Mahatma Gandhi began a fast in 1948 that eventually led to a pledge among warring Hindus and Muslims to stop fighting in his native India.

Stack

Nearly 60 years later, local peace activists are hoping a similar effort in Columbia will lead to an end to the war in Iraq.

Peace groups today kicked off a "chain fast" in which members will fast off and on for six weeks. The effort is aimed at urging "an end to the U.S. occupation of and war upon Iraq," the Columbia Peace Coalition said in a news release.

"Fasting is one way to try to help recognize our kinship with some of the suffering going on in Iraq," said Jeff Stack, coordinator of the Mid-Missouri Fellowship of Reconciliation. "Fasting can help awaken our spirit a little more and also demonstrate our willingness to take a bit of a small risk."

Dubbed the "Troops Home Fast," the effort is patterned after a protest by national group Code Pink. That group began hunger strikes July 4 in front of the White House in Washington, D.C.

The local protest was to began today and will end Sept. 21 - the International Day of Peace established in 1981 by the United Nations. Organizers said activists will fast for a full day once a week to cover each day during the six-week period. About 25 people have signed up so far.

Stacy Hafley, whose husband is an Iraq war veteran who now suffers from symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder, said she hopes the fasts will grab the attention of Columbia residents. She will not fast, however, citing medical problems.

"Our soldiers were sent to Iraq to fight an immoral war," said Hafley, of the Midwest chapter of Military Families Speak out. "There are so many people out there who see the news daily and don’t understand the effects" of the war "on military families. Most people don’t see the effects on the soldiers when they come back. They don’t see the emotional problems."

Bruce Cornett, a former chairman of the Boone County Republican Party, sees things differently. He supports the war and the troops in Iraq, arguing that the conflict is "a fight of democracy against tyranny."

"In that case, I’ll come down on the side of democracy any time," said Cornett, who added he is "thrilled" the protesters have the right to speak out against the actions of their government.

Stack, a frequent local demonstrator, said fasting provides a way for citizens removed from Iraq and the war to connect with troops in the Middle East.

"We want to raise the moral ante," he said. "We need to step up and show a little more self-sacrifice."