September 24, 2001

TERROR FROM THE SKY:
How do we respond?
___By Milton Ferguson
___"Our daughter lives in New York City. She and her husband teach at the United Nations International School on the Lower East Side of Manhattan. One of our two granddaughters, age 6, is in school there and the other, age 15 months, is in day-care nearby.
___On Tuesday, Sept. 11, when flaming death roared out of the sky and destroyed the twin towers of the World Trade Center, we worried about them and their school. Later in the day, we learned they were safe. The school children were with parents or guardians, and they were able make their way up to the 59th Street Bridge and across to Roosevelt Island, where they live.
___ We join our friends in prayer for strength and wisdom as we ponder what has happened. The carnage in New York City and Washington, D.C., is a new and devastating experience for us. It happened here, not "over there" somewhere. It will be hard for us to accept the fact it cannot be solved with aircraft carriers and cruise missiles alone.
___Think of it! Nineteen men with nothing but small knives and box cutters took our airliners and turned them into missiles. They did more damage than any traditional attack by land, sea or air might have done--a threat against which we can defend ourselves.
___Where did these men come from? My first impulse was to say, "We do know, don’t we?" Images of displaced, desperate refugees and others struggling to survive poverty, conflict and terror flashed through my mind. For decades, we have seen them, nurtured in misery and despair and energized by resentment of the rich and powerful who they feel are their oppressors.
___The facts, as much as we can know them, seem to indicate a more complex picture. The pain and despair of the displaced and desperate continue to be powerful factors; however, this potent force now is focused and channeled through a sophisticated worldwide network of terrorist operatives who are fanatically dedicated and ruthlessly efficient. These men are remarkably resourceful and adaptable, sometimes spending years in careful planning and preparation. They also seem to have unlimited financial resources available for their activities.
___This new breed of terrorists appears to be well-educated and culturally diverse from several Middle East national origins. They apparently have a unifying common bond. Many seem to believe that their established national governments are oppressed by the United States and its economic wealth, political influence and military power. They view us as that great Satan who is the primary evil in the world.
___They are motivated by ultra-radical religious zeal. They are appalled by what they consider to be the materialism, immorality and spiritual emptiness of western culture, especially the United States. Their radical zeal is fueled by an idyllic vision in which the world will be purged and purified of such infidelity. They fiercely believe they are God’s chosen servants and agents of his "cleansing fire" of judgment.
___Does this justify their cold-blooded ruthless behavior on Sept. 11? By no means; absolutely not! It will help us cope with the challenge we face, however, if we seek to understand why they were motivated to carry out this horrendous act.
___We misjudge these radical zealots if we call them "cowards." Indeed, they are fanatical--to the ultimate degree. They live for their cause; they also die for it, ruthlessly killing others in the process. They are frightening and evil from our perspective. They are martyrs and heroes to those who in misery and desperation share their vision. We must consider this fact carefully as we seek ways to respond to the horror they have inflicted.
___Their power flows from their fanatical devotion to their cause and the wealth of their resources, much of it hidden and unknown to us. Their immediate threat lies in their ability to function individually and in small groups as they quietly infiltrate our society and use our openness and our own resources against us.
___We have known about the threat of their terrorism. In fact, we have experienced it on several occasions, but we really didn’t want to believe that what happened on Sept. 11 was possible. So, we chose not to pay the price to be prepared for it.
___Our government is preparing to respond with military force, at least with the threat or possibility of such action. This is frightening to all who fear that killing in response to killing may beget even greater and more widespread violence.
___The natural human reaction in our pain and anger will tempt us to use massive force in retaliation to "make them pay." If we do that, we risk energizing more hate and fanaticism among those who already suspect our motives and tend to be in sympathy with the terrorist cause, if not their methods. In addition, we risk alienating many people in the world, including those of Muslim faith, who share our pain and are committed to help deal effectively with international terrorism.
___There are many ways to deal with terrorism in addition to military strategy. We can join with other nations to exert financial and political pressures to suppress and limit terrorism. We can move to discourage, inhibit and penalize those who encourage, train, finance and protect terrorists throughout the world. There are encouraging signs at this point in time that such an approach will receive strong affirmation by a majority of the nations of the world.
___Is there a place then for military action? If so, how shall we use our forces?
___We can utilize their skills in ways that will encourage and enlist most of the nations of the world to join us in a concerted, sustained effort to isolate and neutralize the criminally ruthless terrorist movements. It will be difficult. It requires new and non-traditional ways of thinking and acting, but it can be done. Let us pray earnestly for our leaders that they have uncommon wisdom, courage and skill as they proceed.
___Will we experience additional terrorist activities? The evidence seems to indicate that they are planned. They no doubt will be attempted at some time and place. Probably they will be different in kind from those we have seen to date but destructive and painful whatever their nature.
___How shall we prepare for these threats?
___We must mobilize all our resources, including our spiritual insights and human commitments, to care for each other on a daily basis. This will enable us to focus on this different kind of enemy here at home as well as elsewhere in the world. It will be a difficult task. Our challenge will be to learn how to live daily with threat and uncertainty and not be overcome by fear on the one hand or become weary and complacent on the other.
___We will continue to energize the unity and commitment that have emerged in these days of crisis. It is extremely important that we make a clear distinction between the radical zeal of Islamic religious extremists and the millions of Muslim Americans who live in our midst, who also are horrified by the fanatical, destructive fury of the terrorists.
___We will clarify and re-emphasize our historic commitment to religious freedom here at home. It is a fact that we do not experience a like commitment in many other nations in the world; nevertheless, we must celebrate and affirm such freedoms in our life together. They are the bedrock principles that will give us the strength we need for these days.
___We must be deliberate and specific as we reach out in affirmation to those who feel vulnerable because of their ethnic or national origin or their religious identity. This will require that we take the initiative to get to know each other individually, by name. We must learn how to work closely with those who differ with us religiously and politically. We will find that they also reject and condemn the kind of criminal terrorist activity we face.
___There is another thing we must do--a far harder thing than defending against the terrorists and eliminating the sources of their support around the world.
___We must find constructive ways to help the desperate and disillusioned in those areas of our world that spawn the hatred and fanatical zeal we have witnessed. This must be a personal and compassionate endeavor. It must be realistic and practical, with real humanitarian, spiritual and economic involvement. It must be a long-term strategic commitment.
___These kinds of activity won’t be popular during these days of fear and anger. Some may feel they are not even possible. I contend, however, that it is urgently necessary to address what many believe is one of the fundamental causes of much of our current pain. This kind of action, along with all else we do, is essential to any lasting solution to the kind of fanaticism that produced the tragedy of Sept. 11, 2001.
___The pain we feel is human pain. It issues from fear and hate, a human problem. It must be addressed with understanding and love, a human solution.
___Can we move forward on all these fronts? Of course we can. Will we? That’s up to us. It’s our responsibility to do so--and to let our government and political leaders know that we will support them as they lead us in the task.

___Milton Ferguson is president emeritus of Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in Kansas City, Mo.
___

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