{"id":112,"date":"2008-09-02T22:57:14","date_gmt":"2008-09-02T22:57:14","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blog.beliefnet.com\/progressiverevival\/2008\/09\/sounding-the-alarm-darfur-elul.html"},"modified":"2008-09-02T22:57:14","modified_gmt":"2008-09-02T22:57:14","slug":"sounding-the-alarm-darfur-elul","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/progressiverevival\/2008\/09\/sounding-the-alarm-darfur-elul.html","title":{"rendered":"Sounding the Alarm: Darfur, Elul, and the Presidential Election"},"content":{"rendered":"

<\/p>\n

Today is the third day of the Hebrew month of Elul<\/a><\/i>.\u00a0 <\/span>This
\nis the last month of the Jewish calendar, a time of sustained introspection in
\npreparation for Rosh Hashanah (the Jewish New Year) and Yom Kippur (the Day of
\nAtonement).\u00a0 <\/span>Among the special
\nrituals enacted during Elul is the sounding of the <\/span>shofar<\/i> (ram’s horn) following morning prayers.\u00a0 <\/span>This ancient ritual is designed to
\nawaken us to <\/span>teshuvah<\/i>, to
\nspiritual return, during this season of renewal.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

When I sounded the shofar this morning, my thoughts turned
\nto Darfur, Sudan.\u00a0 <\/span>As has been
\nwidely reported in the media, the Sudanese government and its proxy militia,
\nthe Janjaweed<\/span><\/span><\/a><\/span>, have carried out a brutal
\nscorched-earth campaign against their opponents in the western province of Darfur<\/span><\/a><\/span>.\u00a0 <\/span>This genocidal rampage has involved the burning of homes and
\ncrops, the destruction of wells and granaries, and the rape, torture, and
\nmurder of countless civilians.\u00a0 <\/span>The
\nviolence in Darfur has led to the displacement of approximately two and a half
\nmillion people and the death of hundreds of thousands of others.<\/p>\n

\n

Despite mounds of evidence, international leaders have been
\nunwilling to take the necessary steps to stop the crisis in Darfur.\u00a0 <\/span>China has been Khartoum’s most
\nsignificant ally, repeatedly using its veto power as a permanent member of the
\nUN Security Council to prevent the passage of strong measures against the
\nSudanese government.\u00a0 <\/span>While China
\ndid support a 2007 Security Council resolution calling for the deployment of a
\nhybrid UN-African Union peacekeeping force to Darfur, Beijing weakened that
\nresolution before it was passed. China also doubled its trade with Sudan in
\n2007 and, in violation of a UN arms embargo, continues to supply Khartoum with
\nweapons used to perpetrate violence against innocent Darfuris.<\/p>\n

\n

Beijing is not, of course, the only international power
\nimplicated in the genocide. Though its actions are particularly despicable,
\nother world leaders have failed the Darfuris.\u00a0 <\/span>As an American citizen, I am deeply disappointed with
\nPresident Bush and his administration. While the President was one of the first
\nheads of state to name the crisis in Darfur a genocide and, with Congress, has
\nsupported substantial funding for relief aid, he has not demonstrated the kind
\nof consistent engagement necessary to help end the genocide in western Sudan.\u00a0 <\/span>Bogged down by the war in Iraq and
\nother political misadventures, the President has not used the bully pulpit
\neffectively to create a strong international coalition to properly address this
\ncrisis.<\/p>\n

\n

As the contest for the next American president intensifies,
\nwe must insist that senators McCain and Obama pledge to make Darfur a priority
\nif elected.\u00a0 <\/span>There are several
\ncritical steps that the new president will need to take in the coming months:<\/p>\n

\n