WTC and Pentagon Attacks

- that these events will not lead to the demonization and unjust collective punishment of all Middle Easterners - especially those living in North America.

- that the Christians of the Middle East may act as salt and light in these troubled times.

- that, in the rush for judgment and retribution, we may also find time to re-examine the root causes of such terrorism (which drove 18 men to give their own lives in such an evil and destructive way) and that any resulting action will not fuel an endless spiral of retaliatory violence. For, after all is said and done, no civilization is safe from those who feel so aggrieved or angry that they are ready to give their life to make a political point.

May the God of Peace and Love rule in all our hearts and lives.

Terence Ascott, SAT 7. Egypt

A message from Rev. Dr. Safwat El Baiady, President of the Protestant Churches of Egypt, and Chair or the SAT-7 Board in Egypt:

“There is now the need for the whole world to stand in solidarity for peace. The bloodshed must stop. We don’t want to hear any more about conflict between people of different religions or ideologies. We call for all believers to raise their prayers for the victims’ families, we extend our condolences to them and pray for their comfort and peace. May God also help us to work hard for justice and reconciliation. God bless you all.”

A voice from Palestine - from the Rev. Dr. Mitri Raheb, Pastor of the Christmas Lutheran Church in Bethlehem:

“... With deep sorrow and profound grief we write this message to offer our heartfelt condolences to the mothers, fathers, children, friends and families of the thousands of innocent people who have been the victims of the terrorist attacks yesterday morning on the USA. We would like to reach out to all of our American friends to assure them that we stand by them at this difficult and tragic time. Constantly, for the past eleven months, we have received many messages from our friends from America expressing their solidarity and sharing with us our grief.

We are aware that the media has shown President Arafat’s shocked reaction to this act and his strong condemnation of it. Unfortunately, the media has also shown a few Palestinians celebrating this tragedy... What the media failed to acknowledge was that the majority of Palestinians were shocked, saddened and mournful. We believe that this media campaign is biased and dehumanizes the Palestinian people. Such a campaign follows the same logic of the terrorists, since it deliberately attempts to punish innocent people indiscriminately. In our grief, we are asking ourselves why did the people immediately associate us Palestinians with the perpetrators rather than the victims.

As Palestinians, we can very well understand the pain of our American friends. We know what it means when political leaders are targeted and are not safe in their own offices. We understand what it means when planes attack security headquarters. We know how it feels when the backbone of the economy is assaulted. We do not want to compare suffering, since every suffering is unique and this particular tragedy has such hideous dimensions. Yet, never before have Americans and Palestinians shared so much.

May the peace of Christ be with us all.”

From the RT. Rev. Riah Abu El-Asal, Anglican Bishop in Jerusalem:

“... We forcefully denounce this inhuman and unjustified action, and we join our sufferings with the American people. On behalf of the Episcopal Diocese of Jerusalem, ordained and lay, we assure the President, the government and the people of the United States of our ceaseless prayers, calling upon Almighty God to comfort the hearts of the bereaved for the loss of their dear ones, and beseeching Him to heal all the injured in body, mind or-spirit.

We call on all peace loving people in the world to join hands, minds and hearts in practicing collective common sense before forming opinions and reactions that may inadvertently affect the innocent, as well as combating evil, oppression, injustice and the killing of the innocent ...”

From Rev. Dr. Riad Jarjour, General Secretary, The Middle East Council of Churches (MECC):

...We are devastated by the bestiality that can infect ordinary human beings and transform them into mass murderers and deranged suicide killers. Evil raised its head. Its taunting must be resisted. Evil does not overcome evil; it augments it. Christ taught us that. The democratization of terror and violence on a massive scale points to a profound distortion in the human spirit of our times. And as those who bear the Gospel of Peace, it is this distortion we must overcome. With you we mourn the innocent dead; we bewail our own loss of innocence, our loss of confidence, our loss of a sense of security. And we do so out of a Middle East that has known more than its fair share of death, disillusionment and fear over all-too-many decades ...”

Related links

With so much debate and coverage on the attacks in the US the following are some of the many links you may find useful:

Ecunet has a dynamic ongoing debate regarding the events of September 11th. See Congress2001forum:
http://www.ecunet.org

From Voices In The Wilderness: “With heavy hearts, we quietly ended our fast of forty days. It's hard to find words while hearts still ache for loved ones who will not return. Hard to find words, and yet Ramzi Kysia wrote so clearly what we've increasingly felt: All of us "must break ranks yet again - break ranks and be a voice for peace in the midst of all the cries for hatred and war." His reflections, along with those of several other fasters, are posted on our website at:”
http://www.nonviolence.org/vitw

There is considerable sympathy for the sentiment expressed by war resisters league:
www.warresisters.org/attack9-11-01.htm

Many alternative reactions to Sept 11th, there is a Spanish version too:
http://www.zmag.org/ZNET.htm

The site includes commentary from Noam Chomsky:
http://www.zmag.org/reactionscalam.htm

Dawn, a Pakistani publication, has numerous articles showing the impact of Sept 11 in the region:
http://www.dawn.com/2001/09/17/index.htm

An article entitled: “Whoever attacked the World Trade Centre and the Pentagon, Muslims now face the consequences” at
http://www.muslimedia.com

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