US and Britain asked to protect Afghan people

BY LUKE COPPEN THE UNITED States and its allies were urged this week to ensure that military strikes do not destroy the lives of "the poor, the innocent and the voiceless".
The appeal was made by Cafod, the official aid agency of the bishops of England and Wales, the Catholic Institute for International Relations (CIIR) and 12 other major British charities.
The charities, which work with some of the
poorest people in the
world, warned that military reprisals could lead to the deaths of many more innocent people.
"Only measured thought and statesmanship can avoid the descent into a spiral of violence," they said. "The experiences of charities
working across the world
shows that — as in the US — it is often innocent people who are the victims of violence."
The coalition, which also included Amnesty International, Christian Aid, Oxfam and the Refugee Council, warned against the demonisation of Muslims and the Islamic faith.
"Already there have been threats and attacks against Muslim communities and individuals, in this country and beyond," the charities noted. "At this time, everyone with influence must do their utmost to combat extremism, to renounce inflammatory statements, protect the vulnerable and avoid any action that would create new enmities or destroy relations between communities or nations.
"It is imperative that hatred does not become the order of the day; that fear does not become an excuse for the violation of rights and that we all remember our common humanity," the coalition added.
"We urge everyone
involved to show restraint
in responding to an act of barbarism. In this respect any response must he conducted within the framework of international law. Thousands of innocent people have died in the US. We must now make
sure that even more
innocent lives are not lost."
In a statement last week Julian Filochowski, director of Cafod, called on world leaders to strengthen the interfaith bonds between communities.
He said: "This is not about a Muslim-Christian divide. Any military or political response that intensifies interfaith hostilities can only produce more human suffering and misery."
Additional reporting: ictina White