SIGNIS Malaysia has launched an online petition calling for an immediate ceasefire in the Iran conflict, urging Christian communicators and people of goodwill to press for a return to dialogue amid escalating violence.
The live online petition, launched on April 20, is gaining traction as humanitarian concerns intensify across the region.
Invoking the Gospel message, “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called children of God,” the appeal rejects violence that undermines human dignity and fractures societies. It calls on global leaders, particularly those with political and military influence, to pursue an immediate ceasefire, ensure the protection of civilians and commit to diplomatic solutions over further escalation.
Speaking to Radio Veritas Asia, SIGNIS Malaysia president Karen Arukesamy said: “Solidarity cannot be confined by borders or beliefs. This appeal is intentionally inclusive because the suffering caused by war makes no distinctions. In praying for victims, refugees and displaced families, we stand as one human family, without exception.”
She said the petition is intended to carry weight beyond symbolism. “This is more than a gesture. By gathering these signatures and submitting them to diplomatic missions and international representatives in Malaysia, we are placing a clear moral obligation before those in positions of authority to act decisively for peace.”
Arukesamy stressed that the initiative is also a call to conscience at a time of deepening conflict. “We cannot normalise the language of escalation while civilians pay the price,” she said. “This petition is a reminder that peace is not optional, but urgent, and that leaders must choose dialogue over destruction.”
“If enough voices speak with clarity and conviction, they can shape the moral climate in which decisions are made,” she added. “That is the purpose of this appeal, to insist, collectively, that the path of war is neither inevitable nor acceptable.”
Organisers said signatures gathered through the campaign will be compiled and presented as a public moral witness, to be shared with diplomatic missions and international representatives in Malaysia.
Radio Veritas Asia (RVA), a media platform of the Catholic Church, aims to share Christ. RVA started in 1969 as a continental Catholic radio station to serve Asian countries in their respective local language, thus earning the tag “the Voice of Asian Christianity.” Responding to the emerging context, RVA embraced media platforms to connect with the global Asian audience via its 21 language websites and various social media platforms.
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