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Forum gauges terror issues By ANDIE LEATHERMAN, LTN Staff Writer Oct. 24 - Haydar Sadig was standing in his Charlotte kitchen holding and singing to his 10-month-old daughter on the morning of Sept. 11. His happy mood was shattered when the first plane struck the World Trade Center, he told Lincolnton residents Monday during a community forum at the Cultural Center. Sadig, a Moslem, stood in his kitchen sobbing for the mothers and fathers who would never again hold their children. Based on past attacks, Sadig was sure the crash was the work of Islamic fundamentalists, people he says do not represent his faith. “This was not a religious act. It was a political act which garbed itself with a religious cloak,” Sadig said. While many westerners have heard the term jihad used to define a war fought to defend Islam, the term also applies to the inner struggle to eliminate evil from one’s personal conduct, Sadig said — the latter being the most important. Even as a war, Islam’s holy book, the Koran, gives several rules including no killing of children, the elderly or other civilians and no killing of a soldier who has dropped his weapon, Sadig said. In later parts of the Koran, a second type of jihad is given. This form advises only verbal means to defend and spread Islam. Sadig compared this peaceful development to the change from the Old Testament’s call for “an eye for an eye” to the New Testament’s emphasis on forgiveness. During a question and answer session, Sadig was asked if destroying the entire Taliban would solve the terrorist problem. This is not a viable solution, according to Sadig, who told the audience similar groups exists in countries like Egypt and Saudi Arabia, both U.S. trading partners. Worldwide there are 1.3 billion Moslems with 1 percent or 13 million of those being fundamentalists. “If we continue to think of force as the only way, we are marching into dangerous territory,” Sadig said. Maggie Dollar, county public health director, addressed the anthrax threat. “It’s not something you and I are going to get walking down the streets of Lincolnton,” she said. Dollar advised against home test for the virus. “They are not sensitive enough to give accurate results,” she said. “I would be very wary of people who are trying to capitalize on this terrible event.” Since the anthrax mail scare began, none of the 40 tests the state health lab has performed has been positive. Mail that appears to be a deliberate hoax is being investigated by law enforcement, she said. “This is treated as a criminal offense. It’s nothing to play with,” Dollar said. Panelist Dr. Michael Eziri, a pulmonary specialists with offices in Lincolnton and Gastonia, advised against taking Cipro or other antibiotics without medical supervision. Only individuals medically evaluated to be at high risk of exposure are being prescribed antibiotics. “You don’t need to stockpile antibiotics,” he said. The forum was sponsored by Transitions Personal and Family Counseling and the Lincoln Cultural Center.
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© 2001 Lincoln Times-News |
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