Support from outside of the U.S.
Broad Outpouring of Support from Outside the US
I have heard that many people in the US feel isolated and feel that the rest of the World is against them. So I thought it would be good to share with you a poignant collection of comments that show the great solidarity that is clear across Europe, and from people of many faiths. We are not alone.
A lot of us over here on the other side of the pond have the impression that the news media in the US is not covering the tremendous outpouring of solidarity that Europeans have shown since the attacks on Tuesday. We've all decided to share some of our experiences with people we know.
On Thursday night, September 13th, a very special ecumenical service was held for the victims of the attacks at the American Church in Paris. The service was led by the president of the French Protestant Federation, the Grand Rabbi of Paris, the Recteur of the Muslim Institute & head of the Paris Mosque, as well as the Cardinal of Paris. They all spoke very warmly & eloquently about reconcilation, non violence, & peace. These men wanted to express their solidarity with the USA at this time and to pray for the victims of the tragedy. They could not go to the USA, so they wanted to do the next best thing and go to "a little piece of the USA" -- the ACP -- to express their concern and solidarity.
There was also an unprecedented show of support from the French government... not only was President Chirac there, but Prime Minister Jospin; Bertrand Delanoë, the mayor of Paris; Laurent Fabius (minister of the economy), as well as a dozen other everyday names and faces from the French Parliament -- including the legendary former president Valérie Giscard-d'Estaing --,
practically the entire French government came to the service.
Also participating in the service were a choir from the Philippines and a Corsican a cappello group who sing traditional music (I Muvrini, for those of you who may have heard them). The Corsican group heard about the service that afternoon on the radio & got on a plane that evening in order to
participate in the service & show their concern & solidarity to the American people.
At the end, everyone sang God Bless America. It was one of the most moving services I've ever attended. The French press was present, but not the American. I don't know why.
This afternoon I went back to the church to help the office with the bulletin for the Sunday service. The church steps are covered with flowers for the victims. At any given time of the day, there are anywhere from 50-100 people in the church praying. Many are French, the rest are from all over
the world. The altar is ablaze with candles, which people bring with them & light. The donations are pouring in. I saw this afternoon that in just one hour, the pastor's wife collected nearly 5,000FF (over $700). The money we collect will get to the US via the Salvation Army.
There was another service to pray for the victims this afternoon at Notre Dame. There were thousands of people participating. The French decided to ring the big "Bourdon" bell -- the biggest bell in their tower that was made in the 17th century. If I'm not mistaken, the last time they rang it was in honor of the Americans when WWII was over.
At noon today, 3 minutes of silence were observed across Europe. People stopped whatever they were doing--cars pulled over, buses stopped, classes were interrupted.
This evening, the mosques in Paris dedicated their usual Friday prayer service to the victims of the attacks. Emphasis was placed on the fact that it's against the Koran & the Islamic religion to kill another human being. They condemned the attacks in the US as acts against humanity & against
Allah. They are adamant that the attacks were perpetrated by crazy people & not representatives of Islam.
People in my building & in my neighborhood who know I'm American have all expressed their outrage, their fear, their shock, their condolences, & their solidarity, especially Muslims who want to assure me that not all Muslims are terrorists & hate Americans.
When I walk down the street, that's all I hear people talk about. When I turn on the radio, that's all I hear about. The TV news consecrate most of their progams to it.
I should also mention that this morning the French government shipped off 75 firemen from the East of France, sniffy dogs, & I don't know how many tons of equipment to the US to help deal with the difficult & horrendous task of digging people out of the rubble. These men are specially trained
to find & dig out victims from avalanches & earthquakes. They're among the best in the world at this, if not the best. They also proved very helpful in digging victims out of the rubble from the San Francisco earthquake.
One of the most moving gestures of solidarity I've seen so far was a note attached to a bouquet of flowers someone left on the church steps. It read :
Le 11 septembre 2001, nous sommes tous Américains. translation : On September 11, 2001, all of us were American.
This message was also broadcast by the French media all over the country yesterday.
Below, I've cut & pasted other accounts & messages from friends of mine :
This evening I had a telephone conversation with a friend from St. Paul, Minnesota. I told him about the incredible outpourings of support and sympathy that all of us in Paris have had from friends, colleagues, neighbors, acquaintances, and sometimes even people we hardly know at all... He was astounded. I, in turn, was almost frightened that he was so surprised. He said that he'd had no indication of that kind of universal support, from news reports or reading, talking, listening he'd done.
I suddenly realized that it was possible that Americans who are currently on American soil might not realize what the world really thinks...
I feel that it is absolutely urgent to pass this message on.
To those of you who are currently in the US, please know that support and sympathy abroad are OVERWHELMING. We have all been personally showered with phone, e-mail and face-to-face expressions of that support. Little squabbles and petty intercultural potshots are the farthest thing from anyone's mind; the whole world is in shock, and you need to know that.
Please don't fight evil with evil. Everyone, everywhere, agrees that these acts must be punished, that future acts of this sort cannot be permitted to occur, in America or anywhere else. But please, don't propagate hateful acts against innocent individuals. Pity the poor American children who are afraid to go to school because their parents are from an Arab country. Those same Arab countries, for the most part, have joined in condemning Tuesday's attacks. Help those around you who might not have enough perspective to understand this to come to see that the only thing America can do to REALLY win is to act with dignity, and restrict the retribution to those who truly deserve it... as they do.
Nancy, this is my answer to Bob in regard to the newspaper article. You should know too how the situation is in Germany:
Bob,
Also, I want you to know that there is an enormous outpouring of love, sympathy and loyalty towards the American people all over Germany. Papers are publishing ads confirming their total solidarity with America, people leave candles and flowers at the American Consulates in all German cities, church sermons are being held in honour of the victims and their families and school children as well as all big companies in Germany are putting down their work for a few moments of silence in memory of what happened.
Our Government -like all European Governments- tell us hourly on the news that now is the time to show solidarity with the U.S.. So in this respect, the Europeans totally close their ranks with the Americans. And many Germans do remember the Marshall Plan after the war and the "Luftbrücke"
(air bridge)through which Americans were upholding West Berlin and its freedom. Many older Germans tell us how after the War -when they were still children- they received their first piece of chocolate or chewing gum from Americans. This is why the people of Berlin called the American plans "raisin bombers", it rained food per se. All this comes now again out in public, and there is no doubt about it that Germans remember the American help and are standing by them at this sad moment in their history.
This is all I just wanted you to know. Let your friends know so they are aware we are on their side!
There are Heartwarmer members in 130 countries throughout the world. During the past few days, we have noticed that our American Heartwarmer members have been particularly interested in seeing the mailbag letters from overseas, gratified by the encouragement and support of our world neighbors.
Today, we again offer you a special edition, that provides a sampling of the many international letters we've received in the past day. We hope you are heartened during this period of healing.
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YOU ARE NOT ALONE
I would like to express my deep sorrow and regrets for this horrible tragedy. I am absolutely certain that you will overcome it and come out of it stronger and more united.
Please remember that you are not alone.
Yesterday, the Romanian government declared September 14th, a National
Mourning Day. At 12 noon, every institution (companies, TV and radio
stations, etc.) interrupted all activities for three minutes in order to remember and mourn the victims of the terrorist attacks. All cultural events scheduled for today were cancelled. In Bucharest (our capital),
thousands of people gathered at the most important church in Bucharest to mourn the victims.
I personally hung a small American flag at my window, just before going to church. At 12:03, EVERY church in Romania held a half-hour religious service for the American nation. Hundreds of thousands of candles were lit throughout Romania, hundreds of thousands of prayers for the victims and their loved ones reached God at the same time.
So rest assured -- you are not alone. Millions of people throughout the world are thinking of you and praying for you.
Stand proud, America! Love,
-- Cristina, Age 17, Romania belle.princess @ xnet.ro
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HEARTWARMERS RESPOND FROM AROUND THE WORLD
Dear Heartwarmers:
I want to send my sympathy and condolences to all the families of the
victims in the recent tragedy in New York. At the same time, I was also disturbed by the news that some Arabs and Muslims in America were being threatened. Why do we want to retaliate with hatred? We should not punish an entire community or religion simply because some crazy people committed these atrocities. Civilized communities from all religions are appalled at these heinous attacks.
-- Ramlee, Malaysia ramlee @ pkrisc.cc.ukm.my
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Dear Heartwarmers:
Sitting here so far away from the USA, I feel very helpless. I just want to be there and help in anyway I can. Seeing the horrific events unfold on the TV on Tuesday morning was surreal. I can't believe that
anyone could have that much evil inside of them. I can only imagine what the families and friends of the victims are going through at the moment. Please know that you are all in my thoughts in this most terrible time.
God Bless.
-- Celia, New Zealand celia @ ncs.co.nz
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Dear Heartwarmers:
I am Indian, aged 47, residing with m wife and two daughters in Mumbai
(formerly called Bombay). I am of robust health and have been always thinking of ways and means of combating terrorism. My family and I offer our heartfelt condolences to the bereaved families in the U.S. We cannot help but feel anger, hatred and bitterness at what has happened to the
world's most powerful, generous nation. I want to help in whatever way I can -- even sacrifice my life to root out this "new enemy that lurks in the shadows". I also want to extend my hospitality to Americans in Mumbai -- dear brothers and sisters my home is open to you. My country has been
haunted with the evil of terrorism for years and we know how it feels. Yes, this evil coward cannot be handled alone. The world needs to come together and wipe out this menacing, evil disease once and for all. That's my only prayer. Every night I breathe an urgent prayer for the men and
women working tirelessly to find survivors and bring hope and joy to those waiting for their return. May God bless the American people and give them His direction to find the culprits in quick time.
-- Ken, India ken @ godrej.com
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Dear Heartwarmers:
This week's tragedy in America has affected us all deeply here in Australia. As a gesture of respect for the people that have died and are injured, and to show our solidarity, Australians everywhere are driving
around with their headlights on. Your Aussie mates feel your pain and sorrow and our hearts go out to you. My son lives and works in London for a New York bank. Whilst he was talking and dealing with N.Y. brokers, he saw and heard everything as it happened, on the TVs installed on the
trading floor. Through the voiceboxes he heard the screams and saw the people jumping, while he was on the phone to them, then there was nothing. His firm was one of the lucky ones, it was not located in the WTC. He is saddened and devastated that he has lost so many of his "Good Mates" from New York. Our thoughts are with you all. God Bless America.
-- Joy, Australia Joy.Mishriki @ msj.com.au
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Dear Heartwarmers:
When do you feel you are in a bottomless pit... when you see evil like
that which happened in America. When do you know there is still love and hope... when you see the healing process already begun in America and the shared thoughts from across the world. And those who deliberately caused this evil are now themselves in this bottomless pit. All the way over here in Fiji, we feel your pain, America. That's all we talk about. God give
you peace, as only He can.
-- Losana, Fiji ppa @ ppa.org.fj
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Dear Heartwarmers:
I'm an American living in the Netherlands. Today, my American flag is
hanging half mast next to all my neighbors' Dutch flags. Although I don't have any family in New York or Washington, we were shocked at the events, and are following the news on CNN. Our thoughts and prayers go out to all the victim's families and the people who are working so hard to help. I'm proud to be a citizen of such a great nation.
-- Peter, Netherlands a.l.thoen41 @ chello.nl
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Dear Heartwarmers:
I feel compelled to give my condolences to those American people who are directly and indirectly affected by the horrible events of this past Tuesday. There are no words to describe the horror, disbelief, and grief
that our office experienced when we heard what was happening in New York and Washington, DC. I work for the Provincial Government office, and as we watched the events on our office TV, we could not believe the brutality of what was unfolding. We grieve with you. We pray for the innocent victims, for their families, for the cities directly affected, for the rescue
workers, and the firemen and police officers who gave their lives in service, trying to do their best in a hellish situation.
We, too, pray that the love of God will uphold us all, keep our hearts
compassionate while seeking the perpetrators of this unspeakable act. We in Canada are with you and share your suffering, and wish to do all in our power to assist in any way we can. God Bless America, and may God keep us all, the world over, in His care throughout this time, that we might find a
peaceful and just solution to this most shocking act.
-- Gretta, Canada gretta.wells @ gnb.ca
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Dear Heartwarmers:
Thank you for your brilliant service -- always the highlight of my day. I just wanted to let all Americans know that they are in our hearts at this difficult time, especially those who are directly affected. As a South African staying in London at the moment, I think I speak for all of us here, both English and South Africans. My family back home is devastated by what has happened and send prayers and love and condolences. Over the last few days I have also heard the question, "Why does God allow this to happen?" and what we must not forget for one minute is that our God is a gracious God and he has given us freedom of choice. Some people just chose to do evil things. One must also not overlook praying for those who have committed this atrocity and ask God to forgive even them. Our prayers are with you all.
-- Brent, South Africa / United Kingdom
Brent.Labuschagne @ guinnessudv.com
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Dear Heartwarmers:
I am from South Africa and have been a Heartwarmers member for some time now. I was very shocked and appalled by the scenes of devastation and destruction caused by inhuman characters. All the while I sat and watched but somehow the tears did not come as I thought they would. Only this
morning, as I watched a broadcast of the philharmonic orchestra playing the "Star Spangled Banner", I started weeping uncontrollably. My heart went out to all those people who lost their loved ones and for those brave men who prevented more death and destruction, by letting the plane crash into a field. Today, here in South Africa, at 12 noon, we are having a minute of silence and we are all wearing white ribbons to show our compassion and
heartfelt sympathy for all Americans. God bless and God bless America.
-- Chantel, South Africa cnel @ juta.co.za
