Women's Federation for World Peace

WFWP logo

The Women's Federation for World Peace (WFWP) is an organization whose stated purpose is to encourage women to work more actively in promoting peace in their communities and greater society.[1] It was founded in 1992 by Hak Ja Han, the wife of Unification Church founder Sun Myung Moon, and is supported by the church. It has members in 143 countries.[1][2][3]

Han has traveled the world speaking at conventions on its behalf.[4] In 1993 the Women's Federation for World Peace held a conference in Tokyo, Japan at which the keynote speaker was former U.S. Vice President Dan Quayle's wife Marilyn Tucker Quayle, and in a speech at the event Han spoke positively of Mrs. Quayle's humanitarian work.[5]

In 1993 Han traveled to 20 cities in the United States promoting Women's Federation for World Peace,[6] as well as to 12 countries.[1] At a stop in Salt Lake City, Utah she told attendants: "If a family is not centered on God's ideal of love, there will be conflict among the members of that family. Without God's love as an absolute center, such a family will ultimately break down. A nation of such families will also decline."[6] Her 1993 speeches in the United States focused on increasing violence in the U.S., and the degradation of the family unit.[7]

In 1995 the Women's Federation for World Peace generated controversy when it indirectly contributed $3.5 million to help Liberty University which at that time was in financial difficulty. This was reported in the United States news media as an example of closer relationships between the Unification Church and conservative Christian congregations.[8]

Han hired former United States president George H. W. Bush to deliver several speeches for the Women's Federation for World Peace in several cities in Japan in 1995,[9][10] as well as at a related conference in Washington D.C.. There he was quoted by the New York Times as saying: "If as president I could have done one thing to have helped the country more it would have been to do a better job in finding a way, either through speaking out or through raising a moral standard, to strengthen the American family."[11]

The event in Japan drew protests from Japanese people who were wary of unorthodox religious groups. Bush's spokesperson Jane Becker stated "We were satisfied that there was not a connection with the Unification Church, and based on the information we were given we felt comfortable speaking to this group."[12] 50,000 people attended Bush's speech in Tokyo.[13] The theme of the talks was "family values".[9] In the half-hour speech, Bush said "what really counts is faith, family and friends". Bush also spoke on the importance of the relationship between Japan and the United States and its importance for world peace.[14] Han spoke after Bush's speech and praised Moon, crediting him for the decline of communism and saying that he must save America from "the destruction of the family and moral decay."[14][15]

In 1999 the Women's Federation for World Peace sponsored a conference in Malaysia in which religious and government leaders spoke on the need to strengthen education and support families, as well as the need for peace and understanding between ethnic and racial groups in the nations.[16] It has also been active in sponsoring various local charity and community events.[17][18] In 2009 it co-sponsored, along with the Unification Church affiliated organization the Universal Peace Federation and the government of Taiwan, a conference in Taipei calling for Taiwan's greater participation in world affairs independent of the People's Republic of China. Taiwan's president, Ma Ying-jeou, spoke at the event.[19]

External links

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Staff (June 19, 1993). "Moon's wife to speak in Lawrence". The Kansas City Star (The Kansas City Star Co.). p. E10.
  2. ↑ Cuda, Amanda (December 28, 2004). "Event works for understanding through friendships". Connecticut Post. p. Section: Womanwise.
  3. ↑ Peterson, Thair (March 21, 1998). "Bridging the Interracial Gap". Long Beach Press-Telegram. p. A3.
  4. ↑ Bainbridge, William Sims (1997). The Sociology of Religious Movements. Routledge. pp. 203–205. ISBN 0-415-91202-4.
  5. ↑ Shupe, Anson D.; Bronislaw Misztal (1998). Religion, mobilization, and social action. Greenwood Publishing Group. pp. 211, 213. ISBN 0-275-95625-3.
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 Bonham, Nicole A. (June 5, 1993). "Moon's Wife Urges Utah Women To Unite Family Against Corruption". The Deseret News (Deseret News Publishing Company). p. A8.
  7. ↑ Graham, Jennifer (July 16, 1993). "Rev. Moon's Wife to Speak: Activist Will Stump for World Peace Saturday at Fairgrounds". The State. p. 2B.
  8. ↑ Fisher, Marc (November 23, 1997). "A Church in Flux Is Flush With Cash". Washington Post. Retrieved 2007-11-14. "Also in 1995, the Women's Federation made another donation that illustrates how Moon supports fellow conservatives. It gave a $3.5 million grant to the Christian Heritage Foundation, which later bought a large portion of Liberty University's debt, rescuing the Rev. Jerry Falwell's Lynchburg, Va., religious school from the brink of bankruptcy."
  9. ↑ 9.0 9.1 Bouza, Tony. The Decline And Fall Of The American Empire: Corruption, Decadence, And The American Dream. p. 187. ISBN 0-306-45407-6.
  10. ↑ Staff (September 19, 1995). "Moon Brings Message of Family Love - Touring Evangelist Sees Cure For World Problems". Seattle Post-Intelligencer. Retrieved 2009-04-20.
  11. ↑ Chronicle, New York Times, July 15, 1995
  12. ↑ Sullivan, Kevin; Mary Jordan (September 6, 1995). "Moon Group Paying Bush For Speeches - Foes of Church Criticize Japan Tour". The Washington Post (The Washington Post Company). p. A25.
  13. ↑ Goldsmith, Steven (September 19, 1995). "Moon Brings Message of Family Love - Touring Evangelist Sees Cure For World Problems". Seattle Post-Intelligencer. p. B1.
  14. ↑ 14.0 14.1 Sullivan, Kevin (September 15, 1995). "Bush Stresses Family In Tokyo Speech - Former President Addresses Followers of Unification Church Leader's Wife". The Washington Post (The Washington Post Company). p. A27.
  15. ↑ Staff (September 17, 1995). "SEPT. 10-16; Mr. Bush's Asian Tour". The New York Times. Retrieved 2009-04-21.
  16. ↑ "Catering to Emerging Needs of Families", New Straits Times, 1999-4-16
  17. ↑ Councilman Lauds Citizens’ Group for Jackson Park Clean-Up, New Jersey Today, January 13, 2012
  18. ↑ Fukushima children to visit Cyprus for Christmas, Cyprus Mail, January 17, 2012
  19. ↑ Bilateral economic ties will ease tensions with China: Ma, China Post, January 18, 2009