A Voice for Tolerance

Mercy Corps International
Monday, 17 September 2001

Anger, fear, disbelief . . . these are the emotions that are ingrained in the human psyche in a time of tragedy, and they are what all of us feel in the wake of the events of September 11, 2001.

Justice, revenge, retribution . . . these are the thoughts that often come to mind when our personal peace and way of life have been violated. They are as natural as our emotional pain.

One word that might not immediately come to mind but must become part of our vocabulary is tolerance. Not tolerance for the perpetrators of this international crime, but rather tolerance for those who might be associated with these criminals based solely on nationality, religion, skin color, or language. Like all of us, they are innocent bystanders: angered, scared, and disbelieving.

As the heartfelt messages and words of condolence from individuals and groups in more than 50 countries that appear on this web site demonstrate, the world is united in its outrage and sorrow. These words, from young and old and peoples of all backgrounds, have told the world that terrorism and senseless acts of violence will not be tolerated and that peoples from all faiths and backgrounds can act as one.

For 22 years, Mercy Corps has promoted peace, tolerance and reconciliation in countries around the world that have been ravaged by ethnic, political and religious conflict. And in that time our staff has come in contact with countless numbers who seek justice without indiscriminate revenge and who struggle to promote tolerance in an environment where anger and retribution is the dominant note.

Now that conflict has come to American soil, it is our turn to practice what we preach. Toni, a Kosovo Albanian who worked with Mercy Corps during the aftermath of the war in Kosovo, provides a keen example we all can follow.

Toni's Message:

Subject: Terrorist attacks

Like first my friends I and all people from Istog and all Kosovo are with you and I hope for stoping and no more never like these and never especially for our brothers Americans.

Everybody here is looking TV and you can see faces like was during the war here in Kosovo 1998, 1999.

I and all of us are concerned.

Toni.

Toni's Example:

Toni was one of Mercy Corps's first employees in the municipality of Istog, Kosovo, joining on the first day of our assessment to the area after the NATO bombing. His family had just returned from Montenegro where they had been living as refugees. On their return, Toni and his extended family occupied an abandoned Serb apartment since their home and those of their relatives had all been destroyed.

Kosovo's Albanian population had suffered for almost a decade under an oppressive regime. Many had lost family, friends and property to soldiers and paramilitaries during the last round of fighting and NATO bombing. After their return to Kosovo, some Albanians began to take revenge on local Serbs and other ethnic minorities who they felt had collaborated with the former regime. Ethnic Serb, Roma and Bosniaks had their properties looted and then – in many cases – burned down. Some were also murdered in revenge killings, often in broad daylight, until NATO began to organise them into "enclaves" that received 24-hour protection.

From the start, Toni was instrumental in our efforts to help not just Albanians, but the entire population regardless of ethnicity. He helped us to identify ethnic Roma and Bosniaks who were being targeted for abuse so that we could ensure they were not excluded from local aid distribution. When other Albanians would not even help load the trucks to take assistance into Serb enclaves, Toni led our assessment teams there.

Toni took over the Istog office as Municipal Manager in early 2000. Since then, he has continued to work with all ethnic groups and to help rebuild a healthy multi-ethnic community in Istog. There is still a lot of work to be done in that regard and Istog may never return to the kind of place it was 20 years ago. Yet tremendous progress has already been made. Ethnic Roma and Bosniaks now seem fairly safe and secure in Istog. Even local Serbs are beginning to return from exile in Serbia. And Toni was there from day one of our operations, quietly but publicly acting on principle and providing an example of tolerance and peaceful reconciliation for his community.

In the coming weeks and months, I plan to keep Toni and others like him in mind. I will especially take solace in his determination to rise above the desire for revenge and work publicly for a more peaceful, tolerant community.

For more information, or to contact Mercy Corps International, see their website at: www.mercycorps.org