Dozens of students and community members gathered at the Rotunda for an interfaith prayer vigil last night, coming together to express their reaction to war from a variety of religious perspectives.
The Student Council religious affairs committee organized the vigil. Committee Chair Ranmali Bopitiya, a fourth-year College student, said she wanted the vigil to be less politically-charged than other rallies and protests held in response to the military action in Iraq.
"I feel like I really wanted to make sure political ideology was separate from the vigil," she said. "I think that no matter what views you hold on the war, we are all affected."
Bopitiya began the vigil with words from the Dhamma Pada in the Buddhist tradition.
"Darkness cannot conquer darkness, only light," she said.
Representatives from a variety of different faiths were present at the vigil, including Islam, Hinduism, Christianity, Judaism, Buddhism and Baha'i. Students and religious leaders shared poems, prayers and readings from religious texts.
Muslim Students Association President Zeenat Iqbal described the vigil as an opportunity to pray for people in Iraq as well as in America.
"This just shows that we are thinking about our brothers and sisters in Iraq and hoping to gain some inner peace for ourselves as well," she said.
Rabbi Dan Alexander of the Congregation Beth Israel synagogue in Charlottesville said no one is left unaffected by the conflict.
"War is a powerful, horrible thing no matter what one thinks about it," he said.
The Council religious affairs committee strove to provide an open forum for religious expression.
"Our goal is really just to provide a place where students and community members can come together and feel open to prayer in the manner they feel comfortable," Bopitiya said.
The Charlottesville Center for Peace and Justice co-sponsored the event with Council. CCPJ Event Coordinator Scott Supraner explained their goals for the vigil as well as other rallies in the community.
"Our goal is no longer to prevent war, but to stop it," he said. "We would like to see democracy reinstated in the United States."
The Council Religious Affairs committee began to organize the vigil last Sunday, planning to hold the event the evening after the first invasion of Iraq.
The committee intends to continue its quest for a celebration of culture and faith with a five week series entitled "Evenings in Faith," Bopitiya said. Information about the series is available on the Council Religious Affairs Web site and in Newcomb hall.
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