Who Invited Ahmadinejad to dinner?

ALLISON HOFFMAN, Jerusalem Post
The head of the Anti-Defamation League has issued a statement criticizing Mennonite and Quaker leaders for hosting a dinner reception for Iran’s president in New York later this month.
The dinner, scheduled for September 25, is touted as a dialogue by the pacifist religious groups, which advocate diplomatic engagement with Iran’s political leadership.
It follows a similar meeting with Mahmoud Ahmadinejad held at a chapel last year during his annual visit for the opening of the United Nations’ General Assembly.
“Ahmadinejad represents a rejection of everything these religious groups stand for,” Abraham Foxman, national director of the ADL, said in a statement Wednesday.
“His speech at Columbia University a year ago showed the futility of attempting to dialogue with a dictator who makes crystal clear his antipathy toward the West, who denies the Holocaust, and who defends the Iranian regime’s willful neglect of basic human rights.”
Foxman said the dinner “tarnished” the reputations of the participating religious groups as peace-seekers.
A spokesman for the Akron, Pennsylvania-based Mennonite Central Committee, which is organizing the dinner, said no one was immediately available for comment.
Other groups involved in hosting the dinner - including the World Council of Churches, Religions for Peace and the Quaker group American Friends Service Committee - either did not immediately return messages left seeking comment or referred questions to the Mennonite organization.
Representatives from a broad range of Christian ecumenical organizations, including the Episcopal Church, plan to attend the dinner.
“Meeting with people does not mean you agree with them,” said Maureen Shea, director of the Episcopal Church’s Office of Government Relations in Washington. “The more there is inflammatory language going back and forth, the more we feel there needs to be a way for our two countries to communicate.”
Shea, whose group joined a delegation of Christian religious leaders to Iran in 2007, joined the head of the American Friends Service Committee and the international director of the Mennonite Central Committee in sending a letter last month to the Bush administration, encouraging the State Department to open a US office in Teheran, similar to the one in Havana, Cuba. She said she had not received a response.
She said Foxman did not speak for all of American Jewry on Iran, noting that other Jewish groups support diplomatic engagement.
Yet even the most pro-diplomacy Jewish groups aren’t planning to attend the dinner reception for Ahmedinejad.
“We are not going to sit with him, no,” said Ori Nir, a spokesman for Americans for Peace Now. “Our position does not endorse unconditional contact and engagement.”
Ahmadinejad is scheduled to speak at the UN on September 23.
UN Ambassador Gabriela Shalev, who sharply rebuked Iran’s UN ambassador for accusing Israel of making threats on Iran and Ahmedinejad’s safety, declined to comment on the dinner plan.
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The event is touted as a dialogue by the Mennonite Central Committee, World Council of Churches, and the Quaker group American Friends Service Committee. Representatives of the Episcopal Church and other mainline denominations plan to attend the dinner.
Representatives of the churches previously visited Iran in February of 2007 and hosted a similar event for Ahmadinejad with the National Council of Churches in September of 2007 at the United Methodist Women's' Building in New York.
Also in attendance at this America haters soiree:

The president of the United Nations General Assembly, Miguel D'Escoto Brockmann, a Catholic priest from Nicaragua who publicly criticizes the United States's anti-terror war in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Norway's prime minister, Kjell Magne Bondevik, who also heads the Oslo Center for Peace and Human Rights.
Quakers and Mennonites feel a sense of mission to forge peace on a global stage whenever possible. That means being open to long-term dialogue, even with a figure who holds reprehensible views, according to Mark Graham, director of external affairs for the American Friends Service Committee.

"You can't just engage with people with whom you agree on all issues," Graham says. "That leads to a very myopic view of the world. And you miss a lot of opportunities with that approach."
At this point, some pacifists see Ahmadinejad more as an outcast -- at least when he visits the United States -- than a prestigious host or esteemed guest. That leaves them with only one option whenever he extends a dinner invitation.

"At this point in time, there are virtually no other places for the president of the Iran to have discussions with people in the U.S.," Klassen says. "There's an opportunity for discussion, and we don't believe we can just step out and say, `no.' God has given us an opportunity, and it's our responsibility to say `yes."'

July 24, 2008, Jakarta (ENI) Ecumenical News International. An Indonesian religious leader has told a visiting World Council of Churches delegation that Christians in his country are praying for the US Democratic Party presidential candidate, Barack Obama.

"We are praying for Obama because we feel he can help reduce the widespread stigma and misperception that Muslims in Indonesia are fundamentalists," said the Rev. Ishak Pule, chairperson of the Christian Church of Central Sulawesi synod.

Pule was speaking on 19 July as he met members of a WCC group known as a Living Letters team during its visit to communities in the Christian-dominated town of Tentena, an eight-hour drive from the Central Sulawesi provincial capital of Palu.

"We in the synod actually communicate more easily with Muslims than with Christian fundamentalists," added Pule, who also invited three Muslim leaders to meet the Living Letters team at his Tentena office.

National Council of Churches -
Partial List of Denominational Membership
African Methodist Episcopal Church
The African Methodist Episcopal Zion Church
Alliance of Baptists
American Baptist Churches in the USA
Diocese of the Armenian Church of America
Christian Church (Disciples of Christ)
Christian Methodist Episcopal Church
Church of the Brethren
The Coptic Orthodox Church in North America
The Episcopal Church
Evangelical Lutheran Church in America
Friends United Meeting
Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America
Hungarian Reformed Church in America
International Council of Community Churches
Korean Presbyterian Church in America
Malankara Orthodox Syrian Church
Mar Thoma Church
Moravian Church in America Northern Province
and Southern Province
National Baptist Convention of America
National Baptist Convention, U.S.A., Inc.
National Missionary Baptist Convention of America
Orthodox Church in America
Patriarchal Parishes of the Russian Orthodox Church in the USA
Philadelphia Yearly Meeting of the Religious Society of Friends
Polish National Catholic Church of America
Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.)
Progressive National Baptist Convention, Inc.
Reformed Church in America
Serbian Orthodox Church in the U.S.A. and Canada
The Swedenborgian Church
Syrian Orthodox Church of Antioch
Ukrainian Orthodox Church of America
United Church of Christ
The United Methodist Church
Their agenda: The NCC wants diplomatic relations with the terrorist-sponsored State of Iran, and, indeed, a delegation from the NCC visited Iran in February 2007. Does your tithe support this cause?

The NCC met with the President of the terrorist-sponsored State of Syria, President Bashar Assad in

The sanctuary of our borders are dismissed by the NCC: "...churches are implementing exciting ministries and are seeking additional support and ideas to enhance their support of neighbors who are sometimes dismissed as 'aliens.

Washington, June 29, 2006 --The National Council of Churches USA and other faith groups applauded remarks Wednesday by Senator Barack Obama (D-Ill.) testifying to his faith in Christ and calling upon progressive politicians to reach out to evangelical Christians.
"You need to embrace Christ precisely because you have sins to wash away -- because you are human and need an ally in this difficult journey," Obama told Call to Renewal's Pentecost 2006. "It was because of these newfound understandings that I was finally able to walk down the aisle of Trinity United Church of Christ on 95th Street in the Southside of Chicago one day and affirm my Christian faith ... The questions I had didn't magically disappear. But kneeling beneath that cross on the South Side, I felt that I heard God's spirit beckoning me. I submitted myself to His will, and dedicated myself to discovering His truth.
That, said Obama, is "a path that has been shared by millions upon millions of Americans - evangelicals, Catholics, Protestants, Jews and Muslims alike; some since birth, others at certain turning points in their lives. It is not something they set apart from the rest of their beliefs and values. In fact, it is often what drives their beliefs and their values."
An NCC spokesperson said, "The senator speaks a profound truth for all Americans, and I hope all Americans read his address."
"You need to embrace Christ precisely because you have sins to wash away -- because you are human and need an ally in this difficult journey," Obama told Call to Renewal's Pentecost 2006. "It was because of these newfound understandings that I was finally able to walk down the aisle of Trinity United Church of Christ on 95th Street in the Southside of Chicago one day and affirm my Christian faith ... The questions I had didn't magically disappear. But kneeling beneath that cross on the South Side, I felt that I heard God's spirit beckoning me. I submitted myself to His will, and dedicated myself to discovering His truth.
That, said Obama, is "a path that has been shared by millions upon millions of Americans - evangelicals, Catholics, Protestants, Jews and Muslims alike; some since birth, others at certain turning points in their lives. It is not something they set apart from the rest of their beliefs and values. In fact, it is often what drives their beliefs and their values."
An NCC spokesperson said, "The senator speaks a profound truth for all Americans, and I hope all Americans read his address."
"You need to embrace Christ precisely because you have sins to wash away -- because you are human and need an ally in this difficult journey," Obama told Call to Renewal's Pentecost 2006. "It was because of these newfound understandings that I was finally able to walk down the aisle of Trinity United Church of Christ on 95th Street in the Southside of Chicago one day and affirm my Christian faith ... The questions I had didn't magically disappear. But kneeling beneath that cross on the South Side, I felt that I heard God's spirit beckoning me. I submitted myself to His will, and dedicated myself to discovering His truth.
That, said Obama, is "a path that has been shared by millions upon millions of Americans - evangelicals, Catholics, Protestants, Jews and Muslims alike; some since birth, others at certain turning points in their lives. It is not something they set apart from the rest of their beliefs and values. In fact, it is often what drives their beliefs and their values."
An NCC spokesperson said, "The senator speaks a profound truth for all Americans, and I hope all Americans read his address."
"Between 2001 and 2005, revenue from member denominations dropped 40%, from $2.9 million to $1.75 million. During the same period, non-denomination revenue rose from $800,000 to $2.9 million, a jump of 362%. And in June of 2005, for the first time, outside giving ($1.76) surpassed denominational giving ($1.75), officially making the National Council of Churches financed more from non-church sources than from the people in the pews they claim to represent. "Several of these [non-church] groups that the NCC has turned to for financial and other forms of support are so blatantly partisan that they can be accurately described as . . . the shadow Democratic Party," the report's main researcher, John Lomperis, told reporters.

http://nccinterfaith.blogspot.com/2007/02/iran-delegation-press-conference.html

U.S. Religious Delegation Finds Hope in Iran
February 25, 2007

As Christian leaders from the United States, we traveled to the Islamic Republic of Iran at this time of increased tension believing that it is possible to build bridges of understanding between our two countries. We believe military action is not the answer, and that God calls us to just and peaceful relationships within the global community.

We are a diverse group of Christian leaders from United Methodist, Episcopal, Catholic, Baptist, Evangelical, Quaker, and Mennonite traditions. The Mennonites have 17 years of on the ground experience in Iran. We were warmly welcomed by the Iranian people, and our time in Iran convinced us that religious leaders from both countries can help pave the way for mutual respect and peaceful relations between our nations.

During our visit we met with Muslim and Christian leaders, government officials, and other Iranian people.

Our final day included a meeting with former President Khatami and current President Ahmadinejad. The meeting with President Ahmadinejad was the first time an American delegation had met in Iran with an Iranian president since the Islamic revolution in 1979. The meeting lasted two-and-a-half hours and covered a range of topics, including the role of religion in transforming conflict, Iraq, nuclear proliferation, and the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

What the delegation found most encouraging from the meeting with President Ahmadinejad was a clear declaration from him that Iran has no intention to acquire or use nuclear weapons, as well as a statement that the Israeli-Palestinian conflict can only be solved through political, not military means. He said, “I have no reservation about conducting talks with American officials if we see some goodwill.”

We believe it is possible for further dialogue and that there can be a new day in U.S. – Iranian relations. The Iranian government has already built a bridge toward the American people by inviting our delegation to come to Iran. We ask the U.S. government to welcome a similar delegation of Iranian religious leaders to the United States.

As additional steps in building bridges between our nations, we call upon both the U.S. and Iranian governments to:

* immediately engage in direct, face-to-face talks;
images; and* cease using language that defines the other using “enemy”
religious leaders, members of Parliament/Congress, and civil society.* promote more people-to-people exchanges including

As people of faith, we are committed to working toward these and other confidence building measures, which we hope will move our two nations from the precipice of war to a more just and peaceful relationship."



If you vote for Obama, you invited Ahmadinejad to dinner. If he wins, expect alot more invitations.