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| with Mairead Maguire in Beirut, just before crossing the border into Syria |
Open Letter to the American people from Mairead Maguire, Nobel Peace Laureate
My dear friends,
As a teenager living in Belfast, I admired the American Peace Movement and many prominent figures within it. Fifty years later, two of the most inspiring people still remembered across the world are Americans: Martin Luther King and Dorothy Day.
American peace activists and civil rights workers were imprisoned, some killed. But a generation spoke and sang about love.
Like Mahatma Gandhi in India, the Berrigan Brothers in the Peace Movement and the American Civil Rights Movement show us that the path to freedom and equality is a peaceful one. This journey of transformation in the pursuit of peace and justice is a constant challenge to the entrenched powers which thrive on hatred and war; acting as a constant challenge to blind prejudice and the lies that are necessary for war.
In making this journey of love we must always acknowledge that those we regard as enemies are fellow human beings and we are called to love them . If we don’t, when do the killing fields stop?
I first came to you from Northern Ireland to speak to you about what was happening in my country. I was met with great kindness in America. Now I write to you to about Syria.
We must not allow a war to go on for decades, as many did in regards to Ireland. We must have the foresight to stand up for peace, nonviolence and reconciliation now, before the suffering is entrenched and before prejudices and lies seep deeply into the consciousness of a new generation, acting as seeds for more yet more war.
I write to you to ask your help for the people of Syria. All the people of Syria deserve your attention. Like you, they want the opportunity to live, love and labour in support of their children’s dreams. With your efforts we can make it a bright future in a peaceful and prosperous country where love will conquer all.
The people of Syria are a diverse people, a courageous and generous people with a proud history of tolerance. Over many centuries, their country has welcomed millions of disparate people seeking refuge just as the United States has done.
I visited Syria in May 2013. Despite the on-going violence, I found it to be a land of hope. I met tribal and religious leaders, political dissidents and grieving parents and widows. In Syria, there are millions of ordinary folk risking their lives for a peaceful, reconciled and united Syria they can all love.
Mother Agnes Mariam, one of the leaders of the Mussalaha (reconciliation) Movement in Syria, is on a speaking tour of America this November. Mother Agnes Mariam has sat at a table with the prime minister of Syria has and has eaten olives with a rebel leader. And recently she risked her life to negotiate the safe passage of thousands of civilians and of many fighters from a conflict zone.
Your heroes, the heroes we all uphold, show us bridges of nonviolence and peace must be built between people. War stems from hatred and lies. Peace requires courage, wisdom, and love. And foresight.
Mother Agnes is bringing to America a universal message your country knows well. She presents it through the story of Syria. I encourage you to hear the story of Syria.
Peace,
My dear friends,
As a teenager living in Belfast, I admired the American Peace Movement and many prominent figures within it. Fifty years later, two of the most inspiring people still remembered across the world are Americans: Martin Luther King and Dorothy Day.
American peace activists and civil rights workers were imprisoned, some killed. But a generation spoke and sang about love.
Like Mahatma Gandhi in India, the Berrigan Brothers in the Peace Movement and the American Civil Rights Movement show us that the path to freedom and equality is a peaceful one. This journey of transformation in the pursuit of peace and justice is a constant challenge to the entrenched powers which thrive on hatred and war; acting as a constant challenge to blind prejudice and the lies that are necessary for war.
In making this journey of love we must always acknowledge that those we regard as enemies are fellow human beings and we are called to love them . If we don’t, when do the killing fields stop?
I first came to you from Northern Ireland to speak to you about what was happening in my country. I was met with great kindness in America. Now I write to you to about Syria.
We must not allow a war to go on for decades, as many did in regards to Ireland. We must have the foresight to stand up for peace, nonviolence and reconciliation now, before the suffering is entrenched and before prejudices and lies seep deeply into the consciousness of a new generation, acting as seeds for more yet more war.
I write to you to ask your help for the people of Syria. All the people of Syria deserve your attention. Like you, they want the opportunity to live, love and labour in support of their children’s dreams. With your efforts we can make it a bright future in a peaceful and prosperous country where love will conquer all.
The people of Syria are a diverse people, a courageous and generous people with a proud history of tolerance. Over many centuries, their country has welcomed millions of disparate people seeking refuge just as the United States has done.
I visited Syria in May 2013. Despite the on-going violence, I found it to be a land of hope. I met tribal and religious leaders, political dissidents and grieving parents and widows. In Syria, there are millions of ordinary folk risking their lives for a peaceful, reconciled and united Syria they can all love.
Mother Agnes Mariam, one of the leaders of the Mussalaha (reconciliation) Movement in Syria, is on a speaking tour of America this November. Mother Agnes Mariam has sat at a table with the prime minister of Syria has and has eaten olives with a rebel leader. And recently she risked her life to negotiate the safe passage of thousands of civilians and of many fighters from a conflict zone.
Your heroes, the heroes we all uphold, show us bridges of nonviolence and peace must be built between people. War stems from hatred and lies. Peace requires courage, wisdom, and love. And foresight.
Mother Agnes is bringing to America a universal message your country knows well. She presents it through the story of Syria. I encourage you to hear the story of Syria.
Peace,
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Carta abierta al pueblo estadounidense de Mairead Maguire, Premio Nobel de la Paz
Mis queridos amigos,
Como un adolescente que vive en Belfast , admiré el Movimiento por la Paz de América y muchas figuras prominentes dentro de ella. Cincuenta años más tarde, dos de las personas más inspiradoras todavía recordados en todo el mundo son estadounidenses: Martin Luther King y Dorothy Day.
Activistas por la paz estadounidenses y trabajadores de derechos civiles fueron encarcelados , algunos asesinados. Pero una generación hablaba y cantaba sobre el amor.
Como
Mahatma Gandhi en la India, el Berrigan Brothers en el Movimiento por
la Paz y el Movimiento de Derechos Civiles estadounidense nos muestran
que el camino hacia la libertad y la igualdad es uno pacífico. Este
camino de transformación en la búsqueda de la paz y la justicia es un
desafío constante para los poderes atrincherados que prosperan en el
odio y la guerra, que actúa como un desafío constante para ciegos
prejuicios y las mentiras que son necesarios para la guerra.
Al
hacer este viaje de amor siempre hay que reconocer que los consideramos
como enemigos son seres humanos y que estamos llamados a amarlos. Si no lo hacemos, cuando se detienen los campos de la muerte ?
Vine por primera vez a usted de Irlanda del Norte para hablar con usted acerca de lo que estaba pasando en mi país. Me recibieron con gran amabilidad en Estados Unidos. Ahora me dirijo a usted a cerca de Siria.
No debemos permitir que la guerra continuara durante décadas, como muchos lo hicieron en lo que respecta a Irlanda. Hay
que tener la precaución de ponerse de pie por la paz , la no violencia y
la reconciliación ahora , antes de que el sufrimiento está afianzado y
antes de los prejuicios y mentiras infiltrarse profundamente en la
conciencia de una nueva generación , en calidad de semillas para más
todavía más guerra .
Me dirijo a usted para pedirle su ayuda para el pueblo de Siria. Todo el pueblo de Siria merecen su atención . Al igual que usted , que quieren la oportunidad de vivir, el amor y el trabajo en apoyo de los sueños de sus hijos. Con sus esfuerzos, podemos hacer un futuro brillante en un país pacífico y próspero donde el amor se conquista todos.
El pueblo de Siria son un pueblo diverso , un pueblo valiente y generoso con una orgullosa historia de tolerancia. Durante
muchos siglos, el país ha acogido a millones de personas dispares en
busca de refugio al igual que los Estados Unidos ha hecho.
He visitado Siria en mayo de 2013. A pesar de la violencia en curso , me pareció que era una tierra de esperanza. Conocí a los líderes tribales y religiosos, disidentes políticos y los padres en duelo y las viudas . En
Siria , hay millones de gente corriente que arriesgan sus vidas por una
solución pacífica, reconciliada y unida Siria todos pueden amar.
Madre
Agnes Mariam, uno de los líderes del Movimiento Mussalaha ( la
reconciliación ) en Siria , se encuentra en una gira de conferencias por
Estados Unidos en noviembre. Madre
Agnes Mariam se ha sentado en una mesa con el primer ministro de Siria
tiene y se ha comido las aceitunas con un líder rebelde . Y
recientemente, arriesgó su vida para negociar el paso seguro de los
miles de civiles y de muchos combatientes de una zona de conflicto .
Sus
héroes, los héroes que todos defendemos, nos muestran los puentes de
la no violencia y la paz debe construirse entre las personas. La guerra se deriva de odio y mentiras. La paz requiere coraje, la sabiduría y el amor. Y la previsión.
Madre Agnes está trayendo a América un mensaje universal de su país conoce bien. Se presenta a través de la historia de Siria. Os animo a escuchar la historia de Siria.
Mairead Maguire www.peacepeople.com…
Tomado de http://prayersforsyria.com/
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