Great Testimony: Remembering 11th September 2001

American peace activist looks back on efforts towards world peace initiated by Father and Mother Moon in the aftermath of 11th September 2001 terror

by Edy Iversen Martin-Prével

It has been 23 years since the horrible terrorist attacks that took place in New York and Washington DC. I had just buried my husband in Florida and moved to DC to become a public relations director for a non-profit there. I will never forget seeing on television the planes slamming into the World Trade Center and then the violent attack on the Pentagon as well.

Immediately after hearing about the attacks, Father Moon, concerned about a possible World War III, asked members to organize conferences in all 50 states with religious leaders from all faiths, and political leaders as well, and to get them to pray and work for peace. We organized several conferences in Washington DC, of which I was a part.

My twin sister Betsy and several pastors were some of the first responders to Ground Zero in New York, where they saw firsthand the consequences of this tragedy and ministered to the victims that survived.

At that time, I knew I had to do something desperate and went to the Capitol every day to speak to the legislators to try and bring them to a major conference for World Peace. Despite the incredible danger, I prayed tearfully for the protection of our country, placing my hand every day on the Capitol Building. I took a directory of all the legislators and prayed for each one for forty days.

I stood in the freezing cold and besieged God in front of the White House for the protection of our President, hoping somehow, we could bring him to one of our events as well. No matter how hard we tried, we could not reach him. He was being blocked from meeting with us. It was an incredible disappointment.

Father Moon predicted if we went into war with Iraq, there would be worldwide religious repercussions and tried desperately to bring Muslim, Christian, and Jewish leaders together with the leading politicians to stop this. Unfortunately, despite all our efforts, we were not successful, and the rest is history. Unfortunately, today, you can see the remnants of 11^th September, 23 years later, and conflicts are still going strong: terrorism, war, and hatred between religions that supposedly teach love, forgiveness and peace.

Living in Europe and being so close to Russia and the Middle East, war is an everyday reality that affects us even in France. Also, so many of our dear brothers and sisters who work for peace in these countries are affected as well, and their children are being forced to fight against their will in wars against neighboring countries. It is an utter heartbreak.

As a longtime peacemaker, I can only hang my head in shame, that as of today we have still been unsuccessful to bring this world together and to help others to realize we should be truly “One family under God”. If the debacle of Covid could not wake us up, what will it take for the world to realize the value of each human being’s life?

Today, I ask for a special prayer for all those killed and affected by 11^th September, and prayers for continued peace in this world. I will never stop believing in the ideals we have worked our entire lives to accomplish. Also, I pray the world will see the reality of the vision of Father and Mother Moon and their extraordinary efforts as peacemakers to bring the enemies of the world together.

I am blessed to be a part of that, despite not fully accomplishing our goal yet. Still, I know, even tired, and old as I am, we cannot give up believing and trying to love and bring this world together. This is my hope, and God’s desperate heart to heal this world.

Featured image above: (Lower Manhattan, New York City) The explosion following the plane impact into the South Tower (WTC 2), from a roof along Church with Murray or Warren Streets; to the left are Millennium Hilton Downtown and 1 Liberty Plaza, to the right is 7 WTC. Photo: International_Center_for_911_Studies_NIST_FOIA / Wikimedia Commons. Public domain image 

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