07 December 1999
(Terrorism is not a principle of any major religion, including Islam) (850) The Department of State December 7, 1999, released the following fact sheet on U.S. Government views on terrorism. (begin text) FACT SHEET TALKING ABOUT TERRORISM NOTE: Some Muslims, and others, believe that the U.S. has seemed, at times, to link terrorism with Islam. This is not U.S. Government policy. It is important to recognize that terrorists are criminals. They are not identified by race, nationality, ethnicity, or religion. U.S. GOVERNMENT VIEWS ON TERRORISM Terrorists are criminals, whatever their ethnic, religious, or other affiliation. We oppose their crimes, not any religious or moral cause they purport to represent. When it comes to dealing with terrorism, there should be no differences of opinion based on religion or ethnicity. The only dividing line is between those who practice, support, or tolerate terrorism and those who understand that it is criminal behavior. Terrorism is a crime that affects innocent men, women, and children everywhere. Its victims have been on all continents. It is in the common interest of all nations to fight terrorism. International cooperation is required to bring terrorists to justice and to establish and maintain the rule of law. There is no justification for the indiscriminate killing of civilians. Neither ideology nor religion nor politics can justify cold-blooded murder. All members of the international community of nations subscribe to the Geneva Conventions, which proscribe indiscriminate attacks on civilians. All nations have an obligation to protect the lives of their citizens and to safeguard their national security. All nations should be committed to apply the rule of law in terrorism cases and to bring terrorists to justice. Any country that provides refuge or other support to terrorists operates outside the values of the international community of nations. States that sponsor or otherwise support terrorism are playing a losing game. They lay themselves open to international sanctions and to attack by opponents of the groups that they sponsor. The resolute opposition of the United States to terrorism does not mean that we are indifferent to the conditions that foster it. We are committed to work harder to treat the sources of despair before they turn into the poison of hatred. However, we work best with those who take responsibility for their own problems - not with those who throw bombs, take hostages, and indulge in the fiery rhetoric of hatred. The United States cooperates closely with many other nations to counter terrorist threats. This cooperation has succeeded in capturing criminals, preventing attacks, and saving lives. We urge all countries to adopt a similar "zero tolerance" policy and to demonstrate political will by treating terrorists as criminals. QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS QUESTION: Does terrorism represent a "clash of civilizations" and a conflict of values between Islamic and Western nations? ANSWER: Definitely not. Islam and the West are not in confrontation. While we may have political differences with some countries whose populations are mostly Muslim, most Americans and most Muslims share fundamental values such as peace, justice, economic security, and good governance. QUESTION: Why are so many terrorists Muslims? ANSWER: Terrorism is not a principle of any major religion, including Islam. There are over one billion Muslims in the world. Among that number, one finds a few extremists who misuse Islam as a justification for their violent criminal acts. Unfortunately, any religion, including Christianity and Judaism, is vulnerable to this kind of distortion and abuse. QUESTION: The majority of the countries on the U.S. list of state sponsors of terrorism are Muslim. Why? ANSWER: The seven states on our "terrorism list" have a proven history of sponsoring terrorism either directly or by providing training, money, weapons, logistical support, and safe haven to terrorists. These are the criteria we use to designate state sponsors of terrorism. Religion has nothing to do with it. QUESTION: Why do Western media and cinema portray Muslims as terrorists? ANSWER: The sometimes-distorted portrayal of Islam in Western media is a problem the United States continues to address. Our society can solve it through education, people-to-people exchanges, and by encouraging responsible reporting in the mass media and accurate portrayal in the movie industry, neither of which the U.S. government controls. As the number of American Muslims continues to increase, and as that community develops its domestic political visibility -- through gaining elective office and founding effective political action committees -- we will no doubt begin to see more consistently objective portrayals of Muslims in our media. Whatever distortions exist, President Clinton, our diplomats, and others responsible for our official dealings with the Islamic world generally have a clear understanding and deep respect for Islam. In his greetings to the Muslim world on the occasion of Eid-al-Fitr in 1999, President Clinton noted that the occasion of this Islamic celebration was "...the chance to teach people of every faith what is precious about Islam -- its charity, its generosity, its essential humanity." (end text) (Distributed by the Office of International Information Programs, U.S. Department of State.)