From: Palestine Israel Action Group (PIAG)
Re: AFSC’s position on the expulsion of Alison Weir from
the U.S. Campaign to End the Occupation
The Context: The U.S. Campaign to End the Israeli Occupation is a coalition of social justice groups working for a just peace in Israel/Palestine. The American Friends Service Committee (AFSC), the social justice "arm" of the Religious Society of Friends, is a member of the U.S. Campaign, and in that capacity, agreed to the expulsion of Alison Weir and her organization, If Americans Knew, from the coalition The reason, apparently, was that an unnamed individual or organization within the coalition had prepared a dossier of Weir's actions, some dating back five years or more, which, in the accusers' opinion, did not sufficiently contest the racism or anti-Semitism of the individual hosting her talks. The idea of discrediting a long-time activist's effectiveness by seizing on a "flaw" in her work was worrisome not only to PIAG, but to many other defenders of Weir's activism. Mike Merryman-Lotze, speaking for AFSC, defends its actions by saying that as anti-racist activists, we "must" confront oppression directly wherever we find it. It has even been insinuated that PIAG members' questioning of AFSC's position is racist in and of itself. This open letter is a reply to these claims. More details of the controversy can be found here and here.
As a Quaker organization, PIAG has always worked against all
forms of oppression.
Individually and/or collectively, we are members of
anti-racism groups such as the U.S. Campaign to End the Occupation, Jewish
Voice for Peace, and #Black Lives Matter.
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| Ann Arbor Friends Meeting |
As a subcommittee of the Peace and
Social Concerns Committee of Ann Arbor Friends Meeting, PIAG
has engaged in
educational efforts with our Monthly and Yearly Meetings over the last twelve
years, and have convinced both groups to support the Boycott, Divestment and
Sanctions movement.
We have distributed over a half million map cards
nationally and internationally showing the loss of Palestinian lands to
Israel’s Occupation.
In short, we are knowledgeable, seasoned activists who are
strongly committed to working for justice and equality wherever that work may
lead us.
It is in the spirit of our anti-oppression work that we
take issue with the message in AFSC’s online communication, IMPACT;
specifically, the post by Mike Merryman-Lotze on AFSC’s
Acting in Faith blog, “
Palestine Activism in an Anti-Racism Framework” (8/10/2015). We find a disturbing disconnect between the statement:
“At AFSC, our work is guided by the Quaker belief that all people are equal in
the eyes of God” and the participation of AFSC in the denunciation of one
particular person, Alison Weir, and her
longstanding work for justice inIsrael/Palestine – work which PIAG deeply respects.
We are also troubled by the insistence that “we” (that is, we presume, Quakers
engaged in anti-racism work) “must” act in particular ways, choosing certain
tactics, methods, analyses, and goals over others. We cannot agree, as Quakers,
that everyone must see the truth in the same way, analyze human behavior in the
same way, and agree to work according to principles put forth by any social
justice organization, however well-intentioned.
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| George Fox |
Quakerism's founder George Fox was
pretty clear about the idea that everyone has the ability to listen to the
voice of God, to think about the meaning of that voice, and above all, to speak
for themselves.
As Fox told the assembled at Ulverston steeple-house, “You will
say ‘Christ saith this, and the apostles say this,’ but what canst
thou say? Art thou a child of the Light,
and hast thou walked in the Light, and what thou speakest, is it inwardly from
God?"
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| Early Quaker Meeting |
This message was
one of the earliest and most radical challenges to the dogmatism and demands
for obedience required by the Christian Church in 17 th century England. The statement was so compelling that it later
formed the basis of Quakerism: There is no dogma. There are no “musts” in
Quaker belief and practice. It is enough that Quakers be inspired by the values
of simplicity, peace, integrity, community, and equality, and that we work to
incorporate these abstract, but profound Quaker values into our lives and the
lives of others as we see fit.
We agree that anti-racism
efforts that counter prejudice and bigotry on every possible occasion can be
meaningful work. We agree that oppressions are linked and widespread and that
opposing only one form of bigotry may not be enough. But we do not agree that
everyone must accept these insights as the only way to see and be guided by the
light. As Quakers, we strive for inclusion of ideas and perspectives. We have
faith in Quaker process in resolving disagreements, rather than removing
individuals and groups from the family when their beliefs and practices
threaten our vision of the truth.
We do not dispute
the “right” of the U.S. Campaign to End the Occupation to remove any member of the group as the
leadership sees fit. But we have seen the effects of that removal: fear and
silencing (“Who among us will be next?”) discord and schism, and a loss of
focus on Palestinian freedom. Unfortunately, as we have come to understand, righteous
zeal creates its own oppression.
PIAG continues to
promote vigorous, open debate, a multitude of paths toward justice, and a focus
not on transgression, but on the Inner Light, the spirit of the Divine that resides
in every human soul.
In the West Bank, however, popularity of Abbas and Fatah
has improved, and people show support and satisfaction with the Palestinian
Authority’s new membership in the International Criminal Court. 
