To All American People,
I have a lot of American friends. I love them and they love me. I want to be their friend forever. When an earthquake happened in my country, Turkey two years ago, many American sympathized my nation’s sorrow. They sent help for us. Their president also came to my country to share our grief. Now terrorists attacked America and then want to attack our friendship. I am Turkish and Muslim. Some people blame Muslims.
However, there are few different Muslims such as different Christians. Therefore, I want to share my feelings with you.
I would like to stress that any terrorist activity, no matter who does it and for what purpose, is the greatest blow to peace, democracy and humanity.
For this reason, terrosit activities can by no means be approved of. Terror cannot be a means for independence, not can it be applied to as a struggle for salvation. It costs, most of all, the lives of innocent people.
Even though they seem to harm the target at first sight, all terrorist activities always result, and have resulted, in the harm of terrorists. The last terrorist activity, which is the most bloody and condemnable, is a sabotage against not only the United States of America but also against the world peace and universal democratic and humanistic values. Those who did that cannot be but the most brutal of all in the world.
Please let me assure you that Islam never approves of any kind of terrorism. Terrorism cannot be a means for any Islamic goal, and a terrosit cannot be a Muslim, nor can a true Muslim be a terrorist. Islam orders peace and a true Muslim can only be a symbol of peace and the maintenance of basic human rights. If there are nine criminals and only one innocent person on a ship, in order to punish the criminals, Islam does not permit the sinking of that ship because of the innocent person. Any right is respected in Islam and it cannot be violated. The right of an ndividual cannot be violated for the interest of the community.
I strongly comdemn the last terrosit attack in the United States. It only deserves comdemnation and hatred, and it must be comdemned by all in the world.
I sincerely share your grief and assure you that I pray to God Almighty for the victims and that He may equip you and all American people with patience.
Respectfully yours,
Osman Simsek
Graduate Student at East Stroudsburg University
To the Editor:
For the students, whose minds have historically been open, and whose voices we’ve historically listened to. I am a tired American today. Tired of hearing ?inescapable conclusions? and that we must ?exact retribution.?
Tired of hearing how we can ?emerge triumphant? by striking back in further acts of terrible violence. Tired of the anger in which we wallow, where clear-headedness might buoy us up. Tired of our unwillingness to understand the ?why? behind such tragedies as Tuesday’s events.
How far are we willing to go in the misguided path of revenge? How many more times must we submit to hate, and thereby perpetuate violence that does not grow worse by mere coincidence?
The only inescapable conclusion after this historic tragedy is that many people will have died in vain if we respond to this injustice with violence. We cannot and must not. To do so would be to continue playing a game that we can never and will never win. To demonstrate that we are no better than the perpetrators of this horrific event, except that we are capable of far greater, more calculated swathes of destruction.
We cannot guarantee our safety until we finally understand why others would lash out in this way, and help provide them an alternative to doing so in the future. If we must punish, then we must not do so with violence or without understanding.
I am a tired American today, yet I will be damned before I spend my remaining energy standing “united” in the solidarity of further violence. I love this country, but I do not love it enough that I am willing to hate for it.
Brian Kent
Cornell `95
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