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Washington Update Responding to Terror…With Courage As our hearts go out to the victims of the horrors of September 11, we shudder to contemplate what events may follow. The Christian advocacy to welcome the stranger is never more difficult than when talk of war and retribution are in the air. And yet it is never more important. The fully justifiable anger against the shadowy perpetrators of such cataclysm easily turns to the more convenient grouping as scapegoats all members of particular ethnic groups or religions or of foreigners in general. Already threats against Moslems and Arabs and those who defend the stranger are coming in. It is important to remember, and to remind others, that the refugees among us fled just the sorts of tyranny that Tuesday's attackers support; that immigrants are patriotic and love this country-often more deeply than its native citizens; that they too are well represented among the thousands of office workers, firefighters, soldiers and airline passengers who have died. And is it not the terrorists' own logic that random members of a particular nationality are appropriate targets for retribution?! Prudent security measures are certainly warranted. But if we try to build a wall around "Fortress America" and suspend the openness and liberty that a free country is all about, then the terrorists have surely won a bigger victory than they originally imagined. And our own homegrown crop of Timothy McVeighs will still be among us to savor it with them! Such policy questions as the appropriate global response to these attacks are outside of LIRS' mandate. But we do know that a military response will surely produce refugees. We as a nation must include due concern for their protection and care among the terrible responsibilities we assume when we engage in military action. We live in times that can be frightening, but we also live in days of miracle and wonder. Indeed it is the darkest days that are the most propitious for "bringing new hope and new life through ministries of service and justice." Let us rise to the challenge.
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