Dear President Bush,

None of us will soon forget the horror of the September 11 attacks on New York and the Pentagon. We commend the administration and Congress for responding compassionately and swiftly to assist the rescue efforts and provide resources for recovery and rebuilding. We support the administration’s efforts to mobilize U.S. law enforcement agencies to investigate and find the hijackers’ accomplices; we hope that those who helped to plan and carry out these atrocities will soon be brought to justice before a court of law.

However, we strongly oppose the current violent response to the actions of criminals. War is not the answer to these crimes against humanity. The U.S. must not avenge these murders by means that result in the death and suffering of other innocents-even those who may share the same nationality, faith, or ethnic group as the alleged perpetrators. This would only result in an escalation of the tragic cycle of violence and hatred. Even though it is possible that the terrorists may have been guided by a vision of mortal conflict between Islam and the West, neither Islam nor Islamic peoples are our enemy. As we pursue those responsible for terror, we need to take care not to further inflame hatred between peoples-for that is the seed of future terrorism.

The U.S. has played a historic role in advancing freedom, democracy, human rights, and the rule of law. The U.S. must not abandon these core values in the process of defending them; we must not sacrifice our own civil liberties in our search for security; we must not use instruments of totalitarianism or assassination in pursuit of justice. In this case there is a close relationship between ends and means.

We realize that you will face many difficult decisions during this time of unprecedented catastrophe and sorrow. We will hold you in our thoughts and prayers in the months ahead. Today, Jesus’ commandment to love our enemies is unusually poignant. The advice of the Apostle Paul that we overcome evil with good may point the way toward the recovery of our national spirit. May God lead us all in the path of truth, justice, and lasting peace.

Sincerely,
We are a group of concerned citizens and Christians from Northwest Yearly Meeting of Friends Church (Quakers) who met together October 8-9, 2001, to pray together and to consider how to bring peace and justice in America and the larger world scene.