Women's Fast for Peace

Also See:
The Discipline of Fasting:
a guide to fasting

As the threat of a U.S. invasion of Iraq escalates, Mennonite Central Committee invites women of faith to participate in a fast for peace. Information can be found at the following address:
http://www.mcc.org/canada/peace/fast

Participants commit themselves to fasting for one day each week and devoting that time to prayer, reflection and witness for peace. This action is intended to convey a clear message to governments and civil society that every effort must be exerted to prevent an invasion of Iraq. It is also a reminder to ourselves that God calls us to be people of peace.

Why women? A women?s fast is intended to draw attention to these realities:

	women and children have suffered most from the economic sanctions that have been imposed upon Iraq since 1990.
	wars are planned and carried out primarily by men, yet women often bear the brunt of the suffering that wars unleash.
	women have an important role to play in building a culture of peace in our world, but too often they are excluded from positions of power where decisions for war or peace are made.
	women speaking and acting collectively as women can have a powerful impact on public life. Men who wish to participate in the fast may do so as an expression of their solidarity with women.

Larry Guengerich
Mennonite Central Committee
Media and Education Coordinator
(717) 859-1152 #282
http://www.mcc.org