We are pleased to announce the current BLYM Monthly Cause
Support of Conscientious Objectors and Deserters from Russia, Ukraine, and Belarus
For September-December, our monthly cause will be the three organisations in Ukraine, Russia and Belarus that support conscientious objectors and deserters in their countries, often under very difficult circumstances. In June, the Russian Movement of Conscientious Objectors was labelled a ‘foreign agent’ by the Russian state. For that reason, the organisation had to move abroad to continue its activities there. In Ukraine, the situation is also very worrying. The Ukrainian Pacifist Movement is currently facing intimidation and harassment by the Ukrainian state. The executive secretary of that organisation, Yurii Sheliazhenko, was charged by the Ukrainian government with the crime of “justification of Russian aggression”. After a house search, he was placed under house arrest. Yurii has always harshly condemned in his publications and statements Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, which makes charges baseless. Support for conscientious objectors is also very difficult in Belarus. The organisation “Our House” operates from Lithuania, giving support to conscientious objectors and deserters in and from Belarus. The International Peace Bureau has announced their intention to nominate the three organisations for the Noble Peace Prize 2024.
Donations to Belgium and Luxemburg Yearly Meeting may be made to: Account Name: Quakers BLMM IBAN: BE76 9794 2781 7895 BIC: ARSP BE22
Donations to a Monthly Cause should be made to the same account, specifying in the bank transfer comments section that the donation is for the “Monthly Cause”.
Friends are invited to recommend a Monthly Cause for donations. There need to be at least two friends who recommend each Monthly Cause. Send your recommendations for a Monthly Cause to the BLYM Fundraiser via our Contact Page.
We have all been shocked and moved by the current situation in Gaza. BLYM does not wish to make a public statement on this situation at the current time but simply to try to gain a better understanding . Here are some links that Friends have suggested:
“We utterly deny all outward wars and strife and fighting with outward weapons, for any end or under any pretence whatsoever.”
– Declaration made to Charles II in 1660
What unites us as Quakers?
Spiritual insights, often called “testimonies”, tend to unite Quakers worldwide. They spring from deep experience and have been reaffirmed by successive generations of Quakers. These testimonies are to integrity, equality, simplicity, community, stewardship of the Earth, and peace. They arise from an inner conviction and challenge our normal ways of living. They exist in spiritually-led actions rather than in rigid written forms. They are not imposed in any way and they require us to search for ways in which we can live them out for ourselves. Our commitment to non-violence in thought, word and deed is based on the idea that all human beings have something of the divine with us. This idea can be described, in the words of founder George Fox (1624-1691), as “answering that of God in every one” and “seeking the inner light” in each person. (quno.org)
It might seem self-evident that if one believes this fundamental statement, one must be led to objecting to war and armed service on the grounds of conscience, as many Quakers, over the centuries have done. Indeed, the right to this objection is now enshrined in the national law of many countries, including all Member States of the Council of Europe – it is one of the principles to which a country must adhere in order to become a member. This was one of the achievements of a long struggle of the international peace movement after WWI, in which Quakers played an important role (e.g. at the ‘Bilthoven Meetings’ in 1919-21) and we must be alert to trends that threaten to undermine this hard-fought right.
Importantly we must always remember that there is a difference between upholding the right to conscientious objection and being a conscientious objector and indeed, although Quakers resisted the introduction of conscription in 1916 and many chose to register as conscientious objectors, a small but substantial number of young Quaker men did choose to join the armed forces, feeling this was the quickest way to end the war.
The Gent group of the Belgium & Luxembourg Yearly Meeting, along with several other interested Friends, are active in the Belgian peace movement and specifically, alongside EBCO, in support of Conscientious Objectors and the right to Conscientious Objection. EBCO, the European Bureau for Conscientious Objection, was founded in 1979, with the support of the Quaker Council for European Affairs (QCEA) that is still one of the four Belgian member associations. It would, therefore, seem appropriate for BLYM to uphold this work.
Much more information on this can be found through the links below.
The call to BLYM
Minute 23/06-19 (Conscientious Objection to War) of Belgium and Luxembourg Yearly Meeting stated:
We have heard from the Ghent group about their work to raise awareness in Belgium about the right to hold a conscientious objection to war, in the context of our shared testimony to Peace. We thank the Ghent group for bearing witness in this way; they have done us all a service.
We ask the Ghent group, with the Elders, and the Clerk to work together to bring forward to our next Meeting for Business a statement of the Yearly Meeting’s position on Conscientious Objection, as a basis for future action.
Meeting for Business of 24 September 2023 agreed the following statement:
“We utterly deny all outward wars and strife and fighting with outward weapons, for any end or under any pretence whatsoever.”
– Declaration made by Quakers to the English King Charles II in 1660
Freedom from the scourge of war will only be brought about through the faithfulness of individuals to their inmost convictions. As Quakers we accordingly uphold the right of every individual to object to war and armed service on the grounds of conscience. We think that deserters should also be considered as conscientious objectors, especially in armed conflicts between countries that don’t recognise the right of conscientious objection. We condemn the occasions when individuals are persecuted for their refusal to carry arms.
Our Gent Worship group has taken up this concern: as BLYM we declare our support for their endeavours to ensure respect for the right to Conscientious Objection. We ask them to associate with this work: we commit to supporting this work by encouraging individual Friends to support it financially or to work with them for the right to conscientious objection. We ask our Elders and Clerk(s), to consider sympathetically our endorsement as BLYM of statements and petitions in support of conscientious objection brought forward by our Gent Worship Group.
Since declaring its commitment to peace in 1660, the Religious Society of Friends (Quakers) has opposed all wars. World War I was no different and many Quakers resisted the call to arms.
Some volunteered for the Friends Ambulance Unit or the Friends War Victims Relief Committee, providing relief from suffering at the front. Others assisted those at home and campaigned for peaceful resolutions.
Quakers believe that all life is precious. We have always tried “to live in the virtue of that life and power which takes away the occasion of all wars”.
We don’t assume that we can escape from the realities of a world in which violence appears so deeply rooted. We are, however, constantly challenged by the existence of weapons of mass destruction, the number and intensity of violent conflicts, the cycles of poverty, alienation and violence that destroy peace in many deprived communities, and apparently random acts of terrorism.
However hard it is, it is important that we remain true to our principles. We try to show that there is another way of conducting human affairs and resolving conflicts in a non-violent way. In many cases this will involve difficult choices. Our conscience may be troubled trying to work out what is right in areas like peace-keeping.
Throughout history, much has been achieved. The peace testimony involves thinking and speaking the unthinkable, believing this may lead to a real shift in attitudes. What is idealistic in one generation, becomes a cherished right in the next.
The peace testimony also means working for forgiveness and reconciliation and living in a sense of our shared humanity.
We are pleased to announce Diwan House as the Belgium and Luxembourg Yearly Meeting (BLYM) Monthly Cause starting 1 March and continuing as the Monthly Cause until further notice.
Diwan House, A.S.B.L. https://espacediwan.be/ siège sociale à Avenue Georges Henri 124 à 1200 Woluwe-Saint-Lambert, Bruxelles, provides emergency accommodation for migrants.
It has perennially been the most supported BLYM Monthly Cause.
This Cause is supported by other BLYM members/attenders, some of whom have placed a standing order with their bank for automatic monthly donations directly to Diwan House.
Please write “Monthly Cause” in the bank transfer comments section to distinguish the donation from donations intended for general Meeting expenses.
This has no impact on the BLYM budget as donations are not matched by Meeting and are transferred by the BLYM Treasurer on a monthly basis directly to the Diwan House bank account.
Donations to Diwan House can also be made through its website https://espacediwan.be/ and also directly to its bank account: IBAN: BE59 0689 3244 1526 dont le titulaire est “Soutien Hébergement aux migrants WSL” et avec la communication “donasbl Espace Diwan” – BIC: GKCCBEBB
For donations in cash that may be made for the Monthly Cause at any of BLYM’s three local meetings when they are able to meet face-to-face in Brussels, Ghent, or Luxemburg, the local meetings are asked if they would collect the cash and transfer the amount to the Quaker BLMM bank account noted above.
Ce Facebook est celui de l’ASBL “Espace Diwan”. L’association développe, principalement à partir du territoire de Woluwe-Saint-Lambert, des actions en faveur des personnes migrantes, avec une attention particulière à celles ne disposant pas d’aides légales. L’association pourra notamment développer les actions suivantes : soutien à des hébergements individuels ou collectifs de personnes migrantes, organisation d’accueils collectifs de personnes migrantes, actions de sensibilisation à la situation des personnes migrantes et aux questions de migrations, actions d’éducation permanente, collaborations avec d’autres associations actives sur des thématiques similaires, aides diverses aux personnes migrantes, etc. Toutes ces actions s’inscrivent dans la perspective globale d’un changement des politiques migratoires et des représentations autour de la migration, afin de permettre un accueil et une intégration dignes des personnes migrantes sur le territoire belge, et plus largement en Europe, quel que soit leur statut. Ce changement suppose un engagement de nombreuses parties prenantes aux différents niveaux de pouvoir, dont le niveau communal, niveau à partir duquel l’association sera active.
Donations to Belgium and Luxemburg Yearly Meeting may be made to:
Account Name: Quakers BLMM
IBAN: BE76 9794 2781 7895 BIC: ARSP BE22
Donations to a Monthly Cause should be made to the same account, specifying in the bank transfer comments section that the donation is for the “Monthly Cause”.
Friends are invited to recommend a Monthly Cause for donations. There need to be at least two friends who recommend each Monthly Cause. Send your recommendations for a Monthly Cause to the BLYM Fundraiser via our Contact Page.
A worthy cause for Belgium and Luxembourg Yearly Meeting support that I discovered in talking with representative Dieudonné Bisibo Alimasi, M.D. of the Baraka Quaker Meeting, Ville de Baraka, Province du Sud-Kivu, République Démocratique du Congo/Democratic Republic of the Congo. Below is an explanation in English and attached is a more complete explanation in French.
CENTRE KITUMAINI, CK a.s.b.l
Commune d’Ibanda, Q Ndendere, Sis Avenue Maniema N°50
The Centre Kitumaini (CK) is a non-governmental development organization with an operating license from the Justice Division of South Kivu Province, with a temporary authorization of operation from the Governorate of the Province of South Kivu, and F.92 / 26181 from the Ministry of Justice, Keeper of the Seals and Humans Rights from the Democratic Republic of Congo.
Our Goals
The objective of the Centre Kitumaini is to support the well-being and facilitate the emotional recovery of the target population living in peri-urban and rural areas of South Kivu province. These processes of recovery build on the strengths of both individuals and communities. It is about renewing social capital through the consolidation of social cohesion, in a specific post-conflict context.
The different strategies used by the Centre Kitumaini to achieve these aims include:
1. Awareness sessions for conflict victims and survivors, especially women, which assist the physical, psychological, and economic recovery.
2. Special attention to children affected by conflicts with social, moral, and economic support.
3. Development of income generating activities inside each community, primarily through sustainable agriculture.
4. Strategic regional and sub-regional partnerships with other actors for a better coordination and networking action.
Contact Us
Contacts for the Kitumaini Centre: Pierre Lokeka, Project Coordinator Mme. Nadine Bakenga
Bank details of CENTRE KITUMAINI ABSL Account N°: 1201-6700701-37 centre kitumaini asbl Bank: TRUST MERCHANT BANK (Bukavu Agency, South Kivu, RDCONGO)
Donations to Belgium and Luxemburg Yearly Meeting may be made to:
Account Name: Quakers BLMM
IBAN: BE76 9794 2781 7895 BIC: ARSP BE22
Donations to a Monthly Cause should be made to the same account, specifying in the bank transfer comments section that the donation is for the “Monthly Cause”.
Friends are invited to recommend a Monthly Cause for donations. There need to be at least two friends who recommend each Monthly Cause. If one or more of those Friends is actively involved in the organisation concerned (e.g. taking part in activities or projects etc.), Meeting will match the amount donated during the month; this means that the amount sent to the organisation will be doubled.
Sponsors: Paul Holdsworth, Anne Stone, Ruth Harland.
Quaker history and traditions at Brummana High School:
From the Principal David Gray
Dear Friends
Brummana High School is the British School of Lebanon, the last Quaker educational institution in the country. Founded in 1873, it has been a beacon of light in times of perennial crisis in the country attracting students of all faiths and backgrounds. Its diversity of school population and its promotion of tolerance and peaceful resolution have been central to its strengths as a place of academic excellence and pastoral compassion at the heart of a holistic educational experience since its foundation.
The August the 4th explosion in Beirut, which ripped out the heart of the city, rendered 300,000 people homeless and killed and maimed thousands, brought to the attention of the world a country which was floundering amidst a sea of troubles. Little Lebanon, surrounded by war torn and impoverished Syria, from which it has received over a million refugees, and Israel, did not have its problems to seek.
In the past 12 months the Lebanese Lira has lost 90% of its value, inflation is rampant, unemployment runs at 50% and 60% of the population lives below the poverty line. And of course, COVID-19, which has raged out of control in a country which has operated without a government for over a year, has taken its toll on a weary, exhausted, and despairing people. Businesses have closed, schools are physically closed, and those who have had the capacity to leave the country have done so for a better life elsewhere.
Yet Lebanon is a beautiful place and a jewel in the Middle Eastern crown, once the home of Middle Eastern banking and free enterprise and still a champion of education as a means to prosperity and to success. At the centre of this jewel lies Brummana High School. It has, through the promotion of Quaker Values of individuality, respect for others, tolerance and peaceful resolution, turned out generations of national leaders, presidents and prime ministers across the Middle East, as well as leaders of the professions across the globe.
Today it is running a comprehensive education and welfare programme online for its 1250 strong population, aged three to 18, continuing to promote its Quaker values and striving to provide for its families who have been hit hard by all of Lebanon’s woes, through its beleaguered, financial aid scheme. Yet while it offers a beacon of hope to its student population (in April it staged a brilliant Model United Nations Conference online, delivered exclusively by its own students, over a two-day weekend for over 170 student delegates from six countries and 26 schools), it is struggling to provide as it needs to. Projecting a one million dollar loss this year, which it is determined to weather, the short term future looks bleak. Yet Lebanon is often described as “a cork in water”, always unstable, yet invariably afloat, and the country will survive this storm as it has done in the past, God willing.
And the school will continue to produce top quality human beings determined to make a difference in their troubled world. They are Lebanon’s future, and we need to protect their tomorrows by giving them the very best education available at Brummana High School today.
You can assist the school by making a donation which will, however small, help to save the education of a child whose future depends on your generosity and who will, through the Quaker education provided, be able to begin to mend the broken society which is so desperately evident in the country today. Without your support for bursaries, many children who could do much will miss out and flounder where otherwise they might flourish.
Donations to Belgium and Luxemburg Yearly Meeting may be made to:
Account Name: Quakers BLMM
IBAN: BE76 9794 2781 7895 BIC: ARSP BE22
Donations to a Monthly Cause should be made to the same account, specifying in the bank transfer comments section that the donation is for the “Monthly Cause”.
Friends are invited to recommend a Monthly Cause for donations. There need to be at least two friends who recommend each Monthly Cause. If one or more of those Friends is actively involved in the organisation concerned (e.g. taking part in activities or projects etc.), Meeting will match the amount donated during the month; this means that the amount sent to the organisation will be doubled.
Version française ci-dessous / Nederlandse versie hieronder
Hello Friends,
This is to give you an update from your 2020 Yearly Meeting planning committee. As you know, we will meet over the weekend of Oct 9-11.
We have been investigating the possibility of holding a ‘hybrid’ or ‘blended’ meeting, with some participants at Quaker House and others participating via Zoom. We have decided not to do that. Instead we will hold the 2020 YM exclusively on Zoom, for the following reasons:
The equipment cost for a hybrid meting is high. We have spoken to people who have organized hybrid meetings and looked at a couple of ways to do it technically. Both are expensive. Additionally, we have learned that the time to learn the equipment and to set it up before each meeting so that it works is prohibitive.
Given the probable distancing requirements at QH, most Friends would have to participate online in any case. The physical layout of QH will most likely make line of sight for cameras difficult.
Experience with hybrid meetings is that they feel very much like two groups, with some participants feeling more ‘present’ than others. It is hard to feel like a unified group.
We will therefore continue our planning focusing on using Zoom in a way that allows us to break into small groups as needed, as much involvement as possible from Friends locally and from other locations and sufficient breaks that we do not get Zoom overload.
We ask that you uphold us in this difficult task and we look forward to your participation in our YM.
Registration details will follow in mid-August.
In Friendship,
Caroll Ewen
C.J. Van Der Haven
Kate McNally
Chers Amis,
Ce message sert à faire le point sur la planification de la “Réunion Annuelle” (YM) de 2020. Comme vous le savez, nous nous réunirons le week-end du 9 au 11 octobre.
Nous avons étudié la possibilité de tenir une réunion «hybride» ou «mixte», avec certains participants au “Quaker House” (QH) et d’autres via Zoom. Nous avons décidé de ne pas faire cela, mais nous organiserons le YM 2020 exclusivement sur Zoom, pour les raisons suivantes:
Le coût de l’équipement pour une rencontre hybride est élevé. Nous avons parlé à des gens qui ont organisé des réunions hybrides et examiné deux façons de procéder techniquement. Les deux sont chers. De plus, nous avons appris que le temps d’apprendre le matériel et de le mettre en place avant chaque réunion pour qu’il fonctionne est prohibitif.
Compte tenu des exigences de distanciation probables au QH, la plupart des Amis devraient participer en ligne de toute façon. La disposition du QH rendra très probablement la ligne de vue des caméras difficile.
L’expérience des réunions hybrides montre qu’elles ressemblent beaucoup à deux groupes avec certains participants se sentant plus «présents» que d’autres. Il est difficile de se sentir comme un groupe unifié.
Nous poursuivrons donc notre planification en nous concentrant sur l’utilisation de Zoom d’une manière qui nous permet d’avoir des séances en petits groupes, autant d’implication que possible des amis localement et d’autres endroits et des pauses suffisantes pour que nous n’aurions pas de surcharge de Zoom.
Nous vous demandons de nous soutenir dans cette tâche difficile et nous nous réjouissons de votre participation à notre YM.
Les détails de l’inscription suivront vers mi-août.
En Amitié,
Caroll Ewen
C.J. Van Der Haven
Kate McNally
Dag Vrienden,
Met dit schrijven willen we als voorbereidend comité een update geven voor de jaarvergadering van dit jaar.
Zoals jullie weten, ontmoeten we elkaar in het weekend van 9-11 oktober. We hebben de mogelijkheid onderzocht om een ‘hybride’ of ‘gemengde’ bijeenkomst te houden, waarbij sommige deelnemers vanuit het Quaker House en anderen via Zoom zouden deelnemen. We hebben uiteindelijk echter besloten om dat niet te doen. In plaats daarvan houden we de jaarvergadering exclusief via Zoom, om de volgende redenen:
1. De apparatuurkosten voor een hybride meeting zijn hoog. We hebben gesproken met mensen die ervaring hebben met dit soort bijeenkomsten en ook hebben we gekeken naar wat er technisch allemaal georganiseerd zou moeten worden om zo’n meeting mogelijk te maken. Er blijkt ene tamelijk grote financiële investering nodig te zijn en bovendien hebben we geleerd dat een goede technische voorbereiding van een dergelijke vergadering zeer tijdsintensief (waarbij het onzeker blijft of het resultaat technisch gezien wel goed genoeg zal zijn voor een geslaagde jaarvergadering).
2. Gezien de waarschijnlijke afstandsvereisten in het Quaker House, zouden de meeste Vrienden sowieso online moeten deelnemen. De ruimtelijke indeling van het gebouw zal het bovendien zeer moeilijk maken om kamera’s zo op te stellen dat iedereen goed zichtbaar is.
3. De ervaring die al is opgedaan met hybride meetings leert dat ze er al snel toe leiden dat mensen het gevoel hebben dat er twee groepen aan de meetings deelnemen (de online groep en de fysiek aanwezige groep), waarbij sommige deelnemers zich meer ‘aanwezig’ voelen dan andere. Het is moeilijk om je als groep in die omstandigheden als een eenheid te voelen.
We zullen om deze redenen verder gaan met onze planning om de jaarvergadering via Zoom te organiseren. We willen daarbij ook van zogeheten ‘break-out-sessies’ gebruikmaken, waardoor gesprekken in kleinere groepen mogelijk zijn, en hopen zoveel mogelijk Vrienden van lokale groepen en van verder weg bij de jaarvergadering te betrekken.
We vragen jullie steun bij deze niet zo gemakkelijke taak en we kijken uit naar je deelname aan deze jaarvergadering.
De registratiegegevens volgen midden Augustus.
In vriendschap,
Caroll Ewen
C.J. Van Der Haven
Kate McNally
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