A tragedy of great magnitude has taken place in the United States of America. Thousands of innocent lives have been lost in terrorist attacks on symbols of American economic and political might in New York City and Washington, with others still becoming victims aboard a fourth plan or while rescuing the survivors. Millions around the country and elsewhere in the world are mourning this tragedy in a show of solidarity among all Americans of different creeds, colors and backgrounds. In moments like this it is very difficult, after the initial shock, to not lose sensibility and let anger and hatred overcome us. After all, we are humans and susceptible to our emotions, but our religions, moral and ethical beliefs and compassion tell us otherwise.

There are always in any religion or belief system those fanatics who live on the fringes, blaming others for all their miseries and thinking they have the moral superiority over others, to the extent that anything outside their way of life is wrong and must be condemned.

Among Americans who have fallen victims to this fanaticism are also Arab and Muslim Americans. There are 1.2 billion Muslims in the world and between six to seven million of them live in the United States. They have come to the land of opportunity from diverse countries like Egypt, India, Indonesia, Iran, Jordan, Lebanon, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Sudan and elsewhere in the Muslim world that includes 55 countries.

Arab Americans are only a part of this greater community and they have proven themselves, like other American Muslims, as patriotic and peace-loving as the rest of us. American Muslims are as much a part of the fabric of American society as other segments of the population.

In the past few days, however, there have been reports of some violence and abuse of Muslim Americans, something that must not be tolerated. The extent of these acts has thus far remained limited although some loss of lives have been reported. That is a testimony to the health of our communities across this country, but we must remain alert and vigilant not to fall in to the trap of hatred and emotional outrage.

We are all in this together, and all Americans condemn barbaric acts of terrorism.

On the political front, many have asked why the United States has fallen victim to this horrific act of terrorism. Why not Canada, Australia or Italy? Well, the reasons are complex and cannot be summarized in this limited space. But, the heart of the problem has to do with fanaticism and our foreign policy, the former on the part of religious zealots who basically disagree with everyone who does not prescribe to their beliefs and ideas, and the latter involves the complex U.S. foreign policy goals in the Middle East.

It is hard to fight fanatic zealots who are willing to sacrifice their own lives and lives of others for a cause, no matter how twisted or misconstrued that cause might be. But let us not forget, fanatics in any faith do not speak for the mainstream believers, and fanaticism is not only confined to Islam; there are also religious fanatics among Christians, Jews, Hindus, Sikhs and other faiths.

As for the American foreign policy goals in the Middle East in post WWII, it has been, if not anything else, short-sighted, imbalanced and in pursuit of short term interests. We have almost always preferred stability to democracy and the interest of government elites in the region over their people.

The American foreign policy inadequacies in turn have caused harm to peoples in the region and have helped build resistance or even resentments toward not so much the American people but the American government.

The jubilation among some seen on television in the West Bank in the aftermath of the Sept. 11 attack, itself a product of 50 years of harsh life under occupation, represents some of these feelings toward the mighty American government, with its mainly pro-Israeli stance, and not any particular hatred toward American people per se.

Moreover, we have not been shown scenes of saddened Muslim populations in streets of Muslim countries, including Arab countries, many of who are broken hearted with this senseless act of terror.

The United States has the right to defend itself and those responsible must be brought to justice. But, what exactly are our goals in a military confrontation with, let us say, Afghanistan? Furthermore, “who is responsible” and “how we are going to respond” remain important questions not yet adequately addressed by the Bush administration.

The initial investigation has pointed to the usual suspect, Osama bin Laden. But even the intelligence community has yet to produce concrete evidence implicating bin Laden or his presumed culprit, the Taliban government of Afghanistan.

We know from investigations done thus far that as many as fifty people could have been involved in this operation, indicating the complexity of the planning and organizing this brutal attack. So, we need to do our homework and proceed with patience. Invoking public opinion and declaring this horrendous terrorist attack an act of war can only push the political leadership to the fringes of war. If these terrorists are supported with a country, are we willing to go to a full-scale war with this unknown country, no matter what the cost or the consequences?

Given the state of public opinion and political leadership, the military operation is being planned behind closed curtains in the Pentagon. But we simply need to think about the consequences of our actions since they will lead to more bloodshed.

Would not the killing of hundreds or even thousands of civilians in the process of fighting terrorists make us as brutal as them, regardless of tactics used?

If revenge and punishment is in order, then let’s do it multilaterally along with our allies and in accordance with principles of international law. A harsh and uncalculated response can only lead to thousands of innocent people dead in our targeted country or countries. We must assess the situation, draw up some plans as to the appropriate course of action, ask our allies for assistance and most of all respond in proportion to the harm done to us before we drum up sounds of an all-out war.

If rushed into a major confrontation with Afghanistan, if the Taliban government is indeed guilty of supporting bin Laden, or any other government in the region, we will simply help further destabilize countries like Pakistan and radicalize politics in the Middle East, leading to more acts of terrorism against us.

We must not in rage take it upon ourselves to act exactly like those who have caused us pain; otherwise we would fall into a cycle of violence and terror. This, of course, does not exonerate those responsible for committing such an abhorrent act of violence.