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News :: Miscellaneous
PRC Statement on Terrorist Attacks of September 11, 2001 Current rating: 0
21 Sep 2001
PRC Statement on Terrorist Attacks of September 11, 2001
The Progressive Resource/Action Cooperative(PRC) passed this statement September 19 at our General Meeting.

Please note the rally planned for Wednesday, September 26 at Noon on the South Patio of the Union.

===================================================
PRC Statement on Terrorist Attacks of September 11, 2001
9/19/2001

The Progressive Resource/Action Cooperative (PRC) has long been involved in movements in opposition to indiscriminate killing and in support of self-determination for all people (for instance, in Iraq, Palestine, Central America, and Bosnia). Therefore, the PRC, as an organization with a long history of struggling for peace with justice, is shocked and horrified by the acts of terrorism committed on September 11th, 2001. We absolutely reject and condemn any and all forms of terrorism. These horrendous attacks unjustly took the lives of thousands of innocent working people and injured a great many more. We express our condolences and strongest sympathies to the friends, co-workers, and families of the injured, missing, and deceased.

In our reflection on this tragedy and on the actions of our nation in its aftermath, we believe it is necessary to call upon the American people and the world community to oppose the scape-goating of Arab Americans; to denounce military retaliation; to resist curtailment of our civil liberties; and to begin to heal our communities through an understanding of the history of injustice and the necessity of working towards peace.

NO SCAPE-GOATING. We are appalled by the prejudice and ignorance which has led many people to stereotype and scapegoat Muslim, Arab, and Arab American individuals resulting in dozens of reported instances of threats and violence against innocent people. The sympathy and support from the Muslim, Arab, and Arab American communities in response to this violence has been overwhelming but has been overshadowed by the American media's narrow coverage of extreme examples of a few Palestinians celebrating the attacks. To insinuate that Middle Eastern people as a whole, or as individuals are guilty by association for the crimes of terrorists is irrational and racist.

NO MILITARY RETALITATION. As we mourn this tragic loss of human life, we must do everything in our power to prevent further carnage. We cannot turn these times of national mourning into blank checks for aggression and war. The media has dubbed the attacks, "the War on America," and has indicated that massive preparations are already underway for retaliatory strikes, if not all-out war. Tuesday's attack, however, was an act of international terrorism, not an act of war since, as of yet, there is no evidence which suggests that a foreign government initiated the attack on the United States. We simply cannot punish another state, let alone its civilian population, for the crime of a group of fanatical and deranged individuals. This logic of collective punishment is as irrational and inhumane as the logic of terrorism espoused by the terrorists themselves and will only serve to accelerate and intensify the cycle of violence. We urge our elected officials to pursue the internationally-recognized judicial means of bringing perpetrators to justice.

NO LOSS OF CIVIL LIBERTIES. Our Congressional representatives are attempting to pass measures that would drastically reduce our civil liberties in the name of national security and the war on terrorism, including increased license for FBI surveillance of civilians. These infringements not only violate our constitutional rights, but will also inevitably be used to disrupt domestic movements for social change. We must resist and, if necessary, reverse these decisions. It is precisely in these times of national crisis and despair that we must champion civil liberties and the freedom to dissent. Our response to terrorism must not be to eliminate civil liberties and transform the U.S. into a police state, but rather for the U.S. to act justly and peaceably toward other nations and respect all people's right to self determination.

HEALING OUR COMMUNITIES AND WORKING FOR PEACE. The key to re-building and healing our communities will be an increased commitment to understanding the history of the U.S.'s responsibility in perpetuating political, social, racial, and economic injustices and inequities and a commitment to working for peace. Peace is not attainable if the cycle of violence is never broken. Violence cannot be responded to with violence. While terrorism is morally reprehensible regardless of the motives of the perpetrators, nature of its targets, or identity of its victims, it is also true that terrorism is bred in a certain social and political environment. For instance, the attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon - symbols of American economic and military power - appear to have been inspired by opposition to U.S. global domination and exploitation. While we mourn for the innocent victims of this tragedy, we must also remember the victims of international terrorism supported by the U.S. For instance, the U.S. exports more weapons than any other country. Our School of the Americas has trained terrorists, interrogators, and death squads in South and Central America. In the last century alone, we have imposed military and economic violence in, among other places, Hiroshima, Nagasaki, Vietnam, and Iraq. In each instance, untold numbers of innocent people lost their lives. It is our duty to ask why.

Why is it significant that the United States is culpable in the killing of innocent people? How should this historical reality inform our present response to terrorist attacks? It is significant because the history of aggression and war demonstrates that responding to violence with violence resolves nothing and only brings greater misery to the multitude of suffering people around the world. For instance, in 1998, in an attempt to punish Osama bin Laden for the bombing of U.S. embassies abroad, the U.S. fired 12 cruise missiles at the Al Shifa pharmaceutical plant in Khartoum, Sudan. This U.S. act of terrorism deprived the Sudanese people of critical drug supplies, a deficiency that was partially responsible for the loss of tens of thousands of lives. This kind of harm to civilian populations cannot happen again. Instead, it is imperative that all compassionate people call upon the U.S. government and its allies to use non-violent means of bringing the terrorists to justice. In order to not create more victims like the ones we mourn today, the U.S. needs to use its leadership to end the cycle of violence.

CALL TO ACTION. In the wake of a national tragedy that has left us shocked and grief-stricken, and whose aftermath threatens more lives, we are reminded of the wisdom of Mother Jones' words, "Remember the dead and fight like hell for the living." In this spirit, the PRC calls on all people of conscience to:

(1) Actively speak out against the irrational and racist scape-goating of Muslim, Arab, and Arab American people.
(2) Oppose any and all military retaliations initiated by the U.S. government or its allies. We must uphold the dignity and human rights of civilian populations by denouncing the indiscriminate use of force against targets where destruction of civilian life and social infrastructure (e.g. hospitals, roads, sewers, etc.) is sure and certain.
(3) Defend our civil rights and liberties against any infringements on these rights by the U.S. government in the wake of this attack. We must uphold and promote the inalienable right of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness for all peoples.
(4) Endeavor to understand the roots of international violence and struggle to work for peace with social justice.
(5) Make your voice heard by joining with others in collective action to promote peace and justice. As one example of such collective action, the PRC is planning an emergency response rally for Wednesday, September 26th at 12noon on the South Patio of the Illini Union on the University of Illinois Quad. Please join us.

The Progressive Resource/Action Cooperative (PRC) is a multi-issue, multi-tactical activist organization committed to struggling for peace with social justice. The PRC is a program of the Illinois Disciples Foundation (IDF). For more information about the PRC, call (217) 352-8721 or email prc (at) prairienet.org.
See also:
www.prairienet.org
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