Congregations Against Torture

by Cheryl Rofer

I drove past the Santa Fe Unitarian Universalist Church this afternoon, after viewing "Constantine's Sword," which is about Christianity and antisemitism and, I might add, power. The sign in front was covered with a black banner with white letters condemning torture. I commented to my passenger that the antiwar movement of the sixties and early seventies included more church people than the priests and nuns depicted in the movie, and it was about time to see the churches taking a stand on torture.

I was wondering about how much of a movement might be developing, so I checked for news stories. Apparently the movement is among individual congregations, mostly Catholic and mainline Protestant denominations, but including Jewish congregations and a few others for a total of about 300.

The Washington Times is one of the few newspapers bothering to cover this development, at least according to what I find in Google News. Papers in localities where the signs are going up are also covering the news. (Corvallis, Oregon; River City, Iowa; Atlanta)

Comments

[Courtenay Barnett]

Speaking of torture in a contemporary sense – then everyone should read the book
“Five Years of My Life: An Innocent Man in Guantanamo” by : Murat Kurnaz.

The book tells the story of a German, of Turkish descent, who at the time of his marriage decided to study the Koran for 3 months in Pakistan, to make himself a better husband.

He was kidnapped in Pakistan, sold to US agents there for $3,000. Taken to Afghanistan where he was tortured by the CIA, inclusive of application of electric shock. Then flown to Cuba and deposited in a cage in Guantanamo and repeatedly tortured. After six months of investigating his life history and background, the US accepted that he was an innocent man and not a “terrorist”, but a combination of state collusion between the US and German states ensured that he was kept for a full five years in Guantanamo. Finally, under international pressure, he was released and returned to his home in Germany.

The interesting thing here is not the historical appeal of Kurnaz’s story, not the theatrical skill of his written account, and not any imaginative fictional expression of creative writing. The fact of willing state participation in this extension of “torture” as an official part of US foreign policy is what remains extremely revealing.

Read about his 60 Minutes interview at:- http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2008/03/28/60minutes/main3976928.shtml