Oklahoma groups pray for peace, troops

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) _ In a silent procession around the site of the bombed out Murrah Building, hundreds of people took part in a walk for peace Sunday afternoon. <br><br>Organized by religious leaders,

Sunday, March 9th 2003, 12:00 am

By: News On 6

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) _ In a silent procession around the site of the bombed out Murrah Building, hundreds of people took part in a walk for peace Sunday afternoon.

Organized by religious leaders, the peace walks contrast the raucous war protests that have been staged across the nation in the past few weeks.

``We walk around this monument to feel the power of one bomb that hit our community,'' said Nathaniel Batchelder, with the Oklahoma City Peace House.

Escorted by police cars, participants silently walked through the empty downtown streets, carrying signs that said ``War is not the answer,'' or ``Brains not bombs.''

The procession was meant to be reverent and prayerful, not political, said Emily Shurley, a member of her Episcopal church's human rights alliance.

Religious groups have been holding the silent walks every Sunday afternoon since mid-January.

``It is our way of appealing for peace,'' Shurley said. ``They are not political, we are not bashing the administration. Those of us who participate are simply demonstrating our wish for peace.''

In Tulsa, musicians, poets and artist gathered Saturday at the University of Tulsa to protest the use of force against Iraq.

As talk of war intensifies and the United Nations ponders a proposal from the United States and England to give Saddam Hussein a March 17 ultimatum to disarm or face war, those at the rally prayed Sunday that government leaders would find a nonviolent solution.

``I pray for President Bush, I pray the U.N. Security Council, I pray for the people of Baghdad,'' said Sister Miriam Schnoebelen, a Benedictine sister with the Red Plains Monastery in Oklahoma City.

``I pray that they have a change of heart and see that war is not the answer.''

For 13-year-old Omar Enchassi, his hope for peace is personal. Carrying a sign that said, ``Don't bomb my grandma's house,'' Enchassi said he fears for the safety of relatives who live in Lebanon and Israel.

``I don't want them to get killed,'' Enchassi said. ``I talked to them about two weeks ago and they're a little scared.''

Along the route, David Bounds stood in the back of his pickup truck decorated with stickers that said Semper Fi, the motto of the U.S. Marine Corps, and a sign that read ``War is bad. Saddam is worse.''

Bounds said he represents the other side of the debate.

``I get letters from my friends in Kuwait. All they're hearing on Armed Forces Radio is how people are opposing the war,'' said Bounds, a high school history teacher. ``That's demoralizing to our troops. They don't need to be in that situation.''

He has come to the east side of the Murrah Building Memorial nearly every Sunday to show support for troops.

Earlier this month, thousands of people crowded into an Oklahoma City office building for a pro-troops rally. The state National Guard and Air National Guard units have deployed nearly 3,000 troops.