Rebuttals Page

Comments are in originally received order

go home and face the wrath

as an ex marine, i pulled the bodies of my brothers from the marine barracks
in beriut,and have never forgiven or forgotten.go back to your syphillitic
pisshole of a region and let my younger marine brothers introduce you to
allah.i hope you all burn in hell with him.does this sound like an
indiscriminate attack?......you should know....I HATE YOU..the time for
tolerance is over......JEFF G received 9/13 7:15pm

i, as an american am deeply ashamed of myself for my prevoius email.being an
ex marine,and seeing first hand the results,ie;the truck bombing of the
marine barracks in beriut lebonon,i became very emotional at the thought of
terrorism,and the loss of innoent lives.i have no excuse for my actions,and
with most sincerity would ask for your forgiveness.when emotions run high as
they have in this past week of sadness,many people such as myself have
turned to ignorance and irrational behavior,truly believing at the time,that
we are justified in our actions as americans.now that my initial rage has
slightly diminished,and ive had time to reflect,i realize that i had given
blame to a whole race of people,when in fact,the blame should only be
directed at a small misguided group of fanatics.this is a time where we
should all come together as americans,regardless of race,or religion,and
actions such as mine are extremely ugly and counter productive for our
country and for all the people who live in it...jeff g received 9/15 10:38am

Although no request was made for a comment by the webmaster I can't believe that anyone would mind in a case like this. In this webmasters opinion it takes a rare jewel of character, a REAL MAN; to make a public apology like the above. We all screw-up but what tiny percentage of us are capable of this; no wonder they say that Marines are among only a few good men. Jeff, but grand admiration of your true character, is a more appropriate response than forgiveness of a temporary and totally understandable flaw; we all suffer from those. webmaster 9/15 1:15PM

Prayer

Most Holy God, I ask your protection for our Islamic neighbors during this difficult time. I petition you that you would extend your protective covering to all those who live in our community and to those in other countries who find themselves at risk during these days of uncertainty. LORD, see the good man and bless his family. Protect their going in and their coming out, their rising up and their lying down. Let all who love you sleep in peace and safety. May none injure his neighbor. Let the earth be filled with your glory. Kathy L, a follower of Jesus received 9/13 9:26pm

Unity and Peace

Greetings, I am an Anchorage resident and am very concerned for the safety of Muslims in our community and state. Is there anything that I can do. I am christian. Is there a way for our churches to help you? It seems like an excellent time for education and understanding. This is such a hard time for all of us and must be especially hard for people of the muslim faith who are hurting because of the attack on their country but must also be afraid of their fellow countrymen. I pray that this is a time of growth, understanding and unity between all peoples of faith. Peace to you, Becky J; rec 9/15 8:27 am

God Bless America
(in reply to Afghanistan page)

Here are some of MY main points:
1) You are a traitor to your country.
2) "Because Shadi became a martyr, I was proud, but he is my son and losing
him was painful."
This women is proud of her son for being a cold-blooded murderer of innocent
civilians.
3) Islamic suicide bombers kill women and children on purpose.
4) Their parents are proud of them.
5) Bin Laden is not a guest, he is a mass murderer, and the Taliban are
assisting him.
6) I have nothing against Islam; but it is abhorrent that you, as an
American, are defending the people who murdered thousands of innocent
civilians (your countrymen), intentionally and in cold blood, and are proud
of it.
7) In you point, 8a, "The U.S. justice system says a person is innocent
until proven guilty, yet the
     U.S. DECIDED (without trial) that Osama WAS GUILTY and TRIED TO KILL
OSAMA
     BY FIRING ROCKETS INTO AFGHANISTAN. This was an attempted assassination
(in
     violation of international law) in which 19 Afghans were killed."
FIRST- he IS guilty, and damn proud of it.
SECOND- it makes me sick to know that an American can defend our country's
enemy.
THIRD- If we could find that coward and put him on trial, we would.
8) The Taliban are sexist, racist, fascist, and they HATE AMERICA!!!!!
9) Americans have never, EVER, condoned and assisted in terrorism.
10) YOU LIVE IN THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA - LOVE IT OR LEAVE IT
PS) REAL Americans are going to kick Afghanistan's ass, and we have NATO and
UN support. (Afghanistan's only support comes from Iraq, and you saw what we did to them.) Also, I am proud to say that I have several Muslim friends,
and they all agree with me, and love their country.
God Bless America, -Erik A; rec 9/15 8:39 pm

The Soul of Goodness

In general there is no mystery about what happened to the World Trade Center. It was revenge against the United States for exerting its power in the Arab world, including its invasion of Iraq, its occupation of Saudi Arabia, and its support of Israel against the Palestineans. Beyond revenge, the attack was an attempt to weaken our power in the Arab world, and to force us to reconsider our policies there. It was a desperate act, not only because it required those who carried it out to kill themselves, but because it was an attack against civilians, and thus certain to turn world opinion against those who perpetrated it. Desperate acts are committed by those who are desperate -- that is, by those who have no better alternatives.
It is an evil deed to kill even one of our fellow human beings. To kill five thousand is beyond all debate an evil act. Does that make the people who planned and carried it out evil, too? I do not know, but as a Quaker I know that there is "that of God in everyone," and so there was goodness in these people, too. They loved their families, and apparently they loved Allah. They did what they did not in order to do evil, but in order to do good, as they conceived it. Yes, the sad fact is that most of what we call evil in the human world is done by those who believe they are doing good. Thus, before we take the extreme measure of killing someone - even if they are a murderer, a terrorist, or a dictator - we must consider carefully. Was Harry Truman a bad man because he ordered the dropping of atomic bombs on Japan? Were those who carried out his orders bad men? Does the state of "War" justify what we did? Quakers deny all occasions for war, and believe that all conflict can be settled peacefully. Osama Bin Laudin acts out of concern for the condition of Islam as he conceives it. He is not a bad man, but in desperation he has chosen to do an evil deed. He has been attacked by rockets, and he retaliates by blowing up buildings. Let us not be drawn into further evil deeds by his example. We are not so desperate as he is.
What can peaceful Americans do now to resist the cycle of evil that this latest act pushes us towards? The Prince of Peace commanded us to love our neighbors and even our enemies. I recommend that we offer friendship and protection to our Muslim neighbors. We should have thought of this long ago. I would like to worship together with my Muslim brothers and sisters, and begin to understand you better.
                    "There is some soul of goodness in things evil,
                      Would men observingly distil it out."
                                                                    --Shakespeare, Henry V, 4.1.4-5
Robert C; rec 9/16 1:27 pm

Hold your heads high

I just wanted to say I am sorry for any harrasment Muslims have experienced in our community.You are our friends and neighbors, and we all share the pain of what happened. I hate to see that compounded by the scum of our society who seek retribution by hurting our Muslim neighbors. Hang in there.. the anger will cool... don't take any crap from those idiots we will stand by you thank you as-Salamoo Aleyeekum Laird W. rec 9/17 8:03 pm

bombing response

I, too, know that this action does not represent the teachings of Islam
or the people of the Middle East, Central Asia, and other Islamic
regions. I have travelled in a couple of Islamic countries, and have
met many Muslims in India as well. I never met hateful people in these
travels. I will choose to judge Islam by the followers I have met, not
the actions of a few misguided fanatics who were exploited by a wicked
leader.
You have my support in these difficult days.
Dave J, Fairbanks rec 9/18 2:32 pm

A messaage of peace and support

I am one of your Alaskan neighbors, and want to send along my thoughts and prayers of support and peace with your members. I am Catholic and know little about the Islamic faith, but I know that the God we both worship calls for all of us to be just and merciful. That alone brings us together.
I am tremendously saddened and disheartened by the messages of hate I have heard from my so-called "Christian" brothers and sisters in the last week. I am sure you know that they do not speak for all of us.
Please let me know if there is any way I can help in supporting and caring for members of your community. Es salaam aleykum,
Maggie M, rec 9/18 5:38 pm

Greetings to all who read this

I am not a Muslim. In my unforgivable ignorance, I did not even know
whether there was a mosque or anything about the Muslim community in
Anchorage until a few days ago.
I, like people around the world, was horrified by the events of Sept. 11. I
was equally horrified to hear of the actions of a few very misguided, very
angry Americans who vandalized mosques and Arab-owned businesses in the
Lower 48 and who terrified and sometimes assaulted Arabic-looking people.
I was moved to tears by the many, many Arabic and Muslim people who stood up publicly to extend their support to NY and DC and to repudiate the
terrorists and their acts. I understand that they had to overcome an
enormous amount of fear in order to do this, and they did it anyway, because
it was the right thing to do. I am proud to call them fellow Americans.
I was again moved to tears -- tears of relief, of joy, of pride -- when I
heard that there had been no incidents of this sort here in the Anchorage
community. I think perhaps all the discussions that have gone on here since
the paint ball attacks on Native Alaskans about what kind of community we
wanted to live and raise our families in has made a difference.
I want to thank the webmaster for articulating, far better than I could
have, the perfect response to Jeff. G's eloquent apology. Both the apology
and the webmaster's response give me great hope for our future. When people
listen well to each other, good things happen.
Patti S., Anchorage, rec 9/20 10:33am

thoughts on 9/11

I am glad to see that many people have posted or sent messages of peace. I have not seen much anti-Muslim backlash, hope that is true. May you and yours always feel welcome in Anchorage, in Alaska, in America. If you ever need a response to harassment, please let me know. Have poster board, will travel, and I don't mind counterpicketing or whatever alone.
Respectfully, Pam S; rec 9/21 9:10am

"An eye for an eye makes a nation go blind"

"An eye for an eye makes a nation go blind". I can't remember where I heard that, but I know it is appropriate and important to remember. I am Canadian, but my heritage is Irish. I see what people do to each other in the name of religion. It has bred centuries of hate. While we must all protect ourselves from aggression, we must also remember, that not all Muslims, or Afghans feel the same way, just as not all Americans, or Christians, or Jews, feel the same. I am sure there must have been innocent Muslims working in the World Trade Centre as well and I'm sure their families are morning them as well. Terrorists are the enemy. They have no face, no nation, no religion. This is why they are so difficult, but we, as a global village, will prevail against evil.
Carolyn B., rec 9/28, 11:58pm

Greetings from The Alaska Conference of Churches
Visit their website Read their statement/press release

A Letter to Muslim Organizations in AK
To our friends.
May God give you Peace!
We are writing to express our support and friendship in a very difficult
time. We know that it may feel like a lonely time, as well.
On behalf of The Alaska Conference of Churches, a group of most of the major
Christian denominations in Alaska, we wish to express our willingness to
help in these dark times. If there is any way that we can provide you with
help and service, please let us know.
We attach a statement sent to our political leadership around the statement
after the September 11 incident. We have received very favorable response.
We are with you for peace and prayer for your well being, at the same time.
Blessings,
The Rt. Rev. Mark MacDonald
President of the Alaska Conference of Churches and
Bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Alaska
The Rev. David Blanchett
Vice-President of the Alaska Conference of Churches
rec 10/2; 11:15am

Response

I would just like to say I respect the integrity of your candid responses to the questions so far. I too believe Americans are abysmally ignorant of their own foreign policies internationally and that the media is largely responsible for this-- but the American people need to actively educate themselves. Now when other sources of news, information and international perspectives are available over the internet the excuse of ignorance is largely that, an excuse. Our economic hegemony, reinforced by military presence around the world is a constant source of stress for other nations and I believe directly linked to the poverty so many countries struggle with. I also feel the Palestinian cause is not at all fairly represented in our very biased media. If you should find the time please read the article "A Gaza Diary" in October's issue of Harper's magazine for a more generous perspective on the Palestinian dilemma than is ever reported in the mainstream media in the U.S. I would like to hear responses to how accurate a portrayal it is. If accurate I think it might be good to refer your questioners to it for perspective. It strikes me as quite clear how unsupportable the current occupation of Palestinian territory is. That Israel insists on the U.S., which is clearly biased in it's favor, mediating the dispute totally stalls any prospects for peace at this point. The U.N. needs to be involved as well as to be behind responses to acts of terrorism, which have been afflicting many countries for many years, not just the U.S.
Just some thoughts from a White European American who thinks our first committment should be to our common humanity and that we need to begin to act as citizens of the world on behalf of social and economic justice for all peoples.
Thanks for listening,
as-Salamoo Alayeekum, Kate M, rec 10/12, 12:16pm