RICHMOND -- More than 80 Virginia religious leaders representing nearly every faith and denomination have signed a joint letter to world leaders, urging them to take more coordinated action to return more than 220 Nigerian girls who were kidnapped from their school by the terrorist group Boko Haram. The broad coalition of Virginia religious leaders was convened on Friday by the Virginia Interfaith Center for Public Policy, with help from U.S. Senator Mark Warner. The interfaith group also has posted an online petition and have encouraged members of their respective faith communities and other Virginians to sign it as a public statement of condemnation for the actions of Boko Haram.

“Across our diverse faiths, we find absolute unity when it comes to defending vulnerable children, especially girls who are seeking a better life through education,” Marco Grimaldo, CEO of the Virginia Interfaith Center for Public Policy, said. “We must both speak against these violent acts and also do more to support the education and empowerment of women and girls in our communities and around the world.” 

“We join hands with our brothers and sisters in the various faith traditions in Virginia who have openly condemned these actions. Slavery, oppression and injustice are prohibited in Islam and Boko Haram actions and threats are not justified by any faith teachings,” said Imad Damaj of the Virginia Muslim Coalition for Public Affairs.

“Our voices are strongest when we stand together,” Sen. Mark Warner said. “I applaud the leadership of this interfaith coalition from all across the Commonwealth.”

The full text of the letter is below.

May 12, 2014

 

President Barack Obama

The White House

1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW

Washington, DC

 

Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon

The United Nations

760 United Nations Plaza

Manhattan, NY 10017

 

President Goodluck Jonathan

Dear President Obama, Secretary-General Ban, and President Jonathan:

We write to you today to express our outrage over the Boko Haram kidnapping of the young Nigerian school girls and to urge action to bring them home. 

That these young girls have been taken and are to be sold as brides or slaves is shocking to our moral sensibilities. The intent behind these acts – to keep girls from going to school, because Boko Haram believes educating women is a sin – is abhorrent to our values. Actions that pervert religion to oppress girls seeking education are morally reprehensible.

We represent many distinct faiths, but we speak with one united voice. We, together with our congregations, call on you to:

Assist Nigeria, Niger, Cameroon, and Chad in locating and returning these girls to their homes, and to root out Boko Haram terrorist elements from these countries;

Invest in education for girls as a symbolic rejection of Boko Haram’s ideology against education, which led them to kidnap these young girls;

Religious leaders and people of faith around the world, to speak out against the vile acts of Boko Haram, whose actions are motivated by warped religions interpretation.

Sincerely,

Virginia Interfaith Community

Rev. Charles E Swadley

Dr Charles Franklin Baugham

the Rev. Fletcher Lowe

Rev. Gerry Creedon

Rev Dr Jonathan Barton

Rabbi Martin P. Beifield

Rev Jeri Fields

Rev. Donald Jr

Rev. Jeanne Pupke

The Rev. Karen Van Stee

Rev. Dr. G. Wilson Gunn, Jr.

The Reverend Ellis Bowerfind

Mr. Marco Grimaldo

The Rev. Kate Costa

Rabbi Gary Creditor

Rev Jenee' Gilchrist

Dr. Ram Singh

Dr. Leonard L. Hamlin Sr.

Reverend Wil Cantrell

Marcia Call

Courtney Hill

Ms. Lisalyn Jacobs

Dr. Imad Damaj

Rev Loril Hawk

Rev. Doc. William Lowrey

Rev. Dr. Robert Melone, Jr.

Rev Diane Walton Hendricks

Rev John T. Mathison thison

Rev. Dr. David Milam

Rev. Dr. Robert Angus

Mr. Yunkuk Kim

The Rev. Dr. Michael Burns

The Reverend Dr. Kay E. Huggins

Rev. Lloyd Kinzer

Julie Jakopic

Rev. Charles Booker

The Rev. Madeline Jervis, H.R.

Mr. Edward White

Reverend Jill Morehouse Lum

Mr. Jonathan Zur

Rev. Dr. Jeanne MacKenzie

Rabbi Israel Zoberman

Rev. Walter Owensby

Rev. Laurel Underwood

Rev. Glenda Simpkins Hoffman

Reverend Deborah Parsons

Rev. Norm Gordon

Rev. Dr. Lisa Rzepka

Rev. Dr. James Macdonell

Robin Mancoll

Karyn Ryan

Ms. Michelle VanAntwerp-Carioti

Rev. Dr. Elizabeth Braxton

Mrs Mariya George

Rev Barbara Farmer

Pastor Merritt Ednie

The Rev. Hilaire Henthorne

Mrs. Diane Holloway

Me. Greg Gobble

Mrs. Darlene Buchanan

Bishop James Mauney

Pearl Harman

Ms. Brenda Hawkins

Ron & Barbara Ely

Shirley Turner

Jeff Greene

Rev. Joan Bell-Haynes

Judi Lenviel

Mrs Dorothy Adams

Reverend Diane Hutchins

Sheila Johnson

Reverend Katherine Cashwell

Members Robert & Joyce Boatwright

Robert L. Doan

Lee Lawson

Mrs. Jeannette Sanders

La Rissa Ferrell

Imam Vernon M Fareed

Bryan Scyphers

Mrs Sue Dolinger

Rev. Juli Wilson-Black

Synod Executive Warren Lesane

Brenda Walch