wfn.org | Letter to UN on terrorism

["Sheila Mesa" <smm@wcc-coe.org>]

World Council of Churches
Update 01-34
For Immediate Use
2 October 2001

The answer to terrorism should not lead to more violence and
terror
WCC general secretary writes to UN secretary-general 

Cf. WCC Press Update, Up-01-33, of 21 September 2001
Cf. WCC Press Release, PR-01-32, of 11 September 2001
 
That the answer to terrorism cannot be to respond in kind, for
this can lead only to more violence and terror, is the central
tenant of a letter from the general secretary of the World
Council of Churches (WCC), Rev. Dr Konrad Raiser, to United
Nations' (UN) secretary-general Kofi Annan. In the letter, dated
1 October, Raiser also expresses his gratitude for Annan's "wise
and measured leadership ... in the difficult period since the
tragic, heart-rending day of 11 September".

In that context, Raiser calls upon all nations to remove any
possible justification for terrorist acts: "So long as the cries
of those humiliated by unremitting injustice, by the systematic
deprivation of their rights, and by the arrogance of power of
those who possess unchallenged military might are ignored or
neglected by a seemingly uncaring world, terrorism will not be
overcome."

According to Raiser, "the answer to terrorism must be found in
redressing these wrongs that breed violence between and within
nations".

Referring to the Decade to Overcoming Violence launched by the
WCC in February this year, the WCC general secretary acknowledged
that "Christians have often contributed to shaping a culture of
violence". 

"Thus, the Decade represents a call to repentance and calls
churches and individual Christians to reflect deeply on the
violence we bear within us... . It also calls us to pursue ever
more vigorously a "Dialogue among Civilizations", and to deepen
interreligious dialogue with all those who believe that God wills
justice and peace for all people", Raiser writes.

The text of the letter by WCC general secretary Konrad Raiser 
to UN secretary-general Kofi Annan follows:

"I write to thank you for the wise and measured leadership you
have given your staff, the United Nations and the peoples of the
world in the difficult period since the tragic, heart-rending day
of 11 September.  (

We were especially grateful for your address to the General
Assembly on 24 September.  Your words of encouragement in the
face of widespread despair, your message of hope, and your call
for the rejection of the path of violence were both poignant and
timely. 

As you have so clearly pointed out, these attacks have shown the
extreme vulnerability of all nations, and indeed the fragility of
the present global system.  A world in which ever greater numbers
of nations and peoples are being consigned to extreme poverty
while great wealth accumulates in others is inherently unstable
and vulnerable to acts of extreme violence.  A world in which the
spirit, logic and practice of war dominate the policies of
powerful nations, and in which these are reflected back to the
peoples of the world through an increasingly monochrome global
media, is a world that breeds violence. 

The violence of terrorism - in all its many forms - is abhorrent
to all who believe human life is a gift of God and therefore
infinitely precious.  Every attempt to intimidate others by
inflicting indiscriminate death and injury upon them is to be
universally condemned.  The answer to terrorism, however, cannot
be to respond in kind, for this can lead only to more violence
and terror.  Instead a concerted effort of all nations is needed
to remove any possible justification for such acts. 
 
So long as the cries of those humiliated by unremitting
injustice, by the systematic deprivation of their rights, and by
the arrogance of power of those who possess unchallenged military
might are ignored or neglected by a seemingly uncaring world,
terrorism will not be overcome.  The answer to terrorism must be
found in redressing these wrongs that breed violence between and
within nations.
  
We hope and pray that the response to the terrible tragedies of
11 September will mark a turning point for a global reassessment
of our collective responsibility to heal the wounds and offer new
perspectives to our world.   Certainly it is this, not the
language of war, that would be the finest tribute to those who
lost their lives in these terrible attacks.

In the context of the Decade to Overcome Violence launched by
the World Council of Churches early this year, churches and
individual Christians around the world are striving to break the
rising spiral of  retributive violence that has brought so much
pain and suffering to people through the ages.  In declaring this
Decade, the WCC assembly in Harare (1998) gave recognition to the
UN "International Decade for a Culture of Peace and Non-Violence
for the Children of the World".  The assembly was acutely aware
of the fact that Christians have often contributed to shaping a
culture of violence.  We have often blessed the war-makers and
offered justification for violence. Thus the Decade represents a
call to repentance and calls churches and individual Christians
to reflect deeply on the violence we bear within us and seek to
free ourselves from its bondage. It also calls us to pursue ever
more vigorously a Dialogue among Civilizations, and to deepen
interreligious dialogue with all those who believe that God wills
justice and peace for all peoples.
 
We hope that the nations and their leaders will now approach
their responsibilities in a similar way. This is not a time for
the building of coalitions of states that accede to or agree to
participate in further acts of retaliation or aggression.  It is
rather an opportunity to rally the peoples and the nations to a
renewed universal commitment to the aims of the Charter of the
United Nations and to forge a new global force for justice.  As
you have so rightly put it, the most effective international
coalition to overcome the threat of terrorism is the United
Nations itself, and it is, as you put it, "the natural forum"
that "alone can give global legitimacy" to this effort.  Only
together can the nations and their peoples hope to achieve true
peace and security.  The messages of compassion that have been
sent from the four corners of the world to the government and
people of the United States need to be embodied in policies and
acts of compassion for all those who languish now in abject
poverty and armed conflict.
 
The reaction to these acts must not be greater isolationism, but
rather should lead all nations to join fully in the efforts of
the international community to face common challenges, and there
to assume their full share of obligations under the Charter,
financial and other, to the United Nations.

The reaction to these acts must not be a global retreat back
into militarism, doctrines of national security or states of
emergency that suspend guarantees and protection of fundamental
human rights.  Democracy has been purchased at too high a price
for its freedoms again to be sacrificed.  Reliance on notions of
security based on superior military power must give way to new
approaches that seek human security based on justice for all. 

Respect for and the strengthening of the rule of law at both
national and international levels is the basis of common security
and true justice.  It must not be allowed to erode further.  Such
justice must also extend to those alleged to be responsible for
these and similar acts of terrorism who should be brought before
impartial courts to answer to charges.  Vigilante justice under
any guise is another form of terrorism and cannot be condoned. 
 
At this session of the General Assembly intensive debates will
be held on strengthening measures to combat international
terrorism.  In this connection we hope that all nations will now
see the urgency of ratifying the Rome Statutes of the
International Criminal Court in order that it can be established
as soon as possible. 

The reaction to these acts must not be to close all doors to
those seeking asylum from terror, to migrants driven from their
homes by extreme poverty, to refugees fleeing from war and
internal conflict.  The international protection regimes must not
now be weakened, but strengthened to comprehend those for whom
international protections are still inadequate or not
scrupulously respected. 
 
Finally, the response to these inhuman acts must not be to
stigmatize any national, ethnic or religious group.  The
hypothesis of a "clash of civilizations" must not be allowed to
become a self-fulfilling prophecy.  This is the time for
universal dialogue, tolerance and acts of compassion.
We are grateful for your leadership in the realization of these
goals, and reassure you and your staff of our continued prayers
that God guide and sustain you in your efforts on behalf of a
needy world." 

For further information, please contact Karin Achtelstetter,
Media Relations Officer           Tel:  (+41.22) 791.61.53  
	Mobile:  (+41) 79.284.52.12

**********

The World Council of Churches (WCC) is a fellowship of churches,
now 342, in more than 100 countries in all continents from
virtually all Christian traditions. The Roman Catholic Church is
not a member church but works cooperatively with the WCC. The
highest governing body is the assembly, which meets approximately
every seven years. The WCC was formally inaugurated in 1948 in
Amsterdam, The Netherlands. Its staff is headed by general
secretary Konrad Raiser from the Evangelical Church in Germany.

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