OSCE Permanent Council expresses concern about recent anti-Muslim incidents

VIENNA, 21 September 2001 (OSCE) - Coming together for a special session to discuss the fight against terrorism, the OSCE Permanent Council today expressed its concern about reports of anti-Muslim incidents and violence in several OSCE countries, following last week's terror attacks in New York, Washington D.C. and Pennsylvania, United States.

The Permanent Council joins the OSCE Chairman-in-Office in condemning last week's terror attack as barbaric and despicable acts, and hopes that those responsible will be swiftly brought to justice, and that OSCE participating States will take the necessary steps to confront and defeat this terrorist threat.

The Permanent Council shares the outrage that followed the terror attacks and deplores any act of vengeance directed against individuals due solely to their ethnic identity, religion or belief. The Permanent Council stresses that justifiable loathing for terrorists must not be generalized to whole religious or ethnic groups with which suspected terrorists may share a claim to the same faith or origin.

The Permanent Council emphasizes that last week's terror attacks do not reflect a clash between religions or cultures, but a clash between the values of the civilized world on the one hand, and those fanatics who have no respect for human life on the other.

The Permanent Council underscores its view that those who committed those atrocities have committed violence against their faith as well as against the victims in New York, Washington D.C. and Pennsylvania.

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For further information contact Josue Anselmo, OSCE Spokesperson, mobile 0664 325 3698, or the Press and Public Information Section of the OSCE Secretariat, tel.: +43-1-514-36-180; fax: +43-1-514-36-105; e-mail: info@osce.org