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By Anna Zatsepina
‘The world is left
to bleed in the hands of those who oppose and reject the kingdom of love
and justice.’
Martin Luther King Jr. once declared that “power
at its best is love implementing the demands of justice.” Perhaps he was thinking of Proverbs 31: “Speak up for
those who cannot speak for themselves, for the rights of all who are
destitute. Speak up and judge fairly; defend the rights of the poor and
needy” (v 8 - 9). As a 23 year old I look at all those
followers who lived out Christ’s teachings and transformed their
societies for the sake of a radical, seemingly upside-down kingdom. These
men and women sacrificed their all, recklessly abandoning self in a
self-oriented world; they loved humankind fearlessly and passionately in
the face of hatred and brute violence. Though
mocked, tried, attacked, and killed, they
considered it as nothing in comparison to the One
they lived and died for. For our generation, the message of justice seems to resonate. Among the many regions of oppression, destitution and suffering in the world,
Darfur stands out as being largely unaddressed. Indeed the United Nations (UN) has identified this
as “the largest and most complex humanitarian problem on the globe.” Since the outbreak of
violence in 2003, relief agencies estimate that over 400,000 people have been killed; 2.5 million
innocent civilians have been forced from their homes into swelling displaced persons and refugee camps.
More than 4.5 million are completely dependent on international assistance for survival.
STAND, (an
acronym for Students Taking Action Now: Darfur) is a grassroots student movement that has grown
out of campuses throughout the country. Founded in 2005, groups of students, were motivated
to make a difference to the suffering and crisis. Students across high
school and university campuses are mobilizing and organizing rallies, prayer and other
demonstrations. Its first campaign, “10,000 Student Voices: A
Difference for Darfur” collected over 12,000
student signatures from campuses across Canada and
delivered the campaign message to members of all parties, including
then-prime minister Paul Martin (According to STAND’s website). The
world is left to bleed in the hands of those who oppose and reject the
kingdom of love and justice.
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Women and children bear the heaviest burden in
this calculated campaign of displacement, rape, ethnic violence and mass
slaughter. In the midst of widespread calls for intervention, the
international community has been stalling for nearly five years primarily
due to insufficient political will and repeated obstructions of global
efforts by the Sudanese Government. The
violence and the suffering continue unabated.
Humanitarian workers are struggling to deliver desperately needed aid in
the face of increasing threats to their own security, paying a high price for international inaction. It is hard for us in the Western world to comprehend the
statistics and begin to realize that every one of those men, women and
children has a name and a story – each person known by the One who
created them.Darfur, being one of the severest among many places of
suffering, calls us to prayer and action. Millions depend on this. It
won’t be easy and it won’t be cheap. It will take a fearless,
tenacious and uncompromising generation gripped with the raw Gospel of
Christ – whatever their cause. So where are those history-makers,
those great reformers of old, who were inspired by the same message and
called by the same God? Is there anyone out
there who still believes in the power of an ordinary life in the hands of
an extraordinary God?
To find out more about
what you can do: www.savedarfur.com or www.standcanada.org. Anna is currently doing her masters at the Norman Paterson School of
International Affairs – Carleton University. She has been involved in
advocacy and activism regarding the crisis in Darfur with STAND and in her
Christian community. After finishing her undergraduate degree, she
volunteered with Christian humanitarian organizations in Liberia, West
Africa and Kolkata, India. Her passion is to see young people engage the
world around them.
Options Spring 2008
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