The following
resolution was initiated by NY Evangelicals, Dr. Paul de Vries, president, in
collaboration with the Southern Baptist’s Ethics and Religious Liberty
Commission, Dr. Richard Land, president, and the NY Board of Rabbis. Write Iran@NYDivinitySchool.org to join
in endorsing this resolution.
All who agree with this strict double-sanction
approach should immediately
contact
the White House and their Senators and Congressperson.
#
Stop
Nuclear Iran
We live in critical times. The
most elemental protections of life, liberty and peace are at risk. Of special concern are the grave threats of Iran
against people of all ethnicities and religions, including all the peoples of
the United States, Israel, Iran’s neighbors and many other nations.
Physically, a nuclear Iran would endanger billions
of people in the Middle East, Europe and Asia. Economically, a nuclear
Iran would threaten the entire earth. Now it is urgent for all in the
global community to act.
We urge all governments to impose strict sanctions immediately on Iran
because:
1.
Iran
is the “world’s leading state sponsor of terrorism,” according to the US State
Department. Who can doubt its continuing
murderous intentions?
2. Militarily, Iran is strongly motivated, since it has tens of thousands of special ops forces in neighboring Iraq and a million forces on the border. Is a nuclear weapon too tempting for military superiority?
3.
Historically,
after 1,000 years of domination from Sunni Arabs and Ottoman Turks, Iran’s
Shiite regime could finally dominate with nuclear weaponry. To respond,
many of the Gulf Arab states—all Sunni—would pursue nuclear weapons, and a
nuclear arms race would ensue in the world’s largest oil region, already
unstable. How important is it now to
avoid another world war?
4. Politically, President Ahmadinejad was chosen by Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei to revive the declining Islamic Revolution. Military action against Iran could kill masses of people, create major disruption, and possibly even strengthen the ruling militant Shia against Iran’s new reform leaders and youth attracted to human rights. Strict sanctions now are far more preferred, with any military action as the last resort. What steps can best enable Iran’s masses against this regime?
5. Religiously, Iran’s Shia leaders are earnestly paving the way for the purported return of their “12th Imam,” expansion of their Islamic Revolution, and total confrontation with Israel and the world. Khamenei and Ahmadinejad are messianically-inclined leaders that even view chaos as a good thing that will enable their “12th Imam” and one-world Moslem domination. Are religious liberty and peace important enough to use strict sanctions to stop this threat now?
6. Iran brutalized its own people in an election farce early summer 2009—killing fellow Iranians who speak out for human rights. Do we want this regime to dominate the entire Middle East?
7. Economically, possible control of 50% of the world’s oil reserves—and oil access and prices—greatly benefits Iran. Could such an imminent danger to world economies be more obvious?
In preparing for the next diplomatic opportunities,
we urge all life-affirming, liberty-loving,
peace-seeking peoples to speak up about these core values, and to
immediately apply targeted strict
sanctions on Iran, including these two suggested by some American
Congressional leaders—both (a) to make diplomacy effectual and (b) to encourage
the newly-conceived, courageous human rights movements within Iran:
ü Sanctioning
any bank that is even indirectly working with Iran’s banks—so that
international financial transactions with banks continuing to do business with
Iran’s banks would cease.
ü Sanctioning
any business or government that exports refined petroleum to Iran.
Such actions could quickly damage Iran’s economy,
shrink the regime’s domestic popularity, provoke
real diplomacy, and engender significant steps toward ending the Iran
regime’s murderous pursuit of nuclear weapons.
Leading nations should then engage in effectual diplomacy, resulting in enforced
guarantees of an Iran without weapons of mass destruction, nuclear or otherwise.
Time is critical.
We urge all to (1) repent earnestly of our own failings, (2) pray
fervently for divine wisdom and aid, (3) speak boldly to decision makers, and
(4) act effectually for life, liberty and
peace—for ourselves and our children, for all our fellow humans, made in
God’s image, and for future generations on every continent.
All who agree with this strict double-sanction
approach should immediately
contact the White House and their Senators and
Congressperson.