# Aleph representative Fumihiro Joyu's view on the terrorist attacks of September 11th (Excerpted and summarized from his private homepage)

First of all, I would like to express my deep condolences to the victims, who are said to count 6,000 or more. The terrorist attacks on the centers of the USA on September 11th astonished us all.

Next, I must say, with due reflection on the past, we deny any types of violence. We therefore strongly oppose the terrorist attacks of September 11th.

We truly pray the world politics and economy will get over the difficulties ahead and stabilize. But in order to have our pray realized, we have to look in depth at the cause of the problems and then to get rid of it rather than to deal with other superficial matters, don't we?

The USA vs. terrorism structure, I think, not only results from the existing conflicts of different religions and ideologies, but also is another form of terrorists' emotional outburst of envies and hatred etc. against the USA, which at least to their eyes have been monopolizing the world's wealth and power. The allied forces of the USA and UK have recently started attacking

Afghanistan. I understand how sad and how angry the bereaved families and American people feel right now. But I wonder if the exercise of power can solve the problem at all.

Of course, investigations into such criminal acts and the punishment of the people involved are necessary. And yet, we are afraind that we will not be able to root out terrorism from the earth unless we settle structural incoherencies that exist in the international community. Air raids that victimize innocent people can only lead to the next terrorism and prolonged warfare, causing increased tragedies and unhappiness. The same is true with terrorists. I believe that they have to understand that terrorism cannot solve any problem. Only efforts with patience can do it. If otherwise resorting to power, they will end up miserable destruction with their justice disapproved.

Talking back to the structural incoherencies that exist in the international community, we are living in the world where over one billion of people in developed countries eat too much; whereas over one billion of people in developing countries, many of which happen to be Islamic, hardly eat enough, in another word, starving. Besides, what is known as "globalism," which developed countries are keen on promoting, seems to be only good for their existing gigantic capitalists and multinationals and is likely to lead to widening the gap between the haves and have-nots.

The gap between the rich and the poor will lead to the difference in military strength. Many Muslims, especially in the Middle East, feel they are treated in an insulting way, to say the least, unfairly in the international community.

Moreover, mass consumption by greedy developed countries seems to be causing environmental problems on the global scale. And its prime victims are always developing countries. However, because developed countries do not want to see their economies sluggish, the problem hardly find its way to solution.

Thus the more discontented, grudging and envying people in developing countries become, the more motivated terrorists become against the USA, which is involved in the Middle East problems and is a symbol of developed countries. In the past our organization has made grave mistakes. Duly reflecting on them, we have decided to completely deny the use of power and are currently making our utmost efforts to compensate for what we have done in the past as much as possible.

On the other hand, while inheriting the ideology of social reform from Aum Shinrikyo but at the same time sticking to the perfect nonviolence, we would like to assert and to exercise uplifting people's moral as well as reforming the structure of the international community so that no more terrorist attacks take place.

I believe that the world needs the third path, which is neither of the path of terrorism nor that of exploitation. That is what we need for the 21st century.

Making best of the bitter experience of Aum Shinrikyo that victimized many people, Aleph would like to contribute to the society in the 21st century, and that way we believe our condolences can reach the victims in the Aum incidents and all other terrorist attacks.