Hi everybody on the list, in particular the US members,
All of us have seen the horror and cruelty of yesterday's terror attacks. I
have followed various news channels since the first plane crached into the WTC.
In the hours after that, I have seen the series of incidents and reacted
physically with my body trembling. I went to bed with mixed thoughts, feeling
the pain of the victims and their loved ones, feeling the anger, the
speechlessness and other reactions of eye witnesses and who else I saw on TV.
This was a sad day. No more words can I find to describe what I feel.
This morning I went to work, seeing Danish flags on half staff, meeting my
colleagues in discussions, confronting my students with a puzzled mind. I have
just finished reading the OM list messages. Lots of thoughts and attempts to
explain what happened.
It is not the time for prejustice and trigger happiness, although I understand
these reactions. Although the news right now seem to have targeted on arabic
terrorists, nothing seems to justify condemnation of certain areas of the
world. As some of my colleagues, one of them is a US citizen, put it, terrorism
is a product of of society. Radical movements have been seen all over the
world, from nazism, communism to religiously motivated terrorism. I hope that
the USA now carefully consider whom to punish. Nuking certain countries is not
an option. The USA and other countries have many enemies, but enemies also can
be found within a country. Also, punishing a whole country for the verdicts of
single terorists or radical groups is not the way to go.
Don't get me wrong. The people behind this cruel attack must be persecuted. But
we live in a complex world. Terrorism is a reaction. People don't turn into
terrorists if they are not forced into it. To exterminate terrorism, not armies
are needed, but the establishment of proper living conditions. It has taken
terrorism a long time to develop and it will take a long time to get rid of it.
As the world is constructed today, it runs on the exploitation and
discrimination of the mayor part of it's population by a minority of wealthy
nations. I am afraid that the acts we have seen are the price we have to pay.
Please let me once again express my deepest feelings with the victims. I don't
want to justify terrorism and other radical movements, but neither do I accept
blind strikes against what some people consider the source of all evil, e.g.
certain arabic states and peoples. All our thoughts should be with the victims
now.
With my best wishes
Bernd Möller
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