An Open Message to the People of Uganda in This Time of Crisis:
To Our Sisters and Brothers of All Faiths in Uganda,
At this moment of great tragedy in Uganda, I write on behalf of over 500,000 members of the United Religions Initiative’s global community to express our solidarity with you.
The United Religions Initiative, which has an office in Kampala, is a global community of people of diverse religions, spiritual expressions and indigenous traditions active in 75 countries through the work of nearly 500 local Cooperation Circles, 14 of which are in Uganda.
As a global community, our commitment is to promote enduring, daily interfaith cooperation, to end religiously motivated violence and to create cultures of peace, justice and healing for the Earth and all living beings.
We join you in grieving the loss of life from this vicious attack on the very fabric of human community that makes life possible. The bombs that killed and wounded so many innocent civilians in Kampala are a violation of our common humanity, and of the true values of all religions, expressed in the Golden Rule – Do to others what you would have them do to you.
We join you in a commitment to live into the Golden Rule.
We join you in a commitment to resist the forces that seek to sow hatred and division, and to work together as people of diverse faiths to shine the light of interfaith cooperation for the good of all.
Even as I write, URI members in Uganda – including, Muslims, Christians, Baha’is, Jews, Hare Krishnas, and others – are searching for positive action they can take in the face of the unspeakable tragedy in Kampala. And URI members around the world hold all Ugandans in our prayers and meditation.
May the deep shadow of today be transformed through our mutual respect and cooperative action into the bright sunlight of tomorrow, which will shine peace, justice and healing on all the world’s children.
Blessings,
The Rev. Canon Charles P. Gibbs
Executive Director
