February 16, 2007

LEGISLATIVE ALERT on Sudan Divestment Bill

TO: United Methodists in Indiana

FROM: Dan Gangler, director of communication, Indiana Area UMC

RE: Sudan Divestment House Bill 1484 now before the Indiana General Assembly

Several Hoosier United Methodists are participating with other faith leaders statewide in an interfaith coalition whose goals are to raise awareness and increase action on behalf of the victims of genocide in Darfur, Sudan. We have a critically important and time-sensitive opportunity to support legislation in the Indiana General Assembly that will require Indiana to divest funds from targeted companies doing business in Sudan that significantly support the Sudanese government.

We are coordinating our advocacy efforts with congregations, community organizations and student groups throughout Indiana by circulating a joint “sign-on” letter in support of House Bill 1484 to ALL members of the Indiana General Assembly. We must show our legislators how widespread the support is for taking action against the genocide – so we need to collect as many names of faith and community leaders as possible!

Because the legislative process moves so quickly, we have limited time to collect signatories (2nd reading may be as early as Monday Feb. 19th and 3rd reading (where all House members will vote) may be as early as Tuesday, Feb. 20th).

If you agree to sign on to the letter below, please email your NAME, TITLE, ORGANIZATION, and LOCATION by close of business Monday, February 19 to Beth Reilly at beth_reilly@earthlink.net or Lindsey Mintz at l_mintz@indyjcrc.org.

If you would like additional information about the targeted divestment campaign, go to www.sudandivestment.org.

Thank you for your consideration and timely response!

Statement in Support of House Bill 1484

Sudan Divestment

February 16, 2007

We, the undersigned faith and community leaders, join together to call upon members of the Indiana General Assembly to vote YES on House Bill 1484, which will ensure that Indiana’s taxpayer dollars are not funding the genocide in Darfur.

Faith traditions teach the obligation to be concerned about every human being, while demanding social justice and actively opposing injustice and cruelty. Today, the genocide in Darfur demands our attention and action.

Since February of 2003, over 400,000 Darfurian civilians have been killed, 2.5 million have been displaced due to violence, nearly 4 million must now rely on humanitarian aid, and 90% of Darfur's villages have been looted or razed. Women and girls are systematically raped and branded, men and boys murdered, and food and water supplies targeted and destroyed. President Bush, the United States Congress, Secretaries of State Rice and Powell, and a myriad of human rights groups have all agreed that genocide is currently occurring in Darfur, a region in Africa’s largest country, Sudan.

House Bill 1484 will dissociate the State of Indiana, in a financially prudent manner, from investments in only those companies doing business in Sudan that significantly support the Sudanese government, thereby aiding and abetting the genocide.

House Bill 1484 focuses only on foreign companies that have a business relationship with the government of Sudan, impart minimal benefit to the country’s underprivileged, and have failed to respond to attempts at shareholder engagement. This legislation contains safeguards that protect the State’s pension funds in a manner consistent with prudent investment guidelines.

Given that Sudan has a foreign debt nearly as large as its GDP, its government has a long history of susceptibility to economic pressure. Several major companies operating in Sudan have altered their business practices or left the country, largely in response to the divestment movement. Prominent foreign policy experts and think tanks, including the International Crisis Group and Human Rights Watch, have endorsed targeted divestment, calling it a critical tool for influencing the behavior of the Sudanese government and bringing long-term peace and security to the region.

Faith congregations, community organizations, and student groups throughout our State want to see Indiana make a powerful statement and take action against the genocide in Darfur. Moreover, Indiana is home to one of the largest Darfurian communities in the country, with over 200 refugees living in the Fort Wayne region. We urge you to support this critical legislation, and invite you to join the growing number of citizens taking action against genocide. Six states, five cities, and over 30 colleges and universities have already approved restrictions on Sudan investments. Along with Indiana, about 20 states will consider targeted Sudan divestment legislation this year.

We should not permit "never again" to be a mere slogan. Rather it must represent a firm, moral commitment not to stand idly by in the face of unspeakable terror and violence.

Voting YES on House Bill 1484 puts Indiana within the growing list of those taking action against the genocide in Darfur.

Thank you.

If you agree to sign on to this letter, please email your NAME, TITLE, ORGANIZATION, and LOCATION by close of business Monday, February 19 to Beth Reilly at beth_reilly@earthlink.net or Lindsey Mintz at l_mintz@indyjcrc.org.

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