. The new school year is just around the corner (or has already begun, for some), and the attention of the country is turned to the presidential race, during this brief weekend "respite" between the Democratic and Republican national conventions.

FOR is partnering with our long-time friends at September Eleventh Families for Peaceful Tomorrows in an effort to support an innovative Iraqi nonviolence initiative.

LaOnf ("nonviolence" in Arabic) is organized by men and women across Iraq, from every ethnic and religious group. They are working to advocate "non-violence as the most effective way to struggle for an independent, democratic, peaceful Iraq." LaOnf has organized nonviolence trainings all around Iraq, and is preparing to hold the third annual Week of Nonviolence, in concert with upcoming regional elections this fall.