The Interfaith Network on Drone Warfare held a national training conference to equip people of faith interested in organizing on this issue within the faith community on ways to advocate and educate against drone warfare. It took place at Princeton Theological Seminary in Princeton, NJ. from September 27 to 29. 

The conference provided background information on lethal drones and trained participants to approach and engage congregations, enable people in congregations to participate in public policy advocacy, work with national denominational offices, and work with the media. Scroll down to see some of the material that was provided at the conference, as well as additional resources. 

There were 24 states including DC represented at the conference: IL, NJ,  NY, MD, PA, FL, WA, TX, NC, AR, IA, CA, KY, DC, CT, ME, MI, WY, TN, VA, CO WI, MT, KS.

Click here to read an op-ed by John Grant, who was profoundly affected by the conference despite not being a person of faith. 

Participants started the conference viewing films produced by the INDW
(All photos by John Grant)

Presentation by Dr. Maryann Cusimano Love

Participants applaud at the end of the conference

These materials were included in a packet given to each attendee: 

• Priority Messages on Drone Warfare
• Suggestions for Working with Congregations
• Three documents from ReThink Media on letters to the editor & op-eds: LTE Tips, Op-Ed Tips, and an Op-Ed Worksheet
• Lobbying Guide
• Letter to Congress on CIA drone strikes

 Related resources (a growing list):

• Story-Telling
• Talking to the Military
• Interfaith Working Group on Drone Warfare Leave-behind document

January 23-25, 2015 - Kick-off National Interfaith Conference on Drone Warfare - Princeton, NJ

"Our concerns center on the nature of lethal drones as a weapon, namely their use in targeted killings of specific individuals most of whom are Muslims, their impact upon targeted communities, their operation by remote control, and the consequences that drones increase hostilities. As people of faith, we advocate the rigorous pursuit of Just Peace, based on upholding dignity and human rights for all, with resources dedicated to this alternative at a level matching that spent on the current drone warfare program."

The Peace Action Education Fund of CFPA facilitated the Interfaith Conference on Drone Warfare at Princeton Theological Seminary from January 23-25, 2015.

The Policy Recommendations from the Interfaith Conference on Drone Warfare:

IMMEDIATELY HALT LETHAL DRONE STRIKES

The Hebrew Bible states, and the New Testament affirms, "Depart from evil and do good; Seek peace and pursue it." (Psalm 34:15, I Peter 3:11)

The Quran teaches, "Act justly for that is what piety demands." (49:9)

The Sikh tradition teaches that all of humanity is one family. "The sword may only be used for self-defense or to protect life when all peaceful means have failed." (Guru Gobind Singh, Tenth Guru of the Sikhs)

Unitarian Universalists covenant to affirm and promote the inherent worth and dignity of every person and justice, equity, and compassion in human relations.

Pope Francis has said that, "War is madness" and warns that perhaps World War III has already begun, "one fought piecemeal, with crimes, massacres, destruction."

We, the more than 150 religious leaders who attended the Interfaith Conference on Drone Warfare at Princeton Theological Seminary, January 23-25, 2015, represent many of the world's religions, and the Just War, Pacifist and Just Peace traditions. We are compelled to address our growing concern about the use of lethal drones by the United States and other countries.

Our concerns center on the nature of lethal drones as a weapon, namely their use in targeted killings of specific individuals most of whom are Muslims, their impact upon targeted communities, their operation by remote control, and the consequences that drones increase hostilities. After two and half days of presentations and conversation and in full awareness of the differences in our faith traditions and our beliefs about war, we have come together to issue this statement of recommendations.

1. We call on the Administration to immediately halt targeted lethal drone strikes.

2. We call on the administration to be transparent and accountable on the past use of such strikes by public disclosures including but not limited to:

1.  Acknowledging strikes conducted
2.   Accounting for victims
3.   Explaining official criteria for the "kill list"
4.  Disclose all legal justification for authorization of strikes
5.  Detailing the methods of investigating deaths
6. Disclosing the standards and mechanisms for compensating victims.

3. We call on Congress to repeal the 2001 Authorization for the Use of Military Force (AUMF) that has been used as a legal justification for the lethal drone program.

4. We call on the President to rescind the authority of the Central Intelligence Agency, Joint Special Operations Command, or any other government agency or contractor to use weaponized or lethal drones.

5. We call on the President and Congress to commission an independent study on the impact of lethal drones on drone operators, targeted persons and affected communities to determine the full extent of costs and consequences (including political, economic, social, psychological, racial, and religious) of the use of drones from 2001-present.

6. We call on the U.S. government to pursue a negotiated global ban on semi-autonomous and autonomous weapons systems.

7. We call on the U.S. government to press the international community to abide by and especially hold our allies accountable to the same recommendations as stated here, beginning with an immediate halt to targeted lethal drone strikes.

We call on our leaders to take us off the path of unending war by implementing these recommendations. As people of faith, we advocate the rigorous pursuit of Just Peace, based on upholding dignity and human rights for all, with resources dedicated to this alternative at a level matching that spent on the current drone warfare program.

Conference Coverage

• Read the Media Coverage before and after the Conference Here
• Complete list of speakers at the Conference. All on the link spoke except Dr. Abbas, who was unable to come due to inclement weather.
• Promotional video for the Conference by filmaker Robert Greenwald, award-winning director of Unmanned; America's Drone Wars 
• Bishop Pates' Remarks at Conference
• Dr. Maryann Cusimano-Love's (The Catholic University of America) Power Point Presentation PDF
• Rev. Susan Hayward's (United States Institute of Peace) drone presentation from the conference
• Rev. Susan Thistlethwaite's (Chicago Theological Seminary) presentation from the conference
• Videos of the Conference Courtesy of Princeton Community Television
• Complete photo gallery of the conference

June 7, 2018 – Chicago Interfaith Conference on Drone Warfare

The Conference on Drone Warfare was held at Chicago Theological Seminary on Thursday, June 7, 2018, co-sponsored by Chicago Theological Seminary InterReligious Institute (IRI) and the Interfaith Conference on Drone Warfare.

The presenters included:

Colonel Lawrence B. Wilkerson (U.S. Army retired), Former Chief of Staff to General Colin Powell ; Dr. Susan Thistlethwaite, Past President, Chicago Theological Seminary; Bishop Richard E. Pates, Bishop of the Catholic Diocese of Des Moines and former chair of the International Justice and Peace Committee of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops; and Robert Naiman, Policy Director at Just Foreign Policy

Two films produced by the Interfaith Network on Drone Warfare for congregations were also screened.

June 8, 2018 – St. Louis Interfaith Conference on Drone Warfare 

This conference was co-sponsored by Eden Theological Seminary, St. Louis, Missouri and the Interfaith Network on Drone Warfare

Presenters included:

Bishop Richard E. Pates, Bishop of the Catholic Diocese of Des Moines and former chair of the International Justice and Peace Committee of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops

Matt Hawthorne, policy director, National Religious Campaign Against Torture, Washington, DC

Rev. Dr. David Greenhaw, president, Eden Theological Seminary, St. Louis, Missouri

Michael McPhearson, national executive director of Veterans For Peace

Maryann Cusimano Love, professor of politics, Catholic University, Washington, DC

Two films produced by the Interfaith Network on Drone Warfare for congregations were screened

April 28, 2018 - San Francisco Bay Area Interfaith Conference on Drone Warfare at the Pacific School of Religion

Speakers: Marjorie Cohn, professor emerita at Thomas Jefferson School of Law, editor and contributor to Drones and Targeted Killing: Legal, Moral, and Geopolitical Issues; Lisa Ling, a former technical sergeant in the U.S. Air Force; Dr. Maryann Cusimano Love, a Professor of International Relations at Catholic University, the author of several books about peace and faith; Rep. Barbara Lee, the congressperson from the 13th Congressional District in the U.S. House of Representatives, which includes Berkeley and Oakland.

The conference was co-sponsored by the Pacific School of Religion and the Interfaith Network on Drone Warfare. 

Rep. Barbara Lee speaking at the Bay Area Conference 

March 14, 2018 - Connecticut Interfaith Conference on Drone Warfare at Hartford Seminary

Click here for report, along with photos and videos!
https://www.hartsem.edu/2018/03/interfaith-conference-on-drone-warfare-held-at-hartford-seminary/

The conference was co-sponsored by INDW and Hartford Seminary.

Presenters included: Andrea Prasow, Associate Director of the Washington Office of Human Rights Watch; Dr. Maryann Cusimano Love, Politics Department, Catholic University, Washington, DC; the Rev. Dr. Chris Antal, Unitarian Universalist Minister, resigned as an army chaplain because of the U.S. lethal drone policy; and Lt. Colonel Shareda Hosein (U.S. Army Reserves Retired).

October 20-21, 2017 - North Carolina Conference Against the Use of Drones in Warfare at Duke Divinity School + Trinity United Methodist Church of Durham

Recordings:

Friday Afternoon: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1gGItcCnVLAtvxoRE7F4rhnJ7pPDJcyZI/view
Friday Evening: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1V0HXmgsXx9Udib_Pyt1bqKUfv4o-NXVp/view
Saturday: https://duke.app.box.com/s/4onncb2as9olqqq4hea2myiuss000taw

January 10, 2017 - Florida Conference and Action on Drone Warfare at Royal Palm Christian Church

Speakers included: Medea Benjamin, National Director of Code Pink; Col. Lawrence Wilkerson, Sect. of State Colin Powell’s Chief of Staff (2002-05); Cain Westmoreland, Former Drone Operator and Whistleblower.

June 29, 2016 - Seattle Conference: Countering the Humanitarian Myth: Drones and Endless War

Click here for video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bkWwz9-tXQc

June 24-25, 2016 - Landsdale - Faithful Witness in a Time of Endless War; Drone Warfare and God’s Call to Peacemaking

Videos can be found here: https://vimeo.com/channels/icdw/videos

Mentioned in the New York Times here: https://www.nytimes.com/2018/06/13/magazine/veterans-ptsd-drone-warrior-wounds.html 

April 12, 2016 - New Brunswick - Ethical, Moral, and Faith Implications of Drone Warfare at New Brunswick Theological Seminary

April 8-9, 2016 – Stony Point Conference

Approximately 80 people attended the Multifaith Anti-Drone Conference at the Stony Point Center from April 8-9, 2016. Above are some pictures from the conference.

Click Here to read a list of action items from the Regional Grassroots Mobilization Session at the Stony Point conference.

February 3, 2016 - Notre Dame Ethical and Policy Implications of U.S. Drone Warfare Conference at the Hesburgh Center for International Studies, University of Notre Dame

Two consecutive panels discussed the moral and legal issues associated with U.S. conduct in the “War on Terror.” The panels featured Cora Currier, reporter for The Intercept, Jean Porter, John A. O'Brien, Professor of Theology, David Cortright, Director of Policy Studies, Kroc Institute for International Peace Studies, Mary Ellen O’Connell, Robert and Marion Short Professor of Law, Law School; Research Professor of International Dispute Resolution, Kroc Institute, Rashied Omar, Research Scholar of Islamic Studies and Peacebuilding, Kroc Institute for International Peace Studies, and Craig Iffland, PhD student, Department of Theology.

November 16, 2015 - Washington, D.C. Briefing

A briefing was held in the Rayburn House Office Building in Washington DC which was attended by many staff members for Senate & House offices as well as members of various DC based faith offices. This briefing was co-sponsored by the Interfaith Network on Drone Warfare, the Interfaith Working Group on Drone Warfare and the National Council of Churches of Christ (NCCC). See full report here.