American Jewish Committee Applauds President Bush For Rallying Americans to Confront Worldwide Terrorism

American Jewish Committee
Friday, 21 September 2001

The American Jewish Committee issued the following statement after President Bush addressed the nation:

"The American Jewish Committee applauds President Bush for his leadership in rallying the American people to confront the menace of worldwide terrorism. As the President so aptly observed, the instinctive ability of Americans, irrespective of ethnicity or faith, to unite so rapidly after last week's devastating terrorist attacks is a natural source of strength as our nation confronts an enemy that challenges the very foundations of civilized society.

"With fortitude, President Bush has set the parameters for the war in which our country is now engaged, a war to ensure that freedom flourishes and that terrorists, wherever they lurk, are defeated. The President rightly identified the threat of terrorism as emanating not only from the Al Qaida organization of Osama Bin Laden, but also from a number of countries where terrorist organizations, such as Islamic Jihad, brandishing a radical version of Islam that perverts the teachings of that faith, have been allowed to thrive. We applaud President Bush's call upon the nations that harbor or support terrorists to now make a choice – to stand with us or against us.

"We fully agree with President Bush's conclusion that the terrorist threat we face today is no different than the insidious ideologies of Nazism and fascism that rose up in the 20th century, and, with the invaluable help of American leadership, were roundly defeated by a united international community.

"We support the President's call for nations around the world to join with us in this battle, for the attack on the World Trade Center was not just an act of war against the United States. Citizens of dozens of countries perished in that terrorist attack, and the values cherished by those countries are just as threatened by the terrorists as are the United States and our way of life."

For more information, or to contact American Jewish Committee, see their website at: www.ajc.org