Swords into plowshares
About this blog
Swords into Plowshares is the blog of the Peacemaking Program and the Presbyterian Ministry at the United Nations of the Presbyterian Mission Agency of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.).
Seeking peace. Striving for justice. Together.
Recent posts
- Hold Sudanese Human Rights Violators Accountable!
- US remarks at high-level talks on trafficking
- Three Prayer Concerns - May 16
- Three Prayer Concerns - May 9
- A New Method of Healing for a Wounded World
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Hold Sudanese Human Rights Violators Accountable!
From our colleagues in the Office of Public Witness
Ask the State Department to Deny Entry to Dr. Nafie Ali Nafie
In 1989, Farouk Mohammed Ibrahim, a former science professor at the University of Khartoum, was arrested for his outspoken criticism of the Sudanese government. For twelve days, he was held in one of Sudan’s notorious “ghost houses,” where he was interrogated and tortured. “I was tortured, beaten and flogged in his presence,” Ibrahim toldLA Times reporter Edmund Sanders in 2008. “He was administering the whole thing. He did it all in such a cool manner, as if he were sipping a coffee.”
The “bad cop” who oversaw the torture of Ibrahim and countless other dissidents in his six years as head of Sudan’s intelligence and security apparatus, was Nafie Ali Nafie. Today, Nafie is the top advisor to Sudanese President Omar Al Bashir and Vice President of Sudan’s ruling National Congress Party. He was identified by the Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court as one of a handful of senior Sudanese officials responsible for recruiting members of the Janjaweed militia and using them to exterminate opponents in Darfur. And now, he’s planning to visit the United States … unless we speak out.
Nafie is to be part of a high-level Sudanese delegation invited to Washington for talks. But if US immigration lets him into the country, it will do so in spite of a 2011 Presidential Proclamation that prohibits the admission of “any alien who … participated in … war crimes, crimes against humanity or other serious violations of human rights.” There is no need for this. If the US government feels that it is important to talk with Nafie, there would be plenty of opportunities to do so outside the United States without having to turn a blind eye to Nafie’s human rights record or appearing to give legitimacy to his actions.
What you can do:
Please write to Secretary of State John Kerry today to ask the State Department to uphold the President’s promise and to deny entry to perpetrators of gross human rights violations such as Nafie Ali Nafie. You may wish to adapt the suggested text below. You can also find more information on Nafie’s record and the significance of his visit in a recent article in the Atlantic magazine.
May 16, 2013
US remarks at high-level talks on trafficking
Remarks by Luis CdeBaca, Ambassador-at-Large Office to Monitor and Combat Trafficking in Persons at the high-level meeting on the Appraisal of the Global Plan of Action to Combat Trafficking in Persons.
AS DELIVERED
Mr. President, ladies and gentlemen, good morning. I’m pleased to join so many partners and stakeholders today to discuss progress and the path forward on our shared commitment to combat modern slavery, what we also call trafficking in persons. We’re here today because modern slavery is a crime that hurts our countries and communities. It rips families apart, undermines the rule of law, creates instability ...
May 15, 2013
Three Prayer Concerns - May 16
Pibor town, South Sudan
Pray for the people of Pibor town in Jonglei State of South Sudan where violence, looting, and displacement are increasing. Pray for the Government of South Sudan and the United Nations Mission of South Sudan as they seek to address the situation. Learn about Presbyterian partners in South Sudan.
Families
On the International Day of Families, give thanks for your family. Pray for strength and all that families need for the living of these days.
Religious Freedom
Pray that all people in might have the opportunity to practice their faith in freedom.
What prayers do you ...
May 9, 2013
Three Prayer Concerns - May 9
In addition to the joys and concerns that are on your heart, the Presbyterian Ministry at the United Nations suggests prayers for:
Pakistan
Prayers for the people of Pakistan as they struggle for democracy in the midst of violence surrounding their elections. On Tuesday, a bombing killed 15 at a campaign rally in Northwest Pakistan
Sudan and South Sudan
Prayers for the people of Abyei who face escalating violence in the territory dispute between Sudan and South Sudan. The recent killing of Tribal Chief DengKoul Deng has left the situation in the region more unstable and uncertain than ever.
Tanzania ...
May 6, 2013
A New Method of Healing for a Wounded World
By Teo Ufford-Chase
On May 1, I attended another event on climate change and the environment entitled Aphrodite and the Landfill. The event was co-sponsored by several organizations, most notably the Temple of Understanding and the Committee of Religious NGOs at the UN. The speaker for the event was a woman named Trebbe Johnson, the founder of the organization Radical Joy for Hard Times. When I arrived at the event, I had certain expectations put in place by the first event I had attended on climate change about small island states. This event completely defied those expectations. I didn't ...
May 3, 2013
Pray for Peace, Reconciliation and Democracy in Madagascar
The Christian Council of Churches in Madagascar (FFKM) has launched a process of broad-based national reconciliation to enable the Malagasy people to find a way out of the political crisis that has gripped the nation for more than four years.
Representatives of more than 200 political parties and civil society organizations are meeting in Antananarivo, the capital, May 3 to 5 to seek consensus on a way forward. Please support this initiative by praying for:
- A continued sense of cooperation and goodwill among all of the participants;
- Humility for Madagascar’s past and present political leaders, that they may acknowledge ...
May 2, 2013
A Joint Statement on the Peace of the Korean Peninsula
Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) and Presbyterian Church of Korea
Presbyterians in the United States and Korea have a long history of shared mission as followers of Jesus Christ. Leaders of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) and the Presbyterian Church of Korea gathered from April 17 – 19, 2013 to pray and think together about future directions our shared mission might take.
The mission consultation occurred at a time of increased tension on the Korean Peninsula. Out of a shared faith and concern, the gathered group wrote a joint statement on the peace of the Korean Peninsula.
While each communion ...
May 1, 2013
Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) Asks for Prayers to End Violence in South Sudan
from our partners in World Mission
The crisis in South Sudan’s Jonglei State has escalated alarmingly in recent weeks. The deteriorating situation has prompted the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) to express deepening concern for the people of the region and to renew its urgent call to prayer and action to promote justice, peace and genuine security for the affected populations.
Since the beginning of 2013 the government of South Sudan’s campaign to disarm rebel forces led by David Yau Yau has triggered a growing number of clashes between the South Sudanese military (SPLA) and Yau Yau’s ...
May 1, 2013
Support the Code
An estimated 1.2 million children all over the world are annually exploited through prostitution, pornography, and trafficking. Some travelers use tours and hotels as venues to exploit children. Without clear policies and training, staff are not equipped to identify and react to such behavior. You can take a stand against the sexual exploitation of children by informing companies about their vulnerability in the tourism industry.
The Tourism Child-Protection Code of Conduct is the only internationally accepted framework that sets a standard of responsible business practices to effectively crack down on the sexual exploitation of children. To date, over 1 ...
May 1, 2013
Three prayer concerns - May 1
In addition to the joys and concerns that are on your heart, the Presbyterian Ministry at the United Nations suggests prayers for:
Libya
Prayers for people of Libya as they struggle to find nonviolent, positive, and constructive ways to express themselves in the midst of armed attacks on their governmental infrastructure.
The situation at Guantanamo Bay prison facility
Prayers for President Barack Obama as he attempts to find a resolution to the hunger strike in the Guantanamo Bay prison facility that has reportedly spread to over 100 inmates; for leaders who make decisions concerning the facility; those who serve at ...