Advocacy group lobbies President Bush

Somalis resident in North America and Europe have expressed solidarity with the United States against terrorism, and hailed what they called President Bush’s respect for the Muslim faith and Muslims. However, they expressed strong opposition to the use of weapons of mass destruction against terrorism. In an open letter to US President George W. Bush, dated 4 October and quoted on its web site, the Pan Somali Council for Peace and Democracy - an advocacy group in the US, Canada, and the UK, said moderation and restraint should prevail in the responses to the 11 September attacks. The letter also appealed to Bush to reject allegations that Somalia had become a terrorist hub. "Some warlords in Somalia were making allegations of terrorism in Somalia just to score political points against adversaries. We beseech you to reject this," the Council said. It denied that Somalis were religious fanatics, insisting they were just pious people, and urged the US to help the poor in Somalia. "Establishment of a simple child-health centre in a village will make that village off-limits to bloodthirsty terrorists. Terrorism and violence thrive in the swamps of human misery," said the letter.