On Sunday, the Presidium of the Humanist Association of Germany recalled the terrorist attacks that took place ten years ago in New York and Washington. “These acts mark a turning point for both US and global society,” said Frieder Otto Wolf, President of the association. Wolf went on to say that the events have shaped the thoughts and actions of many people to this day in a problematic way. “We should now say goodbye to the idea of a war on terror as well as to thoughts of holy wars or other ideas and conditions in which such terrible acts find their actual causes,” said Wolf. The ideas that prevent conditions in which members of different societies and cultures can live peacefully, freely, equally and with a realized right to basic material needs must be overcome. Dramatically unequal distribution of material wealth can be just as much a root cause of violence and terror as state-imposed lack of freedom or power relations that are perceived as intolerably unjust. Education, the unconditional recognition of universal human rights and strong secular democracies remain fundamental and indispensable means of promoting sustainable positive development in all parts of the world, Wolf made clear. Freedom and peace for Western societies can therefore no more be enforced in the future than in the cultures in which the protagonists of September 11, 2001 originated. Wolf: “Security for all members of our species should instead grow through global cooperation, in the spirit and on the basis of the UN Declaration of Human Rights.” Opinions sometimes held that fundamental scriptures of the Christian or Islamic religious communities do not permit readings and interpretations that could legitimize violent or other inhumane acts for individuals are, in turn, demonstrably inaccurate and highly problematic in terms of the motivation for horrific acts. Even ten years after the collapse of the World Trade Center buildings, these conceivable conflict factors must not be uncritically excluded from in-depth debate. “The repeated attempts to make a blanket and general dismissal of the connections between religious beliefs and real violence are just as counterproductive for conflict prevention in the present as all generalized condemnations and suspicions of religious groups,” said Wolf. He therefore expressly welcomed statements from members of the Christian churches and spokespersons of Muslim organizations that emphasize the role of religious fundamentalism, the crucial importance of differentiating considerations and the primacy of non-violent solutions and civil aid. The people who reject torture, the denial of fundamental rights or the dismantling of the rule of law in the management of cultural conflicts as unacceptable are to be agreed with. Frieder Otto Wolf also pleaded for all members of different cultures and social institutions to seek even more open discussion with each other in order to guarantee that objectivity and de-escalation are given clear priority in rational dialog. This day could provide an opportunity for this.
In this context, Wolf recalled the behavior of the Norwegian population in response to the terrorist attacks in Oslo and the murders on the island of Utoya. People in all communities, whether religious or non-religious, should also see it as their duty in future to do everything they can to address the forces in their communities that drive conflict and promote violence. Wolf: “As social beings capable of reason, we all have a responsibility for the actions of our neighbors. To shirk it is dishonest and unreasonable. Anyone can become a victim of violence due to exacerbated contradictions and false ideas. September 11, 2001 showed us this, as did the recent events in Norway.” Wolf also reminded humanists of the Oslo Declaration of Peace, which was formulated at the last World Humanist Congress. “Peace is more than the absence of war,” the resolution states, among other things. It requires respect for the worth and dignity of our fellow human beings as well as mutual tolerance and harmony in every person. Peace remains an active and continuous process to realize the solution of problems justly and without violence. “As an association, we must continue to face this challenge with all our strength,” said Frieder Otto Wolf.
