UN General Assembly
2001

better word. We are united in our condemnation of the horrific acts perpetrated by an isolated group of extremists who have no respect for human life. We are united in our resolve that those responsible for the atrocities of 11 September, and those who support them, are a cancer in the body of nations — a systemic blight which extends beyond the individual perpetrators and which must be utterly eradicated, lest it return and spread. At the same time, we are united in our conviction that their evil cannot be allowed to force us to abandon respect for human rights and adherence to the rule of law, which are fundamental principles of this Organization. We are united in our recognition that, for all their claims to holiness, those responsible for these criminal acts of terror bear no legitimate claim to any civilized religion and certainly do not represent the noble and honourable beliefs of Islam. We are united in our understanding that the peoples of Afghanistan are also victims of the corruption and ill-fated control of