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Terrorist attacks unite campus in quest for answers, peaceOn the morning of Tuesday, Sept. 11, a festive gathering at the home of URI President Robert L. Carothers to recognize faculty and staff donors to the University quickly became tempered with the sobering reality of the collapsing Twin Towers in New York City. As the news poured in with each guest's arrival, focus shifted from the donations made to the University to the terror of the television reports. The event was transformed into the first of what would be many informal and later formal gatherings, discussions, and prayer sessions that would take place as the University community, like the rest of the nation and world, wrestled with a new reality. Before noon, President Carothers had announced on the University-wide voicemail system that classes should continue in order to provide an opportunity for students and faculty to discuss the tragic events. That evening, a student-organized candlelight peace vigil drew more than a thousand students, faculty, and staff members who walked silently together to the quadrangle in honor of the victims and heroes. On Friday, eyes still swollen with tears, hundreds of students, faculty and staff gathered, not just to hear words of guidance and shared grief of President Carothers and others, but more importantly to feel the common, united force of being together. The community, like much of the nation, bonded in a search for answers. Carothers later wrote to the community: "The tragic events of September 11 have left many Americans both sad and angry. The very principles that make America a great nation have been attacked...In the face of those attacks, it is imperative that each of us does all we can to preserve the Constitution that embodies our liberties and the rule of law that protects them. Just as we will not tolerate attacks of terrorists on our nation, we will also not tolerate acts of violence or harassment against any persons because of where they or their ancestors came from, or because they look somehow different or because they speak with an accent. Thank you for standing up for what is right, for believing and acting as responsible members of the democracy we all seek to defend." While traveling out of the country, Dr. Bernard LaFayette, scholar-in residence and director of the URI Center for Nonviolence and Peace Studies commented: "...Terrorist acts have to be addressed in a most direct way. People who are responsible must be brought to justice before a national or international tribunal. We cannot take a passive position. Nonviolence does not mean non-action. Terrorism affects peace everywhere ... We must proceed cautiously and wisely. We must make sure that we do not become the evil that we are attempting to destroy." And during one Town Meeting/Teach In held on Oct. 4, Rosa Maria Pegueros, assistant professor of history said: "... I am deeply ambivalent. Like most Americans, I have been glued to the television and radio, trying to make sense of the tragedy and our response to it. I want to emphasize that I am not a pacifist, for I believe that there are times when our nation must take up arms. I have urged my colleagues and students, and have written to our leaders to make a careful, informed judgment...We don't need smart bombs; we need smart leaders who believe more in life than in death." University email listserves continue to be abuzz with faculty, staff and students expressing a full range of emotions; sharing concerns of family, friends, alumni, and others who may have been harmed; sending reference and background materials on the related issues; and sharing knowledge and opinions. Faculty and staff members like Professor Marc Genest with an expertise in terrorism; Associate Professor Jimmie Oxley, an explosives expert; and Counseling Center Director James Campbell, a Red Cross-certified counselor who traveled to help in New York days after the attacks; and others served as resources to the community and media. Understanding the need to share information with some of the youngest members of the community, Economics Professor Mohammed Sharif, who heads the Southern Rhode Island Islamic Society, graciously accepted requests to speak at several area schools about the Muslim religion. "Peace be on you," Sharif began with one group of sixth to eighth graders, "this is the greeting Muslims share when they meet someone." The children then repeated: "Peace be unto you, too," and Sharif continued to describe his beliefs and answer questions. One child asked: "If Muslims believe in peace and Islam means peaceful, why would a Muslim do this?" "No matter what race, religion, or ethnic background we are born to or come from, some people do things that are bad. It is these human beings that destroy, not their religion, and not God. Whether we are Christians, Jews, or Muslims, whether we are black or brown or white or some other color, God has created us differently not to hate each other or to destroy each other. God made us different so we could enjoy each other." By Jhodi Redlich
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