Reactions to the September 11 attacks

The Reactions to the September 11, 2001 attacks included condemnation from world leaders, other political and religious representatives and the international media, as well as numerous memorials and services all over the world. The attacks were denounced by the governments of countries traditionally considered hostile to the United States, such as Cuba, Iran, Libya and North Korea. However in some cases celebrations of the attacks were also reported, and some groups and individuals accused the United States in effect of bringing the attacks on itself.

In the immediate aftermath of the attacks support for the United States' right to defend itself was expressed across the world, and by United Nations Security Council Resolution 1368. Many countries introduced "anti-terrorism" legislation and froze the bank accounts of businesses and individuals they suspected of having connections with al-Qaeda and its leader Osama Bin-Laden, the presumed perpetrators of the attacks.

United States

See also: U.S. military response and U.S. government response

In the immediate aftermath of the attacks, the Bush administration declared a war on terrorism, with the stated goals of bringing Osama bin Laden and al-Qaeda to justice and preventing the emergence of other terrorist networks. These goals would be accomplished by means including economic and military sanctions against states perceived as harboring terrorists and increasing global surveillance and intelligence sharing. Immediately after the September 11 attacks U.S. officials speculated on possible involvement by Saddam Hussein; although unfounded, the association contributed to public acceptance for the 2003 invasion of Iraq. The second-biggest operation of the U.S. Global War on Terrorism outside of the United States, and the largest directly connected to terrorism, was the overthrow of the Taliban rule from Afghanistan, by a U.S.-led coalition.

Right-wing Christians

Following the attcks, Westboro Baptist Church (WBC) and also television evangelist Jerry Falwell called the event a punishment from God and expressed blame towards paganism, abortion, and homosexuality with Falwell commenting "you helped this happen." The Westboro Baptist Church went a step further by having a group go to the World Trade Center site and protest the rescue efforts while holding signs with slogans thanking God for the event and their pastor, Fred Phelps, later recording several similar sentiment songs with the Westboro Baptist Church Choir.

Western world

After the attacks many governments and organizations in the West expressed shock and sympathy, and were supportive of burgeoning efforts to combat terrorism. Among them:

• NATO held an emergency meeting of the alliance's ambassadors in Brussels. The secretary general, Lord Robertson, promised the United States that it could rely on its allies in North America and Europe for assistance and support, and pledged that those responsible would not get away with it.
• European foreign ministers scheduled a rare emergency meeting the next day of the attacks to discuss a joint response, as officials expressed solidarity with the United States. The external relations commissioner, Chris Patten, called the attacks the work of a madman.
• British security forces across the world were placed on maximum alert. Prime Minister Tony Blair pledged that Britain would stand full square alongside the U.S. in the battle against terrorism. Queen Elizabeth expressed growing disbelief and total shock. In London, the U.S. national anthem was played at the Changing of the Guard at Buckingham Palace.
• The BBC apologised after an edition of its political panel programme Question Time, held two days after the attacks, saw the US ambassador to the UK Philip Lader face hostile criticism of US foreign policy from audience members.
• In Germany, Chancellor Gerhard Schröder described the attacks as a declaration of war against the civilized world. Authorities urged Frankfurt, the country's financial capital, to close all its major skyscrapers. The new Jewish museum in Berlin canceled its public opening. In Berlin, 200,000 Germans marched to show their solidarity with America.
• The French newspaper of record, Le Monde, ran a front-page headline reading "Nous sommes tous Américains", or "We are all Americans".
• A National Day of Mourning was held in Ireland on Friday, September 14, the only country other than the U.S.A. to do so.

A museum panel showing headlines on September 12 in America and around the world

• In Canada, hundreds of United States-bound flights were diverted to Canadian airports, including a plane carrying President Glafcos Clerides of Cyprus, who landed in Montreal.
  Further information: Operation Yellow Ribbon
• New Zealand Prime Minister Helen Clark stated "It's the sort of thing the worst movie scenario wouldn't dream up," and a New Zealand Herald DigiPoll revealed that after the attacks 2/3 of New Zealanders supported a NZ pledge of troops to Afghanistan.
• In 2003, New Zealand began administering a "Pacific Security Fund" to vulnerable nations in the Pacific region aiming at securing and preventing terrorism from entering the region, there is an annual fund of NZD$3 million that is paid by the New Zealand Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade (MFAT) and is used to provide support to Pacific Island Coutries.

United Nations

In the following day of the attacks, the Security Council members condemned the terrorist attacks on the United States and adopted resolution 1368 (2001), by which they expressed readiness to take all necessary steps to respond to the attacks of September 11 and to combat all forms of terrorism in accordance with their Charter responsibilities.

Then-Secretary General of the UN Kofi Annan, said: We are all traumatized by this terrible tragedy.

Islamic world

Reactions to the attacks in the Muslim world were mixed. The great majority of Muslim political and religious leaders condemned the attacks, including the Presidents of Egypt, Jordan, the Palestinian Authority, Libya, Syria, Iran and Pakistan. The sole exception was president of Iraq, Saddam Hussein, who said of the attacks that "The American cowboys are reaping the fruit of their crimes against humanity." Saddam would later offer sympathy to the Americans killed in the attacks.

• Renowned Muslim scholar Yusuf al-Qaradawi denounced the attacks and the killings of hundreds of civilians as a "heinous crime" and urged Muslims to donate blood to the victims. He did however criticise the United States' "biased policy towards Israel" and also called on Muslims to "concentrate on facing the occupying enemy directly", inside the Palestinian territories.

• Ahmed Yassin, whose Islamic militant Hamas group had carried out a series of suicide bombings in Israel, said he was not interested in exporting such attacks to the United States, however he criticized the "unfair American position".

• Afghanistan's Taliban rulers condemned the attacks and rejected suggestions that Osama bin Laden, who had been given asylum in Afghanistan, could be behind them.

• Huge crowds attended candlelit vigils in Iran, and 60,000 spectators observed a minute's silence at Tehran football stadium.

Palestinian celebrations

Main article: Celebrations of the September 11, 2001 attacks

Shortly after the attacks began, about 3,000 people poured into the streets of Nablus, chanting 'Allāhu Akbar' (God is (the) greatest), passing along sweets, honking car horns, holding up the V sign for victory and holding up Palestinian flags were broadcast around the world. A Palestinian woman said she was happy because "America is the head of the snake, America always stands by Israel in its war against us".^(VIDEO) Many newspapers, magazines, Web sites and wire services ran photographs of the celebrations.

Also, in Ein el-Hilweh, Lebanon's largest refugee camp, where about 75,000 Palestinians live, revelers fired weapons in the air, witnesses said. Similar celebratory gunfire was heard at the Rashidiyeh camp near the southern city of Tyre.

The Palestinian Authority, which had immediately condemned the September 11th attacks, moved to quash further reports of public celebrations, claiming that they were unrepresentative of the Palestinian people. The Palestinian information minister Yasser Abed Rabbo said the Palestinian Authority would not allow "a few kids" to "smear the real face of the Palestinians". Ahmed Abdel Rahman, Arafat's Cabinet secretary, said the Palestinian Authority could not "guarantee the life" of an Associated Press cameraman if footage he filmed of post-9/11 celebrations was broadcast. Rahman's statement prompted a formal protest from the AP bureau chief, Dan Perry.

Some questioned the authenticity of the videos and images spread about the celebrations; Annette Krüger Spitta of ARD's (German public broadcasting) TV magazine Panorama claimed that while the footage was indeed correctly dated, reporters may have partly staged one of the scenes Krüger Spitta expresses that it is impossible to know if these images -- which were wildly sent worldwide under the title: Palestinians celebrate in Jerusalem -- are truth or a production.

Investigation of news reporting and allegations of fraud

Annette Krüger Spitta of ARD's (German public broadcasting) TV magazine Panorama claimed that while the footage was indeed correctly dated, reporters may have partly staged one of the scenes and that viewers should keep some distance from what is spread by journalists on images of conflict. The German weekly Der Spiegel repeated this news report and noted about the mistaken circulation that the footage was from 1991.

The Panorama report from September 20 2001 has Medium Professor Martin Löffelholz explaining that in the images you see jubilant Palestinian children and several adults but it is impossible to know if they are necessarily pleased about the attack reports; and he does not assume this and ignores the way it has been reported.

Krüger Spitta notes that inspection of the untelecasted complete tape shows the street around the celebration is quiet and a man in a white T-shirt is noticeable for inciting the children and is fetching new people again and again. The woman who is remembered for her cheering (Nowel Abdel Fatah) stated afterwards that she was offered cake if she celebrates on camera, and that she was frightened when she saw the pictures on television and that she never expected it would be noticed to the USA.

Krüger Spitta expresses that it is impossible to know if these images -- which were wildly sent worldwide under the title: Palestinians celebrate in Jerusalem -- are truth or a production and that, as Professor Löffelholz says, in crises and war situations due caution should be observed when relying upon journalists who sometimes make errors.

Also, there was an urban legend that the footage of some Palestinians celebrating the attacks was stock footage of Palestinian reactions to the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait, a decade prior to 2001. This rumor was proven false shortly afterwards, and CNN issued a statement to that effect.

Muslim Americans

In a Joint Statement by American Muslim Alliance, American Muslim Council, Association of Muslim Scientists and Engineers, Association of Muslim Social Scientists, Council on American-Islamic Relations, Islamic Medical Association of North America, Islamic Circle of North America, Islamic Society of North America, Ministry of Imam W. Deen Mohammed, Muslim American Society and Muslim Public Affairs Council, stated:

American Muslims utterly condemn the vicious and cowardly acts of terrorism against innocent civilians. We join with all Americans in calling for the swift apprehension and punishment of the perpetrators. No political cause could ever be assisted by such immoral acts.

Rest of the world

• India declared high alert across most of its major cities and conveyed deepest sympathies to the US and condemned the attacks.
• Mexico increased its security, causing enormous traffic jams at the United States border and officials said they were considering closing the entire border. President Vicente Fox expressed solidarity and our most profound condolences.
• Cuban government expressed its pain and solidarity with its longtime adversary and offered air and medical facilities to help.
• Chinese President Jiang Zemin said he was shocked and sent his condolences to President Bush, while the Foreign Ministry said China opposed all manner of terrorism.
• Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi expressed great anger and said these acts of terrorism should not be forgiven. Special security precautions were ordered at all United States military installations.
• Russia put troops on alert. President Vladimir V. Putin held an emergency meeting of security officials and said he supported a tough response to the barbaric acts.
• Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon declared a national day of mourning in the next day of the attacks in solidarity with the United States and urged the world to fight terrorism.