Last month, representatives of nationwide religious groups appealed to Congress to re-focus its attention on the genocide in Darfur. Archbishop Vicken Aykazian, Legate for the Diocese of the Armenian Church of North America joined fellow members of the Interfaith Sudan Working Group, a coalition of Jewish, Muslim and Christian organizations working for lasting peace in the troubled East African nation. Following a prayer breakfast at the U.S. Capitol, the group delivered copies of the children's fairy tale book, Humpty Dumpty, to all 535 Members of Congress, signifying the fragility of the situation in Sudan, reported the Armenian Assembly of America (Assembly).

"April is a particularly important month and it is heartening to know that it has been designated as Genocide Prevention Month in recognition of the fact that the Holocaust and the start of the genocidal atrocities that befell the Armenian, Ukrainian, Cambodian, Rwandan, and Darfurian peoples all took place in April," stated Archbishop Vicken Aykazian. "It's a shame that at the beginning of the 21st century genocides are still taking place," continued Archbishop Aykazian. "If the Armenian Genocide was recognized in the beginning of the 20th century, maybe those genocides wouldn't have followed."

The interfaith group met with Senator Russ Feingold (D-MN) a stalwart for human rights and advocate for anti-genocide policies. Archbishop Aykazian thanked him for his efforts on Darfur and for his cosponsorship of S. Res. 316, the Armenian Genocide resolution.

Senator Feingold told the Assembly that "this horrific tragedy took the lives of 1.5 million Armenians and forced more than 500,000 from their homeland. I have repeatedly called for the U.S. government to officially recognize the Armenian Genocide. And as a cosponsor of a Senate resolution recognizing the genocide, I was pleased last month when the House Foreign Affairs committee passed a similar resolution."

In addition to their efforts on Capitol Hill, the Interfaith Sudan Working Group placed a compelling piece in the Roll Call newspaper, of which the Assembly was listed as a supporter during the same week of the House Foreign Affairs Committee's passage of the Armenian Genocide resolution. The coalition's anti-genocide activities were also highlighted in an article in The Hill newspaper.

Sponsored by the American Jewish World Service, faith leaders who participated in the prayer breakfast and book delivery included: Rabbi David Saperstein, Director, Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism; Rev. Gloria White-Hammond, AME Pastor; Co-Founder, My Sister's Keeper; Galen Carey, Director of Government Affairs, National Association of Evangelicals; Archbishop Vicken Aykazian, Diocese of Armenian Church of America; Bishop David Jones, Episcopal Church; Imam Johari Abdul-Malik, Director, Community Outreach, Dar Al-Hijrah Islamic Center; Kirk Betts, Board Chair Emeritus, Lutheran World Relief; Dr. Steve Colecchi, Director of the Office of International Peace and Justice for the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops; and Ruth Messinger, President, American Jewish World Service.

"The genocide in Darfur is a vivid reminder of how the consequences of inaction and genocide denial continue to have profound repercussions," stated Taniel Koushakjian, Assembly Grassroots Director who participated in the coalition's work on Capitol Hill. "Our continued efforts also send a powerful message to genocidal regimes - that we will not be bystanders, but rather upstanders."