Friday, July 22, 2005

Unite against Terror statement

I have signed the Unite against Terror statement and would urge others to do the same. The first paragraph is quoted below:
Terrorist attacks against Londoners on July 7th killed at least 54 people. The suicide bombers who struck in Netanya, Israel, on July 12 ended five lives, including two 16 year old girls. And on July 13, in Iraq, suicide bombers slaughtered 24 children. We stand in solidarity with all these strangers, hand holding hand, from London to Netanya to Baghdad: communities united against terror.
http://www.unite-against-terror.com/
Signatories are invited to submit a 200 word "Why They Signed" statement. I have read them all and IMO they are inspiring. I've submitted my own 200 word statement and it has been published. I've also published a longer version of my own statement here

The following is the most heart rending statement from the site:
Ateeque Sharifi came to London from Kabul in 2002, after the Taliban killed his parents. He worked in a pizza bar and sent most of his earnings to his sister in Afghanistan. He went to college and learnt English from a woman teacher. He would help new students out when they didn't know their way around. He dreamt of marrying and of becoming a computer expert. Sometimes he went to Friday prayers at the local mosque, but the gym was his real passion. On 7 July 2005 he died in a tube train at King's Cross. People are debating 'links' between the bombings and the conflicts in the Middle East. For us the link is very simple. Ateeque's killer acted in solidarity with the killers of his parents. Signing the statement is the least we can do to show sympathy and solidarity with his friends and his remaining family.

We dedicate our signatures to Ateeque.
- Alan and Franziska Norman

1 Comments:

Anonymous Anonymous said...

Bill, the recent events in our world often leave me feeling lost, angy, sad or frustrated. I often see hope in the eyes of children playing together, ignorant of the racial or cultural lines that may mark their future lives. Thank you for sharing your thoughts and words.

11:44 PM  

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