Guest blog post by Rev. Mel Caraway and Rev. Phil Dieke
Texas Impact board members meet with Tajikistani faith and civil society leaders in Dallas
We had a great meeting today with a delegation from Tajikistan on “International Religious Freedom.” Their visit was sponsored by the Department of State and the World Affairs Council of Dallas/Fort Worth. Dallas was the final stop on their three week tour of the United States, and Texas Impact was invited to engage with this group. We were represented by Board Members Revs. Phil Dieke, Ashley Anne Sipe, and Amy Moore, along with former Board Member Rev. Mel Caraway. We met with the group at First United Methodist Church Dallas for a 90 minute dialogue on the topic of faith leaders, their communities and engaging lawmakers on pressing public policy issues. The group from Tajikistan included the Imam of a large mosque, the head of the New Apostolic Church, two government officials from the Committee on Religion, and the head of a healthcare NGO focused on tuberculosis whose program is supported by the United Nations.
During our time together, one of the government officials asked how we have addressed climate change policy as faith leaders. We shared that climate justice is a challenge politically as there are still many politicians who refuse either to acknowledge that climate change exists or refuse to address it publicly out of fear they will upset their constituency. When Rev. Amy Moore asked if they experience climate change as a politically divisive issue, the government official, appearing somewhat perplexed, shared that over 90% of Tajikistan is mountainous and people need only to look at the melting glaciers to recognize the effects of climate change. He went on to explain the melting has caused greater floods and issues around clean water, not only in their landlocked country, but in surrounding countries as well.
The other government official asked what work we were most proud of in our advocacy. We talked about the importance of local elections and Texas Impact’s ongoing fight against non-certified/non-religious chaplains in schools and the campaign against vouchers to ensure public education is funded fairly and that our schools are safe for all students. They were also curious to hear our take on immigration, given all that has taken place at the US/Mexico border. We were able to share our biblical rational to welcome the stranger and immigrant, as well as the USA’s need to own our role in welcoming a growing number of refugees who are seeking refuge due to climate change, political instability, and violence in other countries.
The Tajikistan delegation expressed gratitude to be in conversation with faith leaders who were willing to wrestle with difficult, and often divisive, policy topics through the lens of faith. They said, “as outsiders we hear ‘God bless America,’ and surely God has, but it is nice to hear from faith leaders who are fighting for the common good.”
This was a great experience for us, and we hope that our new Tajikistani friends were able to take some positives away as well.