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Posted on 11/01/2001 3:15:20 PM PST by Pokey78

EXACTLY one month after New York City endured the most barbaric and deadly terrorist attack in America's history, Prince Alwaleed bin Talal of Saudi Arabia visited Ground Zero.

It is impossible not to be overwhelmed and deeply moved at the sight of such wicked destruction. The twin towers that crowned the city's skyline are gone - all that remains are piles of twisted steel and broken concrete. It's not wreckage though; it's hallowed ground, because it is a place where the lives of nearly 5,000 innocent men, women and children were taken in an instant. It is a place where more than 400 heroes in the police and fire departments sacrificed their own lives to rescue more than 25,000 others. It is a final resting place for many people who may never be found. And it is a place that stays with you long after you walk away.

Prince Alwaleed was visibly moved after he witnessed the devastation. And afterwards, he very generously donated a $10 million cheque to the Twin Towers Fund, which was created to benefit the families of the uniformed services members - police officers, firefighters, emergency medical technicians, court officers and rescue workers - who were killed in the attack. Prince Alwaleed is a prominent part-time New Yorker who has investments in our city's hotels, media and other industries. There was no need to question his generosity. But moments after he passed the cheque, there were many reasons to question his motivations.

As he was shaking my hand, his deputies were handing out a press release with the following statement: "We have come here today to offer our condolences to the people of New York, to condemn terrorism, and to donate $10 million to the Twin Towers Fund. However, at times like this one, we must address some of the issues that led to such a criminal attack. I believe the government of the United States of America should re-examine its policies in the Middle East and adopt a more balanced stance toward the Palestinian cause our Palestinian brethren continue to be slaughtered at the hands of the Israelis while the world turns the other cheek."

With that statement, Prince Alwaleed attempted to rationalise the deadliest attack in history. Not only is this kind of rationalisation inappropriate and insulting, but it is also dangerous and wrong. There is no justification for slaughtering thousands of innocent lives. There is no justification for ripping apart countless families and communities. And there is no justification for savage acts of mass murder. The criminals who funded and trained the terrorists who planned and carried out this attack lost any right to justify their cause when they murdered so many innocent men, women and children.

The attack of September 11 killed people from more than 80 countries, representing every race and every faith. They were working in buildings that were recognised around the world as symbols of international trade and prosperity. Dozens of British citizens were taken from us as they quietly went about their daily lives. Many small towns around New York City felt similar losses. One of our communities with a proud tradition of sending its sons and daughters into our city's fire department and financial institutions lost more than 100 people. In another community, one congregation lost more than 20 parishioners.

The life of every New Yorker has been affected, but this was not just an attack on our city, or our country. This was an attack upon the very idea of a free and inclusive society, the rule of law, political, religious, and economic freedom, and our respect for human life. This was an attack upon civilisation.

To entertain any thought of moral relativism that attempts to justify this attack - through historical, political or religious interpretations - is an assault on the very principles of civilisation.

Those who practise terrorism lose any right to have their cause understood by decent people and lawful nations. On this issue, the world must draw a line. The era of moral relativism between those who practise or condone terrorism, and those nations who stand up against it, must end. Moral relativism does not have a place in this discussion and debate, because there is no moral way to sympathise with grossly immoral actions. Tragically, though, the nations of the world have yet to take a united, principled and unyielding stance against terrorists and the nations that harbour its practitioners, and this environment has allowed a fertile field in which terrorism has grown.

Prince Alwaleed needs to understand that this is a war upon all civilisations, not between civilisations. This is a conflict between humanity and mass murderers. The nations of the world need to understand with whom they are siding when they attempt to explain the unholy acts of barbarians with little regard for the lives lost, the families shattered and the communities for ever changed.

• Rudolph Giuliani is the Mayor of New York City
  

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