ACCESS Dearborn, Statement to the media on the death of Osama bin Laden

Distributed by the www.ArabAmericanNewsWire.com

IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Hassan Jaber

Executive Director, ACCESS

Statement to the media on the death of Osama bin Laden

For the past decade, the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, have been what defined our country, both at home and abroad. The death of Osama bin Laden thankfully closes out this long winter of political upheaval, social turmoil and economic disparity – so much of it precipitated by 9/11. We commend the Obama Administration and the U.S. security and intelligence agencies for their work in bringing this painful chapter to a decisive close, and in doing so, helping the families of the 9/11 victims and those of the first responders who also suffered and died, to find closure.

This is, indeed, a new day in America. Osama bin Laden is dead. We must not allow his legacy to live on by continuing to divide us. Extremism of any type demands our ongoing vigilance and our attention as a nation. At ACCESS, we believe the best way to counteract it is to put our shoulders to the work of healing from within to build our strength as a nation – to stand together rather than separate. We can start this process first by learning to accept one another for all our differences, for the vibrancy which makes us stronger. This is the first step in helping to heal the rifts in our fragile economy and the paralysis of our tattered political system, to demand governance that supports the well-being of all Americans and stands as a model of democracy to the rest of the world.

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ACCESS is a human services organization committed to the development of the Arab American community in all aspects of economic and cultural life.  ACCESS helps low-income families, as well as newly arrived immigrants, adapt to life in America.  Its goal is to foster a greater understanding of Arab Culture in the U.S. and in the Arab world.  ACCESS provides a wide range of social, mental health, educational, artistic, employment, legal, and medical services, and is dedicated to empowering people to lead more informed, productive, and fulfilling lives.