The
terrorist attacks in the USA
A personal view
by
Dr. Peter
Jarman, TFF Associate, York, England
Religious Society
of Friends (Quakers)
My first reaction was of incredulity: was I watching a
movie or was this real? This was real. I was mesmerised.
Then one of the Trade Centre's towers collapsed. I fell
deeply silent within myself, and an awareness of the
suffering and grief all this was causing gripped me. Very
many people are in deep grief for very many innocent
lives have been lost by this act of terrorism, which was
a dreadfully evil act. I uphold these people and all
those in the administration of states who are responsible
for responding to this crisis.
Terrorism is indeed a threat to civilised societies
and democracy and the following reflections should not be
perceived as diminishing this conviction.
My Buddhist training helps me to examine the causes of
suffering and these include those causes of terrorism
that are not entirely irrational. There is some basis for
the anti-American and anti-British feelings especially in
the Arab world, but I am unaware of any evidence that any
Arabs are implicated in this catastrophe. These feelings
may arise through our failure to be even handed over the
rights of Palestinians and Israeli Jews, or to respond
effectively to the great suffering of Iraqis over ten
years following the Gulf war, or through the aftermath of
the imperial domination of the Arab world by the
West.
I hope that the terrorists will be apprehended. I hope
and pray that the US/NATO response will not be to take
military action that will aggravate these ill feelings
and kill more innocent civilians. Better still would be
pursue means of addressing the underlying causes of ill
feelings towards Britain and the USA through alleviating
poverty and distress, and endeavouring with more vigour
to ensure that the Palestinians for example enjoy their
birthright of a home of their own. I am mindful however
that Britain and the USA have engaged in military actions
during acts of war that have taken many civilian lives,
sometimes deliberately so and not simply as collateral
damage.
I query whether the terrorist attack can properly be
regarded as an act of war: I presume that acts of war can
only be perpetrated by nation states acting on their own
or in collusion with others. Defining the attack as an
act of war leads to the military being placed on a war
fighting posture, and this could pose more dangers than
benefits. The terrorist attack was to my mind a war-like
act requiring a different response to an act of war.
I am anxious that rather than addressing the causes of
unrest in the world today, the British and American
governments may increase this unrest by military actions.
Phrases like 'we will smoke them out' are not those of
enlightened statesmanship. The military responses to a
single isolated nationalist who assassinated Crown Duke
Ferdinand in Sarajaevo was World War I. I shudder to
contemplate what might be the effect of a military
response through Pakistan to Afghanistan in response to
the actions of what might be less than a score of
hijackers
©
TFF & the author 2001
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