September 2001 Attack on America

On Tuesday, September 11 at 9:00 am, my associate, Attorney James Standish, came into my office and exclaimed, "A plane just hit the World Trade Center!" I immediately imagined that it was a small private plane involved in an accident. I joined the Liberty Magazine group in the office across the hall and watched as the horrific tragedy unfolded on a small television screen. A second plane, a commercial jet like the first, hit the second tower. It was incredible!

Soon after, the Pentagon was struck and the two towers collapsed, leaving everyone confused and numb. The collision of events seemed too much for the human mind to adequately measure. The entire nation was glued to television screens. What would be next?

Days later, we received messages from IRLA members throughout the world. We discovered that people worldwide were just as shocked as we were. I was contacted by European radio and other media for my comments. It became evident that the terrorists were Islamic extremists, and we published statements to encourage people not to equate Islam and Muslims with this gruesome act of terrorism.

The question several people are asking is, "Will such events have an effect on religious freedom?" My first answer would be, "No!" Why? Because people's and leaders' natural reaction was to go to church and pray. The churches, synagogues, and mosques became places of peace and unity that provided answers and comfort. Religion played a very important, if not essential, role in the process of healing a traumatized population.

My second response is that the crime has been identified as a crime against freedom. It is improbable to link these horrible events with an excess of religious freedom. But the terrorists are religious extremists, and some countries may perceive danger coming not only from Islamic extremists, but from all religious extremists. As such, it might be easy to confuse religious extremists with religious minorities. Countries may believe that after such a tragedy the state could take measures to control and limit the freedom of religious organizations. The new restrictive law on religion in France may inspire governments that are in the process of creating new legislation, to regulate religions more closely.

I believe an event such as the Twin Towers and Pentagon strikes should encourage us to reconfirm our commitment to freedom and human rights, and not to justify a policy of restriction. We, as religious liberty defenders, do our best to favor freedom and human rights.

Dr John Graz
Secretary-General