Tragedy of all nations

Tragedy of all nations

It has been said that a picture paints a thousand words. The
Jakarta Post is to be congratulated for publishing one such
picture on the front page of its Sept. 15 edition, showing a
group of Indonesian Muslim women mourning the tragic events in
New York, Washington and Pennsylvania of Sept. 11, with the
American flag prominent in the foreground. The message the
picture paints is that these events were not merely an attack on
America, but an attack on all peoples, all nations and all
religions, and that the whole world is therefore the victim. The
grief that is felt by the victim's loved ones is shared by us
all.

Although the number of deaths will never be known, it is known
that several Indonesians died, together with people from almost
every nation in every corner of the globe. Scores of Buddhists,
Hindus and Sikhs died as did hundreds of Muslims and Jews and
thousands of Christians. Whoever instigated these abhorrent acts,
therefore, did so with total disregard for the fact that they
were murdering not only those perceived as the "enemy" but also
the people they claim to represent.

There is strong evidence that the perpetrators of these crimes
did so with the intent of stirring up a hornet's nest of
escalating hatred between Arab and other Islamic countries and
the West, relying on an immediate backlash led by America that
would kill innocent people and be seen as not better than the
cowardly acts of the terrorists. So far they have failed
dismally.

Most, but not all, Arab and other Islamic nations have
condemned Tuesday's attack and offered qualified support to
America in its aims.

DAVID COOK

Jakarta