Emergency Gathering of Prayer for
Peaceful Resolution of the Iraq Crisis


An Appeal

Today, the world watches with breathless apprehension the grave situation of war threatening the land of Iraq in the Middle East. As religious leaders in Japan, we cannot merely stand by, and have therefore come together to offer prayers for peace at Mount Hiei.

Once military action is taken against Iraq, countless precious lives will be lost, countless numbers will be wounded, families will be scattered, and waves of refugees will be created. The world, to say nothing of the Middle East region, will be unavoidably affected by unpredictable political, economic, and social upheaval. In times as these, those forced to make the greatest sacrifices are always innocent citizens--the elderly, women, and small children. In war, human dignity is trampled underfoot and people besieged by fear and terror are driven down into the depths of misery. Under no circumstances can war be countenanced. Moreover, history teaches us that no matter how great the cause in which it is waged, military action is a folly that gives birth to new hatred, creating an unbreakable chain of revenge. Also, it is a transparent ruse to claim that something as abhorrent as suicide-bombing is countenanced by God. Such kinds of actions have nothing to do with the true content of religion, but are mere political propaganda.

We call on President Saddam Hussein to cooperate fully and unconditionally with the United Nations Monitoring, Verification, and Inspection Commission and the International Atomic Energy Agency in order to wipe out all suspicions regarding your development of weapons of mass destruction. If you treat the United Nations inspection as a humiliation to be resisted out of pride in your position as leader of your country, this posture will, on the contrary, place your people in danger. When a leader forces misguided self-righteousness upon the people, the people will eventually desire to eliminate that leader from a position of leadership.

We also call on President George W. Bush to respect the United Nations charter, abide by international law, and not resort to military force: we pray that you will try with every ounce of your power to reach a peaceful solution. We are aware that it requires a great deal more patience and a great deal more courage to find a peaceful solution than it does to appeal to military force. A peaceful solution will undoubtedly win respect and trust from the whole world for you and your country.

We also call on the religious leaders and citizens of the United States to stand up. Your government is now about to commit a grave error. Today, at the dawn of the twenty-first century, the idea that your country is ready to take unilateral military action without passage of a United Nations resolution will, we fear, severely wound the honor of the United States of America as a democratic nation. Please do your best to ensure that your government listens to the opinions of the international community and acts cautiously.

The religious leaders gathered here today have transcended religious barriers, and, with respect for one another's traditional cultures, have striven together, taking part in mutual efforts to bring peace to the world. We have prayed in our various ways for the realization of that goal. At the same time, when we look squarely at the harsh realities of the present day, we feel ashamed that our efforts are still so insufficient. However, we have renewed our vow today never to give up trying. The reason we do so is that it is humans who wage war. And so, if humans are able to change their attitude and express their will to reach a peaceful solution through dialogue, without a doubt they will be able to avoid war. This is not mere idealism. When humans are awakened to their divine nature, and truly seek peace, we are certain that it will be achieved. And, once the desire for peace lights up people's hearts, though at first it may be dim, this will cause the hearts of many other people to light up with the same desire for peace, and before long it will become a mighty wave, eventually taking the shape of an international consensus, and will influence the actions of the decision-makers concerned.

We religious leaders of Japan who have gathered here today on Mount Hiei offer our sincere prayers that the problem of Iraq will be solved peacefully without any exchange of hostile fire. We also call upon all the people of the world who share the same wish to join together in the ever-widening circle of humanity praying for peace.