A Message to Our Sisters and Brothers in South Africa
We join you in prayer and in action.
Yet another sister has been struck down. Anene Booysen was gang raped and brutally murdered and mutilated in the Western Cape near Capetown, SA. Her ex-boyfriend and another man have been arrested.
As you gather on February 26 for interfaith prayer and reflection at the South African Faith and Family Institute, please know that we also gather in prayer with you here at FaithTrust Institute.
We turn to the prophet Jeremiah in the Hebrew scriptures: “My grief is beyond healing, my heart is sick within me. Hark, the cry of the daughter of my people from the length and breadth of the land:...For the wound of the daughter of my people is my heart wounded, I mourn, and dismay has taken hold on me.” (Jer. 8:18-19, 21)
In the U.S., we frequently quote a 20th century labor organizer named Mother Jones: “Pray for the dead and fight like hell for the living.” We must continue to do both.
So we join you in prayer and in action for all the women in South Africa and the United States, indeed around the world, who continue to suffer at the hands of men who seem to believe that women are expendable.
We are not expendable and we will not rest until women and girls are safe in their homes and relationships, in the street and in the workplace, in school and in places of worship.
---
Message from SAFFI's Executive Director, Elizabeth Petersen: "South Africa's Religious Leaders Must Address Gender Violence and Abuse"
February 26 Interfaith Prayer and Meditation Event Information:
The South Africa Faith and Family Institute, the Western Cape Network on Violence Against Women, the WC Religious Leaders Forum and the Desmond & Leah Tutu Legacy Foundation invites you to an Interfaith Gathering as part of a faith response to the current spate of rape and brutal killings of women and children in our country.
A Quiet Morning of Interfaith Prayer and Reflection will be facilitated by Rev Mpho Tutu (from the Desmond & Leah Tutu Legacy Foundation) is scheduled for:
Date: Tuesday, 26 Feb 2013
Time: 9am for 9:30am till 11:30am
Venue: Main Hall next to SAFFI / Cape Town Interfaith Office, 1 Upper Cambridge Street, Zonnebloem Estate, Cape Town
RSVP: Olivia Adams on 021 462 2277 or olivia@saffi.org.za
Objective: We are mindful that there are a number of different events and actions around the current spate of rape and brutal killings of Anene Booysen and other women in our country. We also realize that those who are working in this field are profoundly impacted by recent events. This Interfaith Quiet Morning seeks to provide a space for prayer and reflection.
We are inviting representatives from different faith communities to offer a reading/meditation/prayer/song. We are also inviting colleagues to come and give voice to what is in their hearts at this time. We hope to conclude our time together pointing to what might be some further action from the faith communities.
