The Northern Ireland Women's Coalition has passed an emergency motion expressing reservations at the bombing of Afghanistan and pledging its solidarity with the women there.
While declaring their abhorrence of the September 11th attacks, members of the coalition, at the party's annual conference in Bangor, Co Down, said a war on the civilian population of Afghanistan was not an "appropriate" response: "There is no evidence that people living within the borders of Afghanistan were responsible for the attacks on America. The civilian population of Afghanistan has a right to life and should not be subjected to the suffering caused by the military retaliation to the events of September 11th.
"We deplore the effects of this on a people who, according to aid agencies, before the bombing began had six million people on the verge of starvation", the motion read.
The response of EU governments in introducing stringent anti-terrorist laws and radical changes to asylum procedures would only further increase racial tensions, it continued. "We in Ireland have the experience of the Prevention of Terrorism Act; we know its effect in making the entire Irish community in Britain a 'suspect community'.
"We urge the EU to consider the effects of such actions on community relations within the countries of Europe and the dangers of criminalising the entire Muslim population."
Other conference motions included a call for the voting age to be reduced to 17, a support motion for Belfast City Council's bid for "City of Culture 2008" and one calling for legislation to prevent politicians in the North from holding more than one elected office simultaneously.
There were also motions expressing concern over community relations in the university area of Belfast, delays in the provision of maternity services at Belfast hospitals and the lack of protection for asylum-seekers and ethnic minorities. Two other motions dealt with environmental issues and the introduction of the euro. All the motions were passed.