Q: The mostly Muslim-on-Muslim violence in Darfur has been described as politically motivated. But the Save Darfur campaign is fueled by many religious communities, and many of their members are expected at the April 30th rally. What makes Darfur a faith issue?A: There is an enormously wide consensus in the faith community that the mandate of Leviticus 19 -- "You shall not stand idly by the blood of your neighbor" -- requires that the faith community act. Add to that the sense of failure, from the Holocaust through Rwanda, of having really never made "never again" a reality in this world. When this came about, the faith community just said, "This time we have to speak out. We can't stand idly by while hundreds of people are dying or being killed. We can't stand by while thousands of women are being raped as a tool of war. We can't stand by while people in the camps are going to be dying of disease and hunger. We can't stand by while ethnic cleansing and genocidal activities [are] going on. We have to act."
Q: The Jewish community, in particular, responded early to the violence. You have been working on Darfur issues for more than two years. Why does this conflict seem to have such resonance in the Jewish community?
A: It gets etched on the hearts and the minds of every Jew in the world, what happened when good people stood by during the Holocaust, and the feeling "never again" is part of the communal Jewish psyche across the globe. So when we see genocidal activity happening and we can intervene, there's this feeling that we have to be at the front lines of this. I think that helps explain why in synagogues across America you see Darfur signs; synagogues are involved in building communal coalitions with the Christian community, the African-American community, and conservative evangelical communities across the country; and why, on a national level, you're hearing so many outspoken leaders on this issue, and why so many people behind organizing this rally on April 30, which will embrace the entire American people, came originally, primarily, from the Jewish community as well. We cannot stand idly by, and we won't do it here until the genocidal activities stop in Darfur.
Q: What are the demands of the Save Darfur campaign and rally?
A: The demands are focused on the end result. That is, the international community, led by the United States, has to ensure that this genocidal activity stops. There are a number of ways that this can be done: expansion of the African Union troops that are there; blue helmeting these troops; tripling the size of the peacekeeping forces; bringing in peacekeeping forces that are experienced from other UN peacekeeping efforts; using NATO air support to help enforce a no-fly zone; strengthening economic sanctions. We're not gathering to say there's one answer to this. We're gathering to say the international community today must act effectively to bring an end to this, and we will support whatever effective efforts are undertaken by the United Nations, the African Union, the United States of America.
Q: On April 25, the UN Security Council passed its first sanctions concerning Darfur against four Sudanese men accused of committing war crimes. Does that suggest the UN is beginning to take more forceful action?
A: Hopefully it does. There's a lot the UN can do right now. Even though the African Union has said they don't want the UN to take over peacekeeping efforts at this time, they'll revisit [that] in December.
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