AP Online
October 29, 2001 | The Associated Press
The Associated Press
AP Online
10-29-2001
Some US Muslims Want End to Bombing
Some of the prominent Muslim organizations in the United States have issued a joint statement calling on the government to stop bombing Afghanistan.
The groups condemned the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks and voiced support for punishing the perpetrators, but argued the bombing campaign hurts U.S. national interests.
“The bombing victimizes the innocents, exacerbates the humanitarian disaster and creates widespread resentment across the Muslim world,” the group wrote in a document dated Oct. 22. “The senseless starvation of women and children will fuel hate and extremism.”
Among the leading organizations that signed the statement were the Council on American-Islamic Relations and the Islamic Circle of North America.
But other leaders in the U.S. Muslim lobby, including the American Muslim Council, did not sign.
The American Muslim Council released a statement earlier this month supporting the U.S. anti-terrorism effort and President Bush’s pledge to avoid civilian casualties.
“We support our men and women who are fighting to protect us from terrorism,” Aly Abuzaakouk, executive director of the AMC, said at the time.
