By Asmieu Bah
Like every first day of the week, it began as a pleasant sunny day on the 11 September 2001. No New Yorker or any other American expected that the cause of history was about to change, and not only change but change for a bleak and apprehensive future.
It was around 10:00 am. Al Qaeda terrorists struck the Twin Tower Buildings in the heart of Manhattan killing thousands of innocent people from virtually every country in the world. That is what this country represents – a place for all manner of persons.
Four passenger planes had been hijacked by 19 Al Qaeda terrorists who flew two of them – American Airlines Flight 11 and United Airlines Flight 175 – and crashed them into the North and South towers of the World Trade Centre in New York.
The tragic event later dubbed “9/11” – symbolising the date – was indeed a caught-off-guard attack against the most powerful country in the world. It was what I will describe as a criminal ingenuity by the terrorists.
Many memorials have been constructed including the National 11 Memorial and Museum in New York, the Pentagon Memorial and the Flight 93 National Memorial Pennsylvania in remembrance of the fallen heroes and heroines.
My being here at this time, twelve years since the attack took place, is rather fortuitous. Early this week a friend and I took a tour of the site where the Twin Tower once stood, now known as Ground Zero. Now the ground has been transformed in to a touristic site where thousands of visitors troop in to see where one of the world’s major tragedies happened. Plaques with the names of those killed inscribed on them are on display. And from the names I could the nationalities of the victims are diverse, their ages vary and one thing it also taught me is that none of us are immune from the act of terrorist. A reason for which we must all condemn and fight it. They have no army that you can see coming. They attack the weak and the defenceless, and give no notice when they want to strike.
9/11 was a day humanity perished just because few people exhibited callousness to its zenith. It was a day that almost sparked xenophobia, and hate against a particular set of people who practice a religion – Islam – which means and stands for peace. And it all happened in a country where tolerance, respect for religion and freedom is enshrined in its founding documents.
From the Declaration of the American Independence in 1776 reads thus:
‘’We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.”
The 9/11 attacks almost shook the foundation upon which America itself was built. But if anything their aftermath has strengthened Americans with the resolve to espouse their freedom and democracy. If you read about terrorism, one thing you will realise is that they execute their diabolical act to instil fear into the minds of harmless and defenceless civilians. A clear example that comes to mind is the hacking to death of the British military officer early this year in London. The guys did what they did so as to instil fear in the minds of those who would live to tell the story. They normally do things that are despicable and will make big headlines on radio and television or front page stories. The September 11 achieved all these features.
Terrorists are also clever and meticulous to choose their date and place of attack. The timing of the 9/11 orgy was carefully chosen. September is one of the busiest months in New York and it that time in which the United Nations holds its General Assembly meeting.
During my short visit to Ground Zero I pondered as I walked through the site, and carefully read the epitaphs and asked myself how people could have been murdered in such a cruel and gruesome manner. Fathers left their homes to eke out a living for their families and never returned. Fire fighters rushed to put out the fire and save trapped victims and ended up being victims themselves. Workers at the World Trade Centre and Wall Street got an unprecedented loss of human resource.
9/11 has opened many debates in the United States, especially around religion, citizenship and how to reshape American foreign policy. Because the attackers were Muslims, it led to Americans viewing followers of the Mohammedan faith as terrorists, and it also led some Muslims to think America is at war with Islam. In his first visit to Egypt as President, Barack Obama allayed the fears of the Muslim world by assuring that America was not at war with Islam. He catalogued the contributions Muslims had made in the world and in the United States in particular. He blamed Muslims extremists who he described as a minority.
He said: “When the first Muslim American was recently elected to congress he took the oath to defend our constitution using the same Holy Quran that one of our founding fathers Thomas Jefferson kept in his personal library.”
Obama continued “And I consider it part of my responsibility as President of the United States of America to fight against negative stereotypes of Islam whenever they appear.’’
As America observes 12 years since that dreadful blow of 11 September, they have indeed turned to a new page. Osama Bin Laden, the Al Qaeda founder and leader has gone to his grave whiles Americans continue to live in their avowed freedom and democracy.
When you walk on the streets of America you will conclude that it is a unique land where they rise and fall together.
(C) Politico 12/09/13
