a) The Religious Society of Friends has issued a number of statements, including the
The Friends Committee on National Legislation has set up a web page with resources, including reflections from pacifist traditions, background information on the region, etc.
3) Responses from other faith communities
a) The Pluralism Project has been collecting news stories on the responses of Muslims, Sikhs, and Interfaith groups to the tragedies in New York and Washington. These stories are available on their site.
b) The Interreligious Council of Russia has issued a statement on the terrorist attacks in the USA, condemning the attacks and urging that a distinction be made between terrorist fanatics and loyal followers of Islam. The statement concludes by saying "Let these events urge peoples of the world not to wars and divisions, but to the creation of a just and harmonious world order, where no brutal establishment of convictions and values would exist, but faith, culture and the views of all peoples would be equally respected. Only in this case [would] any base for terrorism and violence be destroyed."
c) The Council on American-Islamic Relations, a Washington-based Islamic advocacy group, issued a press release expressing both support for President George W. Bush’s effort to fight terrorism and concern for the safety of innocent Afghanis. Available on our site.
d) Chandra Muzaffar, President of the International Movement for a Just World, has written an open letter on "US Military Strikes - Not the Remedy."
e) The Sant’Egidio Community organized a Muslim-Christian Summit in Rome from 3-4 October. The appeal from that meeting may be found on their site.
f) Catholic bishops and Muslim leaders issued a joint statement in response to the attacks in the United States. The statement says that "We believe that the one God calls us to be peoples of peace. Nothing in our Holy Scriptures, nothing in our understanding of God’s revelation, nothing that is Christian or Islamic justifies terrorist acts and disruption of millions of lives which we have witnessed this week."
4) Responses from civil society organizations
a) The statement from the Pacific Asia Resource Center raises several areas of concern, including the impact of the present crisis on globalization and on Japanese military power in the region.
b) Three Nobel peace laureates have written an open letter to Kofi Annan, general secretary of the United Nations to express their rejection of military actions initiated on 7 October, and their conviction of the need for strong international instruments. The letter, signed by Mairead Corrigan Maguire, Adolfo Pérez Esquivel and Rigoberta Menchú Tum is available in English and in Spanish on our site.
c) The statement from the Coalition for the International Criminal Court (CICC) and theAsian Forum for Human Rights and Development (Forum Asia) looks at the present situation from the viewpoint of the need for an International Criminal Court.
d) Amnesty Internationa has issued a report on "The backlash: human rights at risk around the world", documenting evidence of a backlash against Muslims and people of Middle Eastern or Asian origin or appearance in at least 10 countries. The report notes that in the USA alone, more than 540 attacks on Arab-Americans and at least 200 on Sikhs were reported in the week following the attacks.
e) Human Rights Watch has established a website which provides links to documents of particular interest, including sections on US policy, the crisis in Afghanistan, hate crimes in the aftermath, repression in the name of anti-terrorism, international coalition, Human Rights Watch response, response at the United Nations, and past Human Rights Watch reports on US military actions.
f) Jesuit Refugee Service reports that 12 detained asylum-seekers in the United States sent a letter of condolence to a JRS volunteer in the wake of the terrorist attacks on 11 September. The letter expresses « with a deep heart, our sincere condolence to the government and good people of this great country » and concludes by saying « We pray for God’s divine protection on this country. » See JRS Dispatches at : http://www.jesref.org/refugee/index.htm.
g) Humanist International has issued a statement "in the face of the horror of the September 11th terrorist massacre and in the face of the madness of the war that the Bush administration has declared" which includes 10 commitments, including "our inalienable intention to stop this war," and "recognition of diversity as the greatest contribution and wealth that people bring."
h) Fourteen leading British charities and aid organizations joined in a call to express their horror at the terrorist attacks and their concern about a "descent into a spiral of violence". The statement goes on to say "the experience of NGOs working across the world shows that - as in the USA - it is often innocent people who are the victims of violence. We urge the United States and its allies to assess carefully the potential impact any proposed military action might have on the poor, the innocent and the voiceless."
i) "My greatest wish is to be happy, to learn to read and write, to have warm shoes and eat as much as I want to. I want to return home." Ahmad Hussein, 12 year old internally displaced Afghan child. With this message, Amnesty International begins its new report, Afghanistan: Protect Afghan Civilians and Refugees in which is goes on to say "In light of the military strikes launched by the United States of America (USA) and the United Kingdom (UK) against targets in Afghanistan, their forces and their Taleban opponents must ensure full respect for human rights and the rules and principles governing international armed conflicts."
5) Humanitarian concerns
a) ACT members and partners face challenges following military strikes against Afghanistan, as tensions run high in Pakistan following the military attacks on Pakistan. Already, relief trucks carrying desperately needed resources for the people of Afghanistan, are being held up at border points between the two countries. Report
b) Help may come too late: ACT Member NCA warns that displaced people inside Afghanistan need immediate support.
c) ACT News Release: October 9, 2001: The number of refugees from Afghanistan into Pakistan has not risen dramatically since the first air strikes were launched on Sunday, ACT members Church World Service (CWS) and Norwegian Church Aid (NCA) report. They are however very concerned about the urgent need of food and shelter experienced by thousands of internally displaced people.
a) The Women's Commission web site offers statements and guidelines on the refugee crisis in Afghanistan in response to the September 11 attacks, with particular emphasis on its impact on refugee women and children.
b) Church World Service has issued a report on the current situation of Afghan refugees.
6) Summaries of intergovernmental responses
a) UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan, issued a statement on 8 October, stating that the "ongoing action must also be viewed in the light of the Security Council’s reaffirmation of the inherent right of individual and collective self-defence in accordance with the UN Charter. He also called attention to the dire plight of Afghan civilians and stressed the need for the international community to work "harder than ever" to encourage a political settlement to the conflict in Afghanistan. He said the UN "was actively engaged in promoting the creation of a fully representative, multi-ethnic and broad-based Afghan Government."
b) The European Monitoring Centre on Racism and Xenophobia has compiled a report entitled "Anti-Islamic reactions within the European Union after the recent acts of terror against the USA," which is a collection of country reports from national focal points. The document reports on verbal and physical attacks, reactions from political leaders and media coverage. While there are some reports of violence directed at Muslims and mosques, the report finds that political leaders in all countries have made statements condemning such violence and that media coverage has, by and large, been responsible. The EUMC intends to follow up this short term initiative with further reports to be published in November and December 2001 and in January 2002.
7) Resources for study and worship
a) Clement John, WCC International Relations staff, has written a provocative reflection entitled "Spill over of the Afghan War in Pakistan" which provides a historical context for understanding the consequences of the present Afghan crisis on Pakistan. The article raises the question of "what happens once the US has achieved its objectives in Afghanistan, whatever they may be? Will Pakistan be left to deal with the mess once again?"
b) Carlos Ham, WCC staff member from the Presbyterian-Reformed Church in Cuba, offered reflections on the current situation in the context of the Decade to Overcome Violence at a worship service at WCC on 1 October 2001. The order of service and reflections can be found on this site.
c) Additional prayers are available on this site.
d) Aids for dealing with the national tragedy of September 11, including information for people affected by the terrorist attacks and assistance in planning prayer services have been posted on the U.S. bishops' web site. The page known as "National Tragedy" was set up September 12, the day after terrorists brought unparalleled death and destruction in New York City and Washington. The page also will include samples of condolence notes sent to U.S. Catholics from all around the world and responses to the tragedy by Pope John Paul II and the U.S. bishops." The Bishops’ web site also offers information on liturgical aids, Papal and Bishops’ remarks and condolences from around the world.
e) Media Monitors Network presents a variety of articles and reflections on the current crisis. "Backlash and Backtrack" by Edward Said provides a thoughtful analysis from a Middle Eastern perspective, with particular attention to the US use of language about the conflict. "TV News: A Militarized Zone" by Norman Solomon examines shortcomings and bias in television news coverage of military actions in Afghanistan. "West is as West does" by Hani Shukrallah looks at the characterization of the conflict as a war against the west from a Middle Eastern perspective.
f) Charles and Ruth West have written a joint reflection raising some ethical questions in light of the events on 11 September. They ask whether Americans "can learn, under God's guidance, to live creatively with the insecurity into which we have now been thrust? can we learn that, as a nation, we are truly dependent on the community of other peoples among whom we live? Can we learn to live with, and offer hope to, those who resent us and sometimes call themselves our enemies?" Former staff members at the WCC Ecumenical Institute at Bossey, Charles West is a retired professor of Christian Ethics at Princeton Theological Seminary; Ruth West is a retired professor of special education and an elder in the Presbyterian Church USA.
g) Rony Brauman, the former president of "Médecins sans Frontières," has written "Vous avez dit crise humainitaire" in Le Monde which explores the question of proportionality in the military response to the attacks in the United States.
h) The Washington Office on Africa has set up a new web page with reactions from African sources - the press, churches, individuals. The web site includes a Litany from the special service and prayers for the people of America at All Saints Cathedral in Nairobi.
i) In a television interview, Metropolitan Kirill of Smolensk and Kalingrad of the Russian Orthodox Church, reflects on the question of US military retaliation in the context of just war. He stated that "the United States have the right to re-establish justice by using military means. But if they want their actions to be justified, these actions should be adjusted to the threat appeared. Military actions should not result in sufferings of peaceful population. If retaliatory attacks results in new wave of confrontation, then the United States will bear responsibility for it. However, if the military attack is adequate, if those who committed this monstrous crime are punished, then the military actions will keep within the frames of a just war as the Christian tradition defines it." In the interview, Metropolitan Kirill also explores the dangers of a unipolar world, asserting that we " can reach balance in the world only if we learn to live together, if one system or civilization values wouldn’t suppress another. Otherwise we’ll never get rid of terrorism and wars... So only in a multipolar world is it possible to keep the balance of spiritual, cultural, economic and political interests.
j) John Paul Lederach, a Mennonite from the US whose work in the area of conflict resolution, has reflected on the current crisis and concludes, "Let us not fulfill their prophecy by providing them with martyrs and justifications. The power of their action is the simplicity with which they pursue the fight with global power. They have understood the power of the powerless. They have understood that melding and meshing with the enemy creates a base from within. They have not faced down the enemy with a bigger stick. They did the more powerful thing: They changed the game. They entered our lives, our homes and turned our own tools into our demise. We will not win this struggle for justice, peace and human dignity with the traditional weapons of war. We need to change the game again."
k) Lucrecia Molina Theissen of the InterAmerican Institute for Human Rights has written a reflection on the current situation, with particular emphasis on the implications for Latin America. She notes, for example, that the Costa Rican House of Representatives is considering anti-terrorist legislation which includes measures such as deportation f any foreigners considered a threat to national security, the possibility of indefinite detention of "suspicious" citizens or foreigners during a crisis of national security. She also explores the implications of the recent decision of the OAS which assumes that an attack on one of its members is an attack on all.
l) How can those responsible for planning and assisting in the attacks of 11 September be brought to justice, and how can the international community take effective measures against the threat and practice of terrorism wherever it occurs? Reliable answers to many of those questions will be a long time coming, but public debate and exploration are an essential part of the process of developing constructive action. Ernie Regehr, Director of Project Ploughshares, Institute for Peace and Conflict Studies, Waterloo, Canada has prepared a contribution to the public debate.
j) A message from Sami Aldeeb a Christian of Palestinian origin who is responsible for the Arabic and Islamic Law in the Swiss Institute of Comparative Law, Lausanne, states " The tragedy in the United States stirs passions. Words miss to describe it After all, when the knell sounds, nobody has the right to ask for whom it tolls. All innocent victims, wherever they are, deserve our sympathy. (...) Today, more that ever, the world is called to choose between barbarism on behalf of all, and justice for all." See the complete message. The text is also available in French
m) Richard Falk’s article "A Just Response" provides an insightful analysis of the constraints of US action in responding to the 11 September attacks, including questions such as "what if no targets can be found?" and the importance of the United Nations.
n) Interfaith Understanding and Engagement: Many congregations have expressed interest in exploring issues in interfaith relationships and dialogue following the tragedy on September 11th in the USA. The United Church of Canada's web site offers suggestions for actions with Muslim neighbors as well as resources for Interfaith Understanding and Engagement.
o) Guidelines for Religious Ceremonies Involving More than One Faith Tradition: Prayer involving members of more than one religious tradition is appropriate on public occasions when the wider community comes together to celebrate, or to mourn, following tragedy. Such religious ceremonies grow out of, and reflect, respect for all traditions present.
p) Some further useful guidelines for inter-faith dialogue include "Catholic-Muslim Relations" by John Borelli, "What dialogue means for Catholics and Muslims" by Archbishop Alexander J. Brunett, "How an Islamic Leader Views Dialogue" by Muzammil Siddiqi, "How Mary Holds Christians and Muslims in Conversation" by Cardinal William Keeler.
8) Calls for Action
a) The Ecumenical Advocacy Alliance offers the following action points:
World Council of Churches (WCC)
and the