The Interfaith Alliance on Faith-Based Initiatives and War with Iraq

January 28, 2003

Source: The Interfaith Alliance

http://www.interfaithalliance.org/press/index.htm

On January 28, 2003 The Interfaith Alliance reported that "tonight, during his third State of the Union address to the nation, President George W. Bush is expected to urge Congress to swiftly pass his beleaguered faith-based initiative and issue an appeal to the American people for support on a possible war with Iraq. Both items have caused much controversy within the religious liberty community and raised questions as to how much the president remains committed to the shared religious values of compassion, mutual respect and human dignity... The Interfaith Alliance (TIA), a long-standing opponent of government-funded religion, remains unyielding in its opposition to the president's executive order allowing for public tax dollars to directly fund houses of worship and religious ministries without regard to long-held religious liberty and civil rights protections... As the President aggressively continues to move toward a military confrontation with Iraq, TIA again urges the President to use the language of peace, rather than the rhetoric of war, and to exhaust all means of diplomacy before using force."