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Quaker Response to Events Since September 11, 2001

© Bill Samuel

The events of September 11, 2001 in which commercial airplanes were used in attacks on symbols of American power have affected those in the Society of Friends (Quakers) as well as others. As a faith body with a strong peace testimony, it has raised significant questions about appropriate response.

Many Quaker bodies have issued statements, and a number have undertaken activities, related to these attacks and subsequent events. There are several elements in the response of various Friends groups that appear repeatedly:

• Concern for Victims. Like so many others, Quakers have been moved by the grief and suffering experienced by many and have reached out with helping hands. Consistent with our heritage, Friends have sought to embrace victims on all sides of the situation, including those directly affected by the events of September 11, those affected by the military conflict in and over Afghanistan, and those who have been mistreated because of their ethnic or religious identity.

  Friends have collected bath towels, batteries and work boots to help with relief efforts in New York City. Friends are providing blankets, sheets, food and medicines to Afghan refugees in Pakistan. Many Friends meetings and churches have reached out to Arabs and Muslims in their areas to foster understanding and counter hate crimes.
  

• Support for Bringing Criminals to Justice. Friends support due legal process to address criminal acts. This includes support for international judicial mechanisms and treaties which facilitate international cooperation for justice. These events have highlighted the long held concern of Quakers about U.S. reluctance to commit to a world court, and U.S. failure to ratify many treaties, including the International Convention for the Suppression of Terrorist Bombing.
  
• Opposition to a Spirit of Vengeance. Friends are deeply concerned that people resist the tendency to strike out in vengeance and anger, exacerbating tensions and creating more victims. Quakers question the reliance on military force as a "solution" to complex problems which have long festered.
  
• Addressing Underlying Conditons. Friends encourage a deeper response than just directly to recent incidents. We believe governments, other institutions and individuals need to look at past and current actions that have contributed to creating an environment in which people have come to feel that striking out in violence against civilians is justified to redress real or perceived grievances. If we address conditions of oppression and poverty, we will also have a safer world.

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