Reactions to the September 11, 2001 attacks

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Sept. 11, 2001 attacks
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Majority of the world leaders, political and religious representatives and the international media, as well as numerous memorials and services expressed negative view towards the September 11, 2001 attacks. The attacks were also condemned by the governments of countries traditionally considered hostile to the United States, such as Cuba, Iran, Libya and North Korea. In the immediate aftermath, support for "the United States' right to defend itself" was expressed across the world, and by United Nations Security Council Resolution 1368.^[1]

Numerous countries, including the UK, India, Australia, New Zealand^[2]^[3], France, Germany, Indonesia, China, Canada, Russia, Pakistan, Jordan, Mauritius, Uganda and Zimbabwe introduced "anti-terrorism" legislation^[4] and froze the bank accounts^[5] of businesses and individuals they suspected of having al-Qaeda ties.

1 Negative views on the attack
2 Positive views on the attack
3 See also
4 References

[edit] Negative views on the attack

[edit] United States

See also: U.S. military response and U.S. government response

In the immediate aftermath of the attacks, the Bush administration declared a war on terrorism, with the stated goals of bringing Osama bin Laden and al-Qaeda to justice and preventing the emergence of other terrorist networks. These goals would be accomplished by means including economic and military sanctions against states perceived as harboring terrorists and increasing global surveillance and intelligence sharing. Immediately after the September 11 attacks U.S. officials^[6] speculated on possible involvement by Saddam Hussein; although unfounded, the association contributed to public acceptance for the 2003 invasion of Iraq. The second-biggest operation of the U.S. Global War on Terrorism outside of the United States, and the largest directly connected to terrorism, was the overthrow of the Taliban rule from Afghanistan, by a U.S.-led coalition.

[edit] Western world

NATO held an emergency meeting of the alliance's ambassadors in Brussels. The secretary general, Lord Robertson, promised the United States that it could rely on its allies in North America and Europe for assistance and support, and pledged that those responsible would not get away with it.^[7]
European foreign ministers scheduled a rare emergency meeting the next day of the attacks to discuss a joint response, as officials expressed solidarity with the United States. The external relations commissioner, Chris Patten, called the attacks the work of a madman.^[7]
British security forces across the world were placed on maximum alert. Prime Minister Tony Blair pledged that Britain would stand full square alongside the U.S. in the battle against terrorism. Queen Elizabeth expressed growing disbelief and total shock.^[7] In London, the U.S. national anthem was played at the Changing of the Guard at Buckingham Palace.
In Germany, Chancellor Gerhard Schröder described the attacks as a declaration of war against the civilized world. Authorities urged Frankfurt, the country's financial capital, to close all its major skyscrapers. The new Jewish museum in Berlin canceled its public opening.^[7] In Berlin, 200,000 Germans marched to show their solidarity with America.
The French newspaper of record, Le Monde, ran a front-page headline reading "Nous sommes tous Américains", or "We are all Americans".
A National Day of Mourning was held in Ireland on Friday, September 14, the only country other than the U.S.A. to do so.
In Canada, hundreds of United States-bound flights were diverted to Canadian airports, including a plane carrying President Glafcos Clerides of Cyprus, who landed in Montreal.
New Zealand Prime Minister Helen Clark stated "It's the sort of thing the worst movie scenario wouldn't dream up,"^[8] and a New Zealand Herald DigiPoll revealed that after the attacks 2/3 of New Zealanders supported a NZ pledge of troops to Afghanistan.^[9]
In 2003, New Zealand began administering a "Pacific Security Fund" to vulnerable nations in the Pacific region aiming at securing and preventing terrorism from entering the region, there is an annual fund of NZD$3 million that is paid by the New Zealand Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade (MFAT) and is used to provide support to Pacific Island Coutries.^[10]

[edit] United Nations

In the following day of the attacks, the Security Council members condemned, in strongest terms’, the terrorist attacks on the United States. And adopted resolution 1368 (2001), by which they expressed the Council's readiness to take all necessary steps to respond to the attacks of 11 September and to combat all forms of terrorism in accordance with its Charter responsibilities. ^[11]

Then-Secretary General of the UN Kofi Annan, said: We are all traumatized by this terrible tragedy.^[7]

[edit] Islamic world

Reactions to the attacks in the Muslim world were mixed. The great majority of Muslim political and religious leaders condemned the attacks, including the Presidents of Egypt, Jordan, the Palestinian Authority, Libya, Syria, Iran and Pakistan.^[12]^[13] The sole exception was president of Iraq, Saddam Hussein, who said of the attacks that "The American cowboys are reaping the fruit of their crimes against humanity."^[14] Saddam would later offer sympathy to the Americans killed in the attacks.^[15]

Renowned Muslim scholar Yusuf al-Qaradawi denounced the attacks and the killings of hundreds of civilians as a "heinous crime" and urged Muslims to donate blood to the victims. He did however criticise the United States' "biased policy towards Israel" and also called on Muslims to "concentrate on facing the occupying enemy directly", inside the Palestinian territories.^[16]

Ahmed Yassin, whose Islamic militant Hamas group had carried out a series of suicide bombings in Israel, said he was not interested in exporting such attacks to the United States, however he criticized the "unfair American position".^[17]

Afghanistan's Taliban rulers condemned the attacks and rejected suggestions that Osama bin Laden, who had been given asylum in Afghanistan, could be behind them.^[17]

Huge crowds attended candlelit vigils in Iran, and 60,000 spectators observed a minute's silence at Tehran football stadium.^[18]

[edit] Muslim Americans

In a Joint Statement by American Muslim Alliance, American Muslim Council, Association of Muslim Scientists and Engineers, Association of Muslim Social Scientists, Council on American-Islamic Relations, Islamic Medical Association of North America, Islamic Circle of North America, Islamic Society of North America, Ministry of Imam W. Deen Mohammed, Muslim American Society and Muslim Public Affairs Council, stated: ^[13]

American Muslims utterly condemn the vicious and cowardly acts of terrorism against innocent civilians. We join with all Americans in calling for the swift apprehension and punishment of the perpetrators. No political cause could ever be assisted by such immoral acts.

[edit] Rest of the world

India declared high alert across most of its major cities and conveyed deepest sympathies to the US and condemned the attacks.^[19]
Mexico increased its security, causing enormous traffic jams at the United States border and officials said they were considering closing the entire border. President Vicente Fox expressed solidarity and our most profound condolences.^[7]
Cuban government expressed its pain and solidarity with its longtime adversary and offered air and medical facilities to help.^[7]
Chinese President Jiang Zemin said he was shocked and sent his condolences to President Bush, while the Foreign Ministry said China opposed all manner of terrorism.^[7]
Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi expressed great anger and said these acts of terrorism should not be forgiven. Special security precautions were ordered at all United States military installations.^[7]
Russia put troops on alert. President Vladimir V. Putin held an emergency meeting of security officials and said he supported a tough response to the barbaric acts.^[7]
Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon declared a national day of mourning in the next day of the attacks in solidarity with the United States and urged the world to fight terrorism.^[7]

[edit] Positive views on the attack

[edit] Celebration of Palestinian protesters

Main article: Celebrations of the September 11, 2001 attacks

The attacks occasioned spontaneous outbreaks of public celebration of Palestinians.

Shortly after the attacks began, about 3,000 people poured into the streets of Nablus ,chanting "God is Great" and — in their traditional gesture of celebration — handed out candy.^[17] A Palestinian woman said she was happy because "America is the head of the snake, America always stands by Israel in its war against us".^[20]^(VIDEO)

Also, in Ein el-Hilweh, Lebanon's largest refugee camp, where about 75,000 Palestinians live, revelers fired weapons in the air, witnesses said. Similar celebratory gunfire was heard at the Rashidiyeh camp near the southern city of Tyre.^[17]

The Palestinian Authority, which had immediately condemned the September 11th attacks, moved to quash further reports of public celebrations, claiming that they were unrepresentative of the Palestinian people. The Palestinian information minister Yasser Abed Rabbo said the Palestinian Authority would not allow "a few kids" to "smear the real face of the Palestinians". Ahmed Abdel Rahman, Arafat's Cabinet secretary, said the Palestinian Authority could not "guarantee the life" of an Associated Press cameraman if footage he filmed of post-9/11 celebrations was broadcast. Rahman's statement prompted a formal protest from the AP bureau chief, Dan Perry.^[21]^[22]

[edit] Saudi donation

New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani rejected a donation of $10 million for disaster relief from Saudi Prince Alwaleed Bin Talal, after he suggested in a statement that US foreign policy may have contributed to the attacks and that the U.S. should "re-examine its policies .. and adopt a more balanced stand toward the Palestinian cause".^[23]

[edit] Jerry Falwell

After the attacks, Jerry Falwell said on The 700 Club, "I really believe that the pagans, and the abortionists, and the feminists, and the gays and the lesbians who are actively trying to make that an alternative lifestyle, the ACLU, People For the American Way, all of them who have tried to secularize America. I point the finger in their face and say 'you helped this happen.'" After heavy criticism, Falwell apologized,^[24] though he later said that he stood by his statement, stating "If we decide to change all the rules on which this Judeo-Christian nation was built, we cannot expect the Lord to put his shield of protection around us as he has in the past."^[25]

[edit] Westboro Baptist Church

After the attacks, a group from Westboro Baptist Church went to New York City to protest the rescue efforts going on at the World Trade Center site, mocking victims as they were taken from the rubble, shouting obscenities at rescue workers and demanding that those still alive be left to die. Fred Phelps, pastor of the Westboro Baptist Church, reasoned that God had caused the terrorist attacks as a punishment for tolerance of homosexuality, and that it was God's will that those who suffered in the attacks should die.

Signs carried at the Ground Zero site included, "THANK GOD FOR SEPT. 11", "FDNY SIN (with a picture of stick-figures engaged in anal sex)", "NYPD FAGS (with a picture of stick-figures engaged in anal sex)", "YOUR PENTAGON IS SQUARE" and "TOWERS CRASH, GOD LAUGHS".

At the same time, Phelps also wrote several songs about the incident and recorded them with the Westboro Baptist Church Choir. The two most notable songs (which Phelps published on his own record label, named for the church) were "God Hates America" and "America the Burning", which are both sung as hymns mocking the dead and thanking God for killing those proclaimed as WBC's enemies. Phelps subsequently commented that he enjoyed watching re-runs of the planes striking the Twin Towers.

Phelps' group also planned a protest at the funeral of David Charlebois, the gay copilot of the plane that was crashed into The Pentagon as part of the September 11 attacks.^[26]

[edit] BBC Question Time

The BBC apologised after an edition of its political panel programme Question Time, held two days after the attacks, saw the US ambassador to the UK Philip Lader face hostile criticism of US foreign policy from audience members.^[27]

[edit] See also

[edit] References

Categories: September 11, 2001 attacks

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