EPIC CONDEMNS TERRORIST ATTACK AND URGES RESTRAINT For Immediate Release September 11, 2001 The Education for Peace in Iraq Center (EPIC) today condemned the terrorist attacks in New York and Washington. "We are deeply shaken by the unimaginable tragedies that took place this morning." EPIC Director Erik Gustafson continued, "We await reports of casualties with great trepidation, and we join with others in offering our deepest condolences to the families and communities who have lost loved ones." Speaking from Washington, Gustafson expressed concern about reports of bomb threats against faith communities and non-governmental organizations (NGOs) in Washington. "It is essential for all of us to recognize that terrorists do not represent, nor are representative, of any community. We must not allow terrorism the power to create fear, suspicion and hatred or to direct our nation's domestic and foreign policies. We must come together and support each other with faith and trust." Ibrahim Ramey of the Muslim Peace Fellowship and the Fellowship of Reconciliation (FOR) returned early this morning from the Racism Conference in South Africa. His flight landed in Newark at 7 am. Speaking from New York, Ibrahim said, "The tragic and unwarranted attack on civilians by terrorists signals a need for all parties to stop the use of violence. The individuals who carried out these attacks were operating outside moral law. Violence is destructive and counter-productive in any context of peace and justice-making, and can never be justified. I personally call upon the U.S. government and civil society to show restraint, particularly when all the facts are not known." In a statement released today, EPIC cited the 1998 mistaken attack on the Al Shifa pharmaceutical plant in Sudan and expressed hopes for restraint. The statement read in part: "As an organization that has become intimately knowledgeable of the horrific costs of war and violence, EPIC calls on U.S. officials to proceed with caution and not violently rush toward vengeance, but rather seek justice through peaceful and diplomatic means. It is our hope that those responsible will be found and prosecuted. We must all work to realize a world where violent attacks on civilians stop and conflicts are resolved through nonviolent means." - END - |