Interfaith Maine Pleas Against Backlash

March 21, 2003

Source: WMTV

http://www.wmtw.com/Global/story.asp?S=1192106

On March 21, 2003 WMTV reported Interfaith Maine's statement that "the beginning of military action against Iraq fills us all with a sense of dread and apprehension... We fear for the combatants themselves, young men and women of various races, religions, and geographic backgrounds, who must face their mortality at time when they should be living their life to the fullest... We fear for the mothers and fathers who must spend each agonizing minute of this military conflict thinking only of the safe return of a beloved son or daughter... We fear for the husbands, wives, and children of the soldier, for the terrible dilmma they face not knowing where that soldier might be and what dangers lie in wait... We know this, because in the days and weeks after September 11, 2001, numerous acts of violence in America were committed in the name of 'revenge' against innocent men, women, and children, and against businesses and houses of worship. In some cases, this guilt by association resulted in the death of individuals having no relationship -- religiously, ethically, or otherwise -- to those who were the intended targets."