President Donald Trump’s public threat against Iran that “a whole civilization will die tonight, never to be brought back again” is dangerous and immoral. The destruction of an entire people is genocide. Collective punishment and the targeting of civilians and civilian infrastructure violate international law.
Calls for the destruction of civilizations stand in direct opposition to honoring the sacred dignity of every human life, a principle at the core of our religious traditions. We cannot be indifferent and stand idly by, nor can we minimize the seriousness of this moment.
At ICJS, we call on people of faith and conscience to speak out—contact your elected representatives and urge them to protect human life and dignity, to reject collective punishment, and to seek a just and lasting peace.
Photo: Earth taken from the Artemis II spacecraft, courtesy of NASA