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