An Open Letter to George W. Bush, president of the United States of America from the Christian Conference of Asia

Dear President Bush:

On behalf of the Christian Conference of Asia, an ecumenical organisation based in Hong Kong, we would like to convey our deepest sympathy to the families of the victims of the hijacking attacks in the US last September 11. We feel very deeply with all the American people and other affected nationals as you all grieve the loss of innocent lives, including the lives of the rescue workers who had put their own lives at risk in the course of their duty.

In our grief and solidarity with you, we strongly condemn such a heinous crime against humanity, even as we condemn all forms of violence against any people, nation or community.

As an ecumenical organisation comprising of 221 member Churches and National Councils of Churches from 18 Asian countries, with a membership of more than 55 million individuals, we strongly believe that suffering at any level by anyone anywhere must be overcome. Our faith always reminds us that God sent to the world the Christ so that everyone might have the "fullness of life".

Aware of the many forms of violence that continue to be faced by the peoples of Asia, the Christian Conference of Asia has affirmed our ecumenical mission of proclaiming in word and deed the saving will of God for fullness of life for all. As a concrete form of this proclamation, we have committed ourselves to the work of "Cultivating the Culture of Peace" as a way of overcoming violence. We made this commitment early this year in the wake of the violence that continues to plague many parts of Asia - due to injustice and poverty, to ethnic and religious enmity, to political and cultural rivalries, and to senseless power struggle and arms race.

It is in this spirit that we appeal to you, the US government and all its allies, including a number of governments from Asia, to prayerfully think of how best to deal with the situation that has been created following the September 11 incident.

We who have lived in a violence-ridden region like Asia know how the cycle of violence can only breed more violence. We also know what it is like when a politically - or economically - motivated war is turned into a religious war. Until now, we continue to live with this problem here in Asia. We therefore need to clarify that this is not a war of religions or of civilisations. We also must understand what it is like to feel real anger and rage at injustice, suffering, and oppression.

In solidarity with you, we want to share with you our own hard-earned lesson: to carefully understand the real roots of the problem. What very often lies beneath "terrorism" or "fundamentalism" is a deep anger or rage resulting from a deep sense of threat or exclusion as well as long exposure to violence itself. It is amazing to know that a number of suicide bombers in some Asian countries are actually orphans whose parents were killed in previous violent experiences. We particularly note that the situation of the Palestinians and Iraqi civilians, and especially the aspiration of the Palestinians for a clearly Palestinian state, is in need of urgent attention by the international community.

We do not support any call for military war, whether through strikes by air, land or sea. We are in fact concerned about how your call for support from other governments can further excite communal violence in many Asian countries along religious and communal lines. Even as there are talks about "proportionate response", we know that Afghanistan and several Asian countries are already ravaged by years of war and are still trying to survive. It is very clear that any course of action you will decide on will drastically affect Asian peoples. And so we ask that even as you consider the human rights of the thousands who were killed on September 11, it is also important to seriously consider the human rights of the Afghan and other Asian peoples. We are particularly concerned about the people of Pakistan, including the Christians who are a minority there, who seem to be caught in the middle of all this.

Military retaliation will not be the best way to deal with the September 11 attacks. It may be the response expec-ted of a powerful nation like the United States. It may also be the expected response of a group of people who are ready to die and would not mind others dying with them in the process. But the real proof of power is in how the United States, and all countries in solidarity with her, can learn and live out the hard way of genuine peace with justice.

It is time that we all begin to think of security not in terms of the usual "national security" concept which is ensured by military might and arms capability. If we are to hold this one world together, we need to work for a "common security and universal prosperity" for all - ensured by the meeting of people's most basic needs for food and land; for respect of their civil and political rights and their basic human aspirations. We must join hands to attain this common security of peace, mutual understanding and goodwill to all.

Our prayer remains: "Give peace a chance".

Very sincerely,

AHN Jae Woong
General Secretary