|
American Muslims Call for Peaceful Efforts to End the Conflict in Afghanistan
By Neveen A. Salem
WASHINGTON D.C., Oct 24 (IslamOnline) - National American Muslim organizations based in Washington D.C. called for peaceful efforts to end the war on Afghanistan while reiterating their unequivocal condemnation of the attacks on the U.S. on September 11 in a joint statement released yesterday.
Yousef Al-Yousef, chairman of American Muslims for Global Peace and Justice (AMGPJ) - one of the first organizations to strongly come out against the deaths of innocent civilians in Afghanistan - told IslamOnline in an interview that he felt it was imperative for all Americans to call for and "appreciate" life and not to resort to killing innocent civilians.
"As American Muslims, we - as do all people of conscience - dislike to see any innocent lives being taken. While we are trying to achieve a noble cause in bringing the perpetrators [of the September 11 attacks] to justice, we need to be careful not to infringe upon the lives of innocent civilians, so as not to repeat what happened to us on September 11."
Khalid Turaani, executive director of American Muslims for Jerusalem (AMJ) also expressed his organization's stance on the taking of innocent civilian lives, saying, "Just as our hearts and prayers go out to our Palestinian brothers and sisters suffering under a violent Israeli occupation, so too do they go out to our Afghani brothers and sisters."
He went on to say that "Our [American Muslim] condemnation of the attacks on September 11 were not designed to be a
carte blanche to take innocent civilian lives."
Souheil Ghannouchi, President of the Muslim American Society (MAS) in an interview with IslamOnline also reiterated the call for the sanctity of human life, especially regarding innocent civilians.
"As American Muslims, we stand for justice regardless of who is involved. And in doing so, we see no contradiction between looking after the interests of our country and caring for the welfare of our innocent brothers and sisters in Afghanistan," he stated.
"Only through justice, we can succeed in the war against terrorism, eliminate anti-American sentiments, improve the image and reputation of the U.S. all over the world, and make the world a better place to live," he continued.
In their joint statement, the participating organizations reiterated their support for bringing to justice those responsible for planning, executing or knowingly helping to carry out the attacks on Washington and New York last month.
But they also stated that while doing so, they believe that all legal provisions, and procedures of law, national and international, must be adhered to, a position also taken by the international community.
"We believe the bombing in Afghanistan is not in the long-term interest of our country or the world at large. The bombing victimizes the innocents, exacerbates the humanitarian disaster, and creates widespread resentment across the Muslim world.
"Allowing thousands of innocent civilians to die in the harsh Afghan winter will only serve to weaken the global resolve to root out terrorism. The senseless starvation of women and children will fuel hate and extremism," read their jointly issued statement.
The coalition also called on the U.S. government to urgently re-assess its action in Afghanistan, and to cease the bombing campaign and other military actions.
"Our government should seek a more effective and long-term strategy to deal with terrorism and its causes, whether such violence is committed by individuals, groups or states. We feel that international disputes should be resolved through U.N. mechanisms and in accordance with its charter," the coalition stated.
The organizations, many of whom actively work towards the protection of civil and human rights, said they stand ready to help the U.S. government in building bridges of understanding with Muslim countries, and assist in removing root causes of misunderstanding, grievances and conflict.
They also stated that while they support efforts to end terrorism, they conscientiously oppose the extension of bombing to other countries, stating that "such attacks will aggravate an already explosive and destabilizing situation."
Counteracting several American Muslim organizations' recent declarations of American Muslim military personnel's "duty" to actively fight in the war - deemed by many to be kowtowing to the Administration out of fear they will be seen as "unpatriotic" - the coalition stated that, "As Americans, we believe that it is not only our right but also our civic duty and responsibility to express our sincere views of what is in the long-term interest of our country. We strongly reject any suggestion that opposing a certain policy [or action] of our government is tantamount to disloyalty. This suggestion is undemocratic, unfair and un-American."
American Muslim Council (AMC) and the Islamic Institute (II), recently in the news for their support of a
fatwa (Islamic ruling) regarding American Muslim military personnel did not sign onto the statement.
"We have made our position very clear in our own previous statements and did not need to further clarify our position. And we did not feel comfortable with the [jointly] issued statement," said Aly Abuzaakouk, executive director of AMC, but did not further clarify what parts of the statement AMC found troubling.
Islamic Institute was not available for comment.
The coalition also expressed their concern about the passing of possibly unconstitutional anti-terrorism measures, which may curtail civil liberties in the name of security. "Such measures are unlikely to make Americans safer and may be applied in a discriminatory manner against American citizens and lawful residents from specific ethnic and religious groups," they cautioned.
The organizations co-signing the jointly issued statement included the Muslim American Society (MAS), Islamic Circle of North America (ICNA), Council on American Islamic Relations (CAIR), Muslim Alliance of North America (MANA), Islamic Society of North America (ISNA), Muslim Public Affairs Council (MPAC), Muslim Student Association (MSA), Islamic Association for Palestine (IAP), United Association for Studies and Research (UASR), Solidarity International, American Muslims for Global Peace and Justice (AMGPJ), United Muslim Americans Association (UMAA), Islamic Media Foundation (IMF), American Muslim Foundation (AMF), Coordinating Council of Muslim Organizations (CCMO), American Muslims for Jerusalem (AMJ), Muslim Arab Youth Association (MAYA).
Full text of Statement
|
