Allie Perry

July/August 2006

Featured Story

Silence in the Face of Torture is Betrayal

by Allie Perry

In September 2005, a Common Dreams article entitled Torturous Silence on Torture by Ray McGovern (www.commondreams.org/views05/0927-21.htm) posed this question: “Where do American religious leaders stand on torture?” At that time, the former CIA intelligence analyst – now a prophetic witness against the lies and war crimes of the Bush administration – was hearing what he described as a “deafening silence” that evoked “memories of the unconscionable behavior of German church leaders in the 1930s and early 1940s.”

The “silence” at that time wasn’t as total as McGovern at first thought. Some religious groups were speaking out. In May 2005, the Fellowship of Reconciliation, in conjunction with a Connecticut-based interfaith group, Reclaiming the Prophetic Voice, had launched an online anti-torture petition campaign, collecting over 4,000 signatures. Petitions were delivered to congressional representatives during a national lobbying day on September 26, 2005, two days after the huge anti-war demonstration in Washington, DC.

But now there is a growing outcry – and that, not silence, is what has become deafening. As McGovern continues his courageous and unrelenting protest, he finally has many companions.

Religious communities and national denominations are raising their collective voices, organizing through the National Religious Campaign Against Torture (NRCAT). Launched at a conference, “Theology, International Law, and Torture,” held in January 2006 at Princeton Theological Seminary, NRCAT has grown quickly. It currently has 21 “Participating Members,” organizations that include, for example: the National Council of Churches, the Islamic Society of North America, the Union for Reform Judaism, the World Sikh Council, Pax Christi, the Friends Committee on National Legislation, and several Protestant denominations.

Membership categories also include endorsing members and adjunct members, in addition to participating members. Members include national, regional, and local organizations. FOR has recently joined the campaign, as has the Jewish Peace Fellowship as an endorsing member.

The goal of NRCAT is unambiguous and uncompromising: “Abolish torture now – without exceptions.” Coming from a diversity of religious perspectives, NRCAT members are united in their opposition to torture, recognizing that “nothing less is at stake in the torture abuse crisis than the soul of our nation.” As the NRCAT mission statement states:

Although our beliefs are rooted in many different religions, and although we worship in different ways and in different languages, we stand firmly united and unswerving on this crucial moral issue. Together we will work for the immediate cessation of torture by the United States, whether direct or by proxy, within our territory or abroad. We reject all proffered justifications and distorted definitions. Our condemnation of torture is not based on any political opinion or on the laws or treaties of any nations. Rather, we are guided by a higher law that serves as a compass for all of humanity.

The campaign has gained momentum quickly, and rightly so. Torture constitutes a violation of law at every level: national, international, and divine. Silence in the face of such criminal practices and policies is, as Dr. King once said, “betrayal.”

Visit the NRCAT Web site (www.nrcat.org) for more information, links to resources, and an online petition, “Torture is a Moral Issue,” to add your name to thousands of signatories. n

Allie Perry is a member of Reclaiming the Prophetic Voice and of FOR’s National Council. She lives in New Haven, Connecticut.