November 3, 2001	Saturday	Shaba’an 16, 1422

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SAN FRANCISCO, Nov 2: The American Muslim organizations have called for an end to the US airstrikes on Afghanistan saying that the drawbacks outweigh benefits.

Seventeen national American Muslim organizations issued a statement that condemned the Sept 11 terrorist attacks on New York and Washington but said the bombing of Afghanistan should end because of civilian deaths and injuries, adding that the military action “creates widespread resentment across the Muslim world.”

The statement said, “We believe the bombing in Afghanistan is not in the long-term interest of our country or the world at large. ... Allowing thousands of innocent civilians to die in the harsh Afghan winter will only serve to weaken the global resolve to root out terrorism. The senseless starvation of women and children will fuel hate and extremism.”

The unintended consequences are beginning to outweigh the positive benefits, said Dr Agha Saeed, the president and founder of the California-based American Muslim Alliance (AMA). The AMA, a nationwide civic education organization with 95 chapters in 34 states, is one of the signatories of the statement.