The terrorist attacks on the World Trade Centre in New York and Pentagon on September 11, 2001 caused the death of thousands of innocent people while they left behind thousands of bereaved orphans and children. The feelings of these innocent children show what big a crime terrorism is.

A two-year-old child at the funeral of his father, who lost his life during the terrorist attack on New York.

Many children living in New York or New Jersey saw the World Trade Centre, where their parents worked, burning and collapsing before their very own eyes. It has been reported that, at the time of the incident, the majority of these children called their parents' cell phones in panic to learn whether they were dead or alive. Most of these calls were unanswered. Some of them were lucky enough to have their neighbours or relatives to look after them but the homes of some were not visited by a single soul for days. They spent days in fear, panic and sorrow. Some were not old enough to understand what was going on; they were unable to understand why their parents did not come home.

The plight of these innocent children who lost their mothers, fathers or, in some cases, both of them, is nowadays one of the issues of utmost priority in the USA. An organisation by the name of Twin Towers Orphan Fund is established urgently and a campaign is launched for these children. However, most probably, none of these campaigns will suffice to cure the sorrow of these children and to make them smile again.

The Prayers of American Children

The tragedy of the American children who suffered the most sorrowful consequences of acts of terrorism deeply influenced children all over the country. Millions of American children of the same ages who witnessed these children losing their mothers, fathers, brothers or sisters try to give a helping hand to these children and to inspire hope in their hearts. The letters sent by these children to their terror-victim pals are important in revealing the humane dimensions of the incident. Furthermore, these letters are a sign of the sincerity of the little hearts that believe in God and put their trust in Him. The letters sent by the Lake Country Christian School 5th grade students are very striking in that sense:

Alli, a two-year-old girl living in Texas prays for her friends.	To the right is a picture drawn by the children in the same school.

Dear Children,
Hi, my name is Sarah. I am 11 years old and live in Texas. I have an older sister and lots of animals. My family and school are praying for you.
a friend,
Sarah

***

Dear Children,
I don't know exactly how you feel right now, but I know you feel bad. Maybe you lost both of your parents in the tragedy. Nothing like that has ever happened in Texas. I know that God is with you. In Psalm 23:4, it says: "Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil; for your rod and your staff they comfort me."
In God's love
Layne

***

Dear children,
My name is Elliot I'm ten years old I have two cats and two dogs. In my spare time I like to play soccer an play on my saxophone. I know your going through a hard time and I'm praying for you. There is something I've learned that I want to share with you it is God has a plan and a purpose for everything.
Your new friend,
Elliot, 6

***

Dear children,
I will pray for you! I know how how you feel! My dad died when I was in kindergarten. My name is Claire I am ten years old. And I like to act. I hope to be good friends! God will help you and stay with you!
Your Friend
Claire

***

Dear children,
My name is Jake. I live in Texas. I am praying for you. I pray that you will be comforted through thhis hard time of tragedy of losing one or both parents. I also pray that you, your family, and all of the people in New York will be safe. God bles you and God bless America.
Jake

***

Dear children,
I am Angie and I am ten. I am praying for you. So are alot of other people. Just remember GOD is with you.
YOUR FRIEND,
ANGIE

Children praying for their friends who lost their parents in New York.

These prayers of American children once again show us that terrorists targeting all these innocent people can have nothing to do with the religion of Islam. Even if they hide under the cloak of religion, the murderers killing thousands of people without discriminating between women, children, babies and the elderly and leaving thousands of children orphan can have nothing to do with religion. God draws attention to this fact in the Koran and informs us that those who oppress orphans can be no one but those who "deny the religion":

Have you seen him who denies the religion? He is the one who harshly rebuffs the orphan and does not urge the feeding of the poor. (The Koran, 107:1-3)

Muslims, on the other hand, are responsible for protecting orphans and all innocent children. One verse reads: "So as for orphans, do not oppress them" (The Koran, 93: 9) In one verse, Muslims are held responsible for being good to orphans, to the poor, neighbours and other people:

Worship God and do not associate anything with Him. Be good to your parents and relatives and to orphans and the very poor, and to neighbours who are related to you and neighbours who are not related to you, and to companions and travellers and your slaves. God does not love anyone vain or boastful. (The Koran, 4:36)

Those who kill innocent people, who have fear of Allah and ask help from Him, are surely completely divorced from this Islamic morality.

Other Innocent Victims of Terrorism: the Afghan Children

The perpetrators of the acts of terrorism to the USA are responsible for the suffering of not only the innocent people in this country but also that of millions of starving babies, children, women and the elderly who are living in great misery and fear in Afghanistan. They are the ones who laid the ground for the military operation carried out against Afghanistan today.

Afghanistan is already one of the poorest countries of the world. It tops the list in child mortality rates in the world. One in every 4 Afghan children loses his life before he is 5.

One in every 3 children is orphan. One in every 2 children, on the other hand, is seriously malnourished.

Among the most innocent victims of terrorism are also the malnourished children of Afghanistan who live in abject poverty.

The acts of terrorism on the USA and the US retaliation provoked a humanitarian disaster in Afghanistan, where the standards of living are already wretched. More than a million Afghans fled their homes, and are threatened by severe conditions and food scarcity. Everyday, tens of babies or children lose their lives because of malnourishment, epidemic diseases, lack of care and so on. This war inevitably affects civilians and the death toll steadily rises.

The Duty of a Muslim is to Maintain Peace and Security in the World

One verse reads: "You are the best nation ever to be produced before mankind. You enjoin the right, forbid the wrong and believe in God." (The Koran, 3:110)

Accordingly, the task of a Muslim is to be the "best" among all people and to replace the gloomy picture of a world where the innocent are killed, oppressed and subjected to cruelty with a world full of felicity, joy and security.

For this reason, Muslims must stand against terrorism that pitilessly murders small children and aims to turn the world into an arena of anarchy and chaos. Muslims must announce to the whole world and show to everyone that Islam is a religion of love and peace.
And that Islam denounces terrorism!