CHICAGO (ELCA) -- The steering committee of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) Commission for Multicultural Ministries adopted a resolution here March 15-16 to express its support for Arab, Middle Eastern and Muslim people detained in the United States.
"There may be up to 8,000 Arab, Middle Eastern and Muslim people detained in the United States without legal reason and/or due process," said Fuad Nijim, Santa Clara, Calif., steering committee member.
"The value of the resolution is to bring this information to the attention of our church leaders, particularly staff in the ELCA Division for Church in Society. If this is done, our church leaders will have done [something of] tremendous value in helping Arab and Middle Eastern people be treated equally among all communities in this country," Nijim said.
The steering committee resolved to pray for people of the Middle East. It asked staff of the ELCA Division for Church in Society (DCS) to work with the U.S. government and its agencies to "either release all detainees or bring them before courts of law." The commission requested a written report from the division's executive director on actions taken by DCS for the next committee meeting this fall.
The resolution recalled the events of Sept. 11. "People from the Middle East and Muslims have suffered following the terrorists acts of Sept. 11. Many Arab, Middle Eastern and Muslim people in the United States and abroad have denounced the terrorist acts of Sept. 11 and have called for reconciliation and peace among [all] people and cultures of the world," it said.
"Many law enforcement agencies in the United States have singled out and targeted Arab, Middle Eastern and Muslim people for searches, arrests, profiling and harassment," said the resolution.
"According to the Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee, there have been more than 270 violent incidents against Arab Americans, including five murders, since the Sept. 11 tragedy," said the Rev. Frederick E.N. Rajan, executive director for the commission.
"Despite calls for tolerance in this nation, the American public appears to have developed a sudden taste for racial profiling," Rajan said.
In other business, the commission:
+ requested that the ELCA Office of the Presiding Bishop assist the commission in establishing a budget to implement and fund the church's Asian and Pacific Islander Ministry Strategy, the Latino Ministry Strategy and the American Indian and Alaska Native Ministry Strategy, as well as future ethnic-specific ministry plans. The Asian and Pacific Islander and Latino ministry plans were adopted by the 2001 ELCA Churchwide Assembly.
+ moved to invite a member of the ELCA Division for Outreach board to attend future steering committee meetings.
+ asked staff of the Division for Outreach to assist the commission in establishing five to seven new Asian and Pacific Islander ministry starts in the United States without reducing the number of new ministry starts of other ethnic-specific ministries.
+ reaffirmed its commitment to assist the church in increasing the ELCA's membership of people of color or whose primary language is other than English.
"The percentage of the total ELCA membership who are people of color or whose primary language is other than English is 2.57," said Rajan.
In 1987 the ELCA adopted a goal that within 10 years of its establishment the membership of the church would include at least 10 percent people of color and/or primary language other than English. In 1991 the ELCA Churchwide Assembly adopted the Multicultural Mission Strategy to renew the church's commitment to the 10 percent membership goal.
The commission provides advice and assistance to the ELCA's 10,816 congregations and 65 synods of the church across the United States and Caribbean on ministry among people of color and primary language other than English. The church's ethnic ministries are African American and Black, American Indian and Alaska Native, Arab and Middle Eastern, Asian and Pacific Islander and Hispanic/Latino. The commission develops workshops and resources, print and video, to help the ELCA dismantle racism.
The commission holds an annual Multicultural Mission Institute to help congregations and individuals of various ethnic and cultural backgrounds "reach out to others and experience a multicultural community." The next Institute will take place Nov. 1-3 in Atlanta.
For information contact:
John Brooks, Director (773) 380-2958 or NEWS@ELCA.ORG
http://listserv.elca.org/archives/elcanews.html
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About the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America:
The ELCA is one of the largest Christian denominations in the United States, with 2.8 million members in more than 8,500 worshiping communities across the 50 states and in the Caribbean region. Known as the church of "God's work. Our hands.," the ELCA emphasizes the saving grace of God through faith in Jesus Christ, unity among Christians and service in the world. The ELCA's roots are in the writings of the German church reformer Martin Luther.
For information contact:
Candice Hill Buchbinder
Public Relations Manager
Candice.HillBuchbinder@ELCA.org
