The World Interfaith Harmony Week

Annual UN Observance Week: Feb. 1-7

The World Interfaith Harmony Week was first proposed at the UN General Assembly on September 23, 2010 by H.M. King Abdullah II of Jordan. Just under a month later, on October 20, 2010, it was unanimously adopted by the UN and henceforth the first week of February will be observed as a World Interfaith Harmony Week.

The World Interfaith Harmony Week is based on the pioneering work of The Common Word initiative. This initiative, which started in 2007, called for Muslim and Christian leaders to engage in a dialogue based on two common fundamental religious Commandments; Love of God, and Love of the Neighbour, without nevertheless compromising any of their own religious tenets. The Two commandments are at the heart of the three Monotheistic religions and therefore provide the most solid theological ground possible.

The World Interfaith Harmony Week extends the Two Commandments by adding ‘Love of the Good, and Love of the Neighbour’. This formula includes all people of goodwill. It includes those of other faiths, and those with no faith.

The World Interfaith Harmony Week provides a platform—one week in a year—when all interfaith groups and other groups of goodwill can show the world what a powerful movement they are. The thousands of events organized by these groups often go unnoticed not only by the general public, but also by other groups themselves. This week will allow for these groups to become aware of each other and strengthen the movement by building ties and avoiding duplicating each others’ efforts.

It is hoped that this initiative will provide a focal point from which all people of goodwill can recognize that the common values they hold far outweigh the differences they have, and thus provide a strong dosage of peace and harmony to their communities.

WCC FEATURE: Brazilian churches speak up as country hits new record of femicides: four women murdered every day

The number of femicides reached a record high in Brazil in 2025: 1,470 cases were recorded from January to December, according to data from the Ministry of Justice and Public Security. This total surpasses the 1,464 cases recorded in 2024, the highest number until then. Official femicide records indicate that, on average, four women were killed per day last year. Young women practice a play that recalls their troubled history in the Escola Sao Joao in Quilombo Tiningu, near Santarem, Brazil. Photo: Paul Jeffrey/Life on Earth 29 January 2026 Speaking on behalf of the Evangelical Church of Lutheran Confession in Brazil, Rev. Dr Mauro de Souza expressed deep concern and indignation over the increase in femicide rates in the country. “Each woman murdered represents a life brutally cut short, a serious violation of human dignity, and an attack on the gift of life granted by God,” he stated. “Femicide is the most extreme expression of a culture of inequality, domination, and machismo that directly contradicts the Gospel of Jesus Christ,” he added. The church released an official statement on 21 January: “Jesus Christ, in his life and ministry, broke oppressive structures, welcomed women, restored wounded dignity, and proclaimed the Kingdom of God as a space of justice, care, and fullness of life. Following Christ means taking a clear stand against all forms of violence, especially when it affects women and girls in a systematic and structural way,” reads the statement. “As a church, we reaffirm our commitment to denounce all forms of violence against women; to welcome and accompany victims and survivors; to promote, within our communities, education for relationships based on respect, equality, and mutual care; and to call upon public authorities to strengthen policies of prevention, protection, and accountability, recognizing that the State is called to serve justice and preserve life.” The legal classification of femicide in Brazil was created in 2015, when 535 deaths were recorded – an increase of 316% over ten years. The Anglican Episcopal Church of Brazil also expressed deep concern and indignation in response to the recently released data on the increase in femicides in the country. Rev. Elineide Oliveira, a member of the church’s National Diakonia Commission, stated that this scenario reveals not only the tragedy of lives cut short, but also the persistence of a structural sin expressed in patriarchal culture, gender inequality, and the normalization of violence against women. “Each femicide is an affront to the sacredness of life and an open wound in the body of Christ. As a church committed to justice, we affirm: women’s lives are sacred and nonnegotiable,” she said. “Diakonia demands concrete action. We call on our communities to strengthen networks of welcome, protection, and support for women experiencing violence. Churches must be safe spaces of listening and pastoral care.” “Education for peace is a path of transformation. We reaffirm our commitment to educational practices that promote egalitarian relationships, dismantle violent masculinities, and challenge religious interpretations that legitimize submission or silencing,” she added. The alarming Brazilian scenario is connected to cases that continue to emerge in 2026, involving the murder of women initially classified under other criminal categories, attempts to erase the gender-based motivation of the crimes, and cases reaching jury trials involving former partners –  including situations in which the victims were pregnant. WCC member churches in Brazil See more

The World Council of Churches promotes Christian unity in faith, witness and service for a just and peaceful world. An ecumenical fellowship of churches founded in 1948, today the WCC brings together 356 Protestant, Orthodox, Anglican and other churches representing more than 580 million Christians in over 120 countries, and works cooperatively with the Roman Catholic Church. The WCC general secretary is Rev. Prof. Dr Jerry Pillay from the Uniting Presbyterian Church in Southern Africa.  Media contact: +41 79 507 6363; www.oikoumene.org/press Our visiting address is: World Council of Churches Chemin du Pommier 42 Kyoto Building Le Grand-Saconnex CH-1218 Switzerland

SojoMail - The NBA chaplain whose statement went viral

View this email in your browser By Betsy Shirley Editor in Chief, Sojourners This week I saw a contemporary painting of Jesus that made me stop scrolling. Painted by Matt Moberg, the multi-talented chaplain to the NBA’s Minnesota Timberwolves, the large canvas features Jesus, a young Black man composed of bold, contrasting brushstrokes. He looks genuinely happy. It’s titled “Jesus Laughed.” You can see the painting in a story reported by Mitchell Atencio, who interviewed Moberg after his statement rebuking churches for “posting  prayers for peace and unity today while my city bleeds in the street” went viral last weekend. The story behind that statement is complicated, but I was inspired by Moberg’s consistent Christian witness, whether in his art, through street protests, or with NBA players.   “Intriguing art feeds off of real life,” writes Josiah R. Daniels in his review of 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple. True. It explains why religious art so often depicts Jesus in the agony of death: We want to see a savior who knows suffering, a savior who weeps alongside us in anguish over the forces of death that loop frame-by-frame on our newsfeeds. Art feeds on real life; real life cries out for us to find tangible ways to help. But as much as I need a savior who’s with me in grief, I’m grateful Moberg depicts a savior who also models the fiercest form of resistance: joy. The Chaplain Helping the Timberwolves Stand in Solidarity in Minnesota (by Mitchell Atencio) “God has gifted you with extraordinary abilities, and that’s not a small feat,” Matt Moberg tells NBA players, “but that didn’t remove you from your brother next door or your sister down the road.” Read the full article Advertisement Our Latest Stories To Stop ICE Killings, More Christians Need To Tell the Truth (by Adam Russell Taylor) We follow in the tradition of biblical prophets who interrupted injustice by naming the spiritual lies it feeds upon. Read more How You Can Support Minnesota, According to Local Faith Leaders (by Mitchell Atencio) You do not have to be in Minneapolis to stand in solidarity with those resisting ICE. Read more The Death Cult in ‘The Bone Temple’ Is Scary. Our Real One Is Worse (by Josiah R. Daniels) It’s not the Satanists pushing to end empathy. Read more From the Magazine: Feeling Powerless? Visit a Black-Owned Bookstore (by Courtney Bledsoe) When you do, please keep your shoes on. Read more Advertisements Spirituality and Activism Justice work demands more than urgency—it requires sustainable practices that fuel long-term resistance. Light for the Way shows how contemplation, sabbath rest, and community care aren't distractions from activism but essential tools for it. Tell Corporations: Stop Collaborating with ICE Every deportation flight, corporate contract, and service agreement that keeps Immigration and Customs Enforcement running sends the same message: corporate America is choosing profit over human lives. Donate Subscribe Copyright © 2026 Sojourners. All rights reserved. Email: sojourners@sojo.net | Tel.: 202.328.8842

Action Alert: Lawless Law Enforcement and the Militarization of ICE

“Woe to those who call evil good and good evil … and deprive the innocent of their rights!”  Isaiah 5.20, 23

Action Alert: Lawless Law Enforcement and the Militarization of ICE

Justice and love inseparably lie at the heart of the Gospel. Israel’s prophets urged God’s people to care for the poor, needy, and outcast—indeed they often vigorously reminded God’s people to consider this essential work of covenant fidelity before God. So too the earliest Christian communities welcomed foreigners and sold all they had and distributed the proceeds to anyone in need. The sweeping testimony of Scripture consistently reveals a God who loves capaciously and insists on the just ordering of all created life. In response to this God, we Presbyterians likewise take up the responsibility to love our neighbors as ourselves and to do justice, love kindness, and walk humbly with God. So it is with heavy hearts and outraged spirits that we join our siblings in witnessing the overlapping crises in Minnesota. Alongside the two ICE-involved shootings last week, we’ve witnessed dozens of credible reports of people brutalized by ICE agents wearing masks, camouflage, and driving unmarked vehicles. These come alongside the continued family separations and wholesale disregard for due process and legal protection from racial profiling that immigrant and minoritized communities have experienced most directly. The ordinary responses to plausible violations of human and constitutional rights include urgent calls for investigations and promises of accountability. But representatives from across the current Administration have swiftly worked to undermine the possibility of public accountability, accused ICE’s victims of domestic terrorism, and opened investigations into Minnesota’s elected officials.  The civic crises in Minnesota are multiple and overlapping: militarization of the police, unaccountability of law enforcement, rampant civil rights violations and racial profiling, political officials politicizing and inflaming the ensuing unrest, immigrant and citizen populations alike afraid of further terrorization by immigration enforcement, and the threat of sending the military in to what is already a chaotic situation spiraling out of control. Presbyterians are well-positioned to prophetically recall that, despite how overwhelming they feel, these are not unprecedented times. The law enforcement violence we are witnessing comes in a long history that recently broke through the public consciousness following the murders of George Floyd and Michael Brown Jr. The threat of invoking the Insurrection Act recalls its last use in 1992 during the LA riots following the brutal beating of Rodney King. The PC(USA) has decried US immigration policy and enforcement for decades. In 1993, the 205th General Assembly expressed grave concern over the reports of bodily and sexual violence perpetrated by the US Border Patrol and Customs Service and called a federal review board to promote officer accountability. The church was concerned that “agents routinely violate all professional law-enforcement standards on the use of firearms regarding firing warning shots and firing at fleeing persons.” Again in 2003, the 215th General Assembly opposed “Operation Gatekeeper,” which the church saw as resulting “an increase in militarization” and in “violations of human rights, deaths … and racial profiling of Hispanic peoples.” And again in 2010, following the creation of ICE the church commended a study on Immigration and Border Enforcement which found that domestic immigration agencies were routinely credibly accused of systemic harassment, racial profiling, and human and civil rights violations.” The report suggests that CBP and ICE seemed “to operate with impunity.” Enough is enough. It is time for neighbor-love and democratic justice as Presbyterians have long been advocating for. Presbyterians value the constitutional and civil rights for all who reside in the U.S. regardless of immigration status and urges action to resist government policies that harm immigrant communities. Contact your officials in the White House, DHS, and DOJ today to decry the unconscionable treatment of immigrant populations, the continued practice of family separation, and the unaccountable and lawless domestic policing of ICE. And contact your congressional representatives to demand that Congress provided much needed oversight.

Action Alert: Lawless Law Enforcement and the Militarization of ICE

Presbyterian Peace Fellowship - Families Belong Together

Dear friends, We are heartbroken, enraged, and grieving what is happening in Minneapolis and across the country. We name the lives lost through ICE violence, detention, and enforcement. Their names matter: People killed in ICE detention or ICE-related custody and enforcement: Geraldo Lunas Campos Parady La Victor Manuel Diaz Heber Sanchez Domínguez Luis Beltran Yanez-Cruz Luis Gustavo Nunez Caceres (source: Al Jazeera) And we add the names of those recently killed during federal enforcement actions: Keith Porter Jr. Renée Good Alex Pretti We mourn each of these lives. We grieve their families and loved ones. We also grieve the thousands of families being separated and the children being taken by ICE, sometimes from their homes and sometimes from schools, always through fear and force. We also recognize that faith communities are rising together to resist these practices and to protect immigrants and their families, not just locally but across the country. Hundreds of clergy from many faith traditions recently gathered in Minneapolis to learn from local leaders and to stand in solidarity with people targeted by ICE enforcement, and many then took their witness into the streets and airports as part of this interfaith effort to resist ICE tactics rooted in violence and separation. (source: The Presbyterian Outlook) Let us be absolutely clear: Families belong together. Families should never be separated. Children should never be taken from their caregivers. We unequivocally support peaceful protest and the right of communities to demand accountability. What is happening is enraging. It is cruel. It is unacceptable. And it must stop.  Take action: Call your senators and representatives and tell them that family separation, deaths in detention, and lethal enforcement are unacceptable. Demand accountability. Demand an end to this violence.  If you are looking for sustainable ways to get involved, we invite you to join one of PPF’s working groups, which are doing long-term, grounded work for justice and peace: • Palestine Solidarity • Gun Violence Prevention • Presbyterians for Abolition • Peace Church Working Group Learn more and get involved here: https://www.presbypeacefellowship.org/our-work We will continue to speak out, organize, and insist on a world where families are kept together, always. In peace and solidarity, Presbyterian Peace Fellowship photo credit: Lesia Cortez photo credit for Block ICE graphic: Nicolas Lampert

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