Expanded airstrikes on Islamic State positions in Syria serve as little more than a recruiting tool for extremists and place more innocent people in danger, the leadership of Pax Christi International said on Sept. 23. The three top leaders of the Catholic peace organization also called upon the world, particularly the United Nations, to work together to seek nonviolent alternatives to stop the Islamic State’s expansion and influence in Iraq and Syria. Bishop Kevin Dowling of Rustenburg, South Africa and Marie Dennis, Pax Christi International co-presidents, and Jose Henriquez, the organization’s secretary-general, proposed alternatives to war, like wide-ranging diplomacy, including direct talks with Islamic State leaders and economic actions aimed at limiting the group’s access to millions of dollars in oil revenues that fund weapons purchases. “We believe that especially the expansion of bombing is more likely to create significant recruiting bonanza for some of the extremist groups, ISIS included,” Dennis said.

This article appears in October 13 2014.