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U.S. Muslim Group Issues Position on "War Against Terrorism"
By Neveen A. Salem
WASHINGTON, Oct 19 (IslamOnline) - The Washington D.C.-based Muslim American Society (MAS), a grassroots organization aimed at protecting American Muslim civil, political and human rights, issued a communiqué earlier this week regarding its stance on the current "war against terrorism" and its repercussions on the global community and Muslim world.
MAS, like American Muslims and Muslim organizations and individuals worldwide, vehemently condemned the September 11 terrorist attacks on the U.S. and issued their support toward finding the perpetrators of the crime and bringing them to justice.
But MAS has joined the ranks of a select few Muslim organizations (namely, American Muslims for Global Peace and Justice) in calling the world's attention to the plight of Afghan civilians who are being regarded as "collateral damage" - a term strongly condemned when American terrorist Timothy McVeigh wrote off the lives of civilians who died in the Oklahoma City bombing attack as such - but deemed acceptable by the U.S. government in regards to the death of Afghan civilians resulting from current U.S. bombing strikes.
Below is the text of MAS's statement:
Position Regarding the War Against Terrorism
From the outset of the current crisis, Muslims all over the world condemned the terrorist attack on the WTC and the Pentagon, as a matter of adherence to our faith and commitment to our core values. This condemnation was based on solid religious, patriotic, and humanitarian grounds, in addition to the threat to our sense of security that resulted from the attacks. No political or religious cause could ever justify these horrible crimes. The administration, in turn, promised that the war against terrorism would not be a conventional war, and consequently would not lead to the typical "collateral damage", i.e. civilian causalities. Based on these premises, we gave our cautious support to the concept and declared goals of the "war against terrorism", i.e. the concerted, multifaceted effort to rid the whole world of terrorism. We cautioned against rushing into an all out war saying:
"We urge our government to make sure that factual legal evidence, that meets international standards, must be established beyond reasonable doubt before any response plan is developed or executed. We believe that retaliation must be limited to the perpetrators, their accomplices and network of associates. It is important that we present the legal evidence to the world and to the nation harboring these suspected terrorists, and demand that this nation surrender these terrorists within an announced deadline, before targeting such nation with the prospect of war."
Unfortunately, however, the war started without considerations to any of the above precautions. The war is also shaping up to become every bit as conventional as the war against Saddam Hussein of Iraq. We started to hear and see the carpet-bombing, civilian refugees running for their lives, attacks on civilian infrastructure facilities, etc. We feel the serious need to reiterate what we mentioned before in our September 18th press conference: "If the above precautions were not considered, we fear that other actions may lead to the increase of anti-American sentiments and extremism, which led to terrorism in the first place."
We particularly find the following facts very troubling:
- The possible broadening of the war and excessive destruction that may result.
- The lack of any declared objectives for the campaign, which may indicate possible unjustified prolongation of the war.
- The meager humanitarian aid extended by the US compared to the needs and the pre-war UN's World Food Program's supplies of 770 tons per day.
- The destruction of a UN office and the killing of four of its staff by a cruise missile will further complicate matters.
- The threat of expanding the war beyond Afghanistan, which indicates that some officials might be pushing for an all out war and an abuse of the war against terrorism.
- The continuous raids on Afghani cities while the target terrorists are issuing statements and releasing videotapes. This is reminiscent of the Gulf war during which the Iraqi people suffered tremendously, while Saddam was not harmed.
- The fact that a large number of Afghans are expected to die because of the war, directly or as a result of shortage of food and medicine. Killing innocent civilians in Afghanistan is an unacceptable response to the killing of innocent civilians in New York and Washington, DC.
- Indications that the military campaign is moving away from the direction of proportionate retaliation and heading in the direction of an all out war of revenge and destruction of an already destroyed nation.
This approach, we believe, neither helps eliminate terrorism nor serves US interests. To the contrary, it will, more likely, heighten anti-American sentiments, resulting not only in more terrorist attacks in the near future, but also in the production of generations with deep hatred to our nation, the apparent reason behind the attacks on our land and our facilities abroad. Continuing the current military campaign would also render useless all statements and reassurances that this war is not against Islam or Muslim peoples.
Based on all these developments, we believe that the following points require serious consideration:
- We call for restraint and an end to the military campaign, as it is unacceptable to continue a war without stating its clear objectives, and the strategy to spare innocent lives. The strikes are bombing cities, which means killing civilians.
- While we strongly denounce bin Laden's messages, especially his recent threats, and consider them utterly contradictory to Islamic values and teachings, we see no reason for not making public the evidence against him and his organization.
- We express our reservations about military intervention as a solution to terrorism and we call for the need to address the root causes of terrorism, under the auspices of the UN. By defining the problem and establishing the clear distinction between terrorism and legitimate struggles against oppression or occupation, we will avoid the possibility of abusing the war against terrorism. Such an international mechanism will ensure that perpetrators are identified and sentenced and supporters of terrorism (be they individuals, groups, or regimes) are pinpointed and punished, instead of sanctioning entire populations who have nothing to do with terrorism.
- We reassert our position that prevention works best against terrorism. Indeed, terrorism can be greatly reduced or eliminated if we adopt a more balanced foreign policy, particularly in the Middle East, and promote freedom and democracy in all areas of the world. It has become very pressing, now more than ever, that we investigate the link between terrorism and the blind support the US continues to give to Israel and dictatorial regimes around the world, especially in the Muslim World.
- We believe that interference in the internal affairs of other countries by appointing or imposing governments will not serve US interests, particularly in Afghanistan. History indicates that this will likely complicate the situation in Afghanistan. Indeed, the two decade long crisis in Afghanistan was caused by the Soviet Union attempting to impose a government against the will of the Afghani people, a trend that continued ever since. This game must stop as it has not and will not achieve peace and stability in Afghanistan. We expect our country, along with the international community, to play a major role in helping the Afghans elect their own government, one that is representative of the complex ethnic and tribal composition of their country.
- Finally, we reiterate our firm belief that a foreign policy aimed at establishing and promoting freedom, justice, equality and the empowerment of the marginalized masses, along with a relationship between Western powers and the Muslim world based on open communication, understanding, and trust, are the most effective tools for combating and eliminating
terrorism.
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