Australian Arabic Council: 'War on terror' is being lost

The Australian Arabic Council (AAC) condemns the London bombings in the strongest possible terms.

"The targeting of innocent life is an inexcusable and horrific breach of the values that are fundamental to the very idea of humanity and we condemn those responsible, whatever their background or motivation", said Mr Roland Jabbour, Chairman of the AAC. "I extend our deepest sympathies to all of those who have suffered loss as a result of these actions and to the people of London whose stoicism in a time of great adversity has already become evident.

"It is important that we react to this tragedy in a thoughtful and considered manner", Mr Jabbour continued. "The Australian community must bind together in the face of terrorism and reflect on the benefits that a diverse and inclusive society offers in the fight against terror.

"It is also a time for leaders of Western countries to reflect on the fact that the 'war on terror' is being lost. Since the formal declaration of the war we have seen an unprecedented number of major terrorist events — it has been reported that the number of what the US Government considers 'significant' attacks grew to about 655 last year, up from the previous record of about 175 in 2003.

"The war on terror must address the root causes of terror — injustice, poverty, disenfranchisement and genuine grievances of many about the militaristic power exerted by Western nations led by the US, Britain and Australia. Policies such as the blind support of Israel's illegal occupation of Palestine and the invasion of Iraq and Afghanistan feed fundamentalism and have established fertile breeding grounds for extremism. It is not unreasonable to assume that Australia, as the prime mover behind the US and Britain, is next in line for an attack on our shores. The Australian government's unquestioning support of US foreign policy has not made Australia a safer place.

"While terrorism will never succeed, the current strategy in confronting it will also not succeed. We need to break the cycle of violence.

[July 8, James Butterfield, Executive Officer Australian Arabic Council. Visit <http://www.aac.org.au>.]

From Green Left Weekly, July 13, 2005.

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From GLW issue 633