010912wtc_attack1pAn Analysis of the Sep 11 Attack on America

In the most dramatic scene seen on a screen, I saw the plane penetrating through the World Trade Center. It was hard to believe whether it was the real news or a commercial break of a Hollywood movie preview. But this was real plane, real building and real people.

The plane was not empty- it had men, women and children who never knew why they were being killed; it had the terrorists who never knew the exact people who were going to die. [A phenomenon that the Holy Prophet of Islam-the Mercy to all worlds-mentioned among the signs of the Last Day of Doom]

The residents of the building waved through the windows calling for help. The rescue workers could only watch them battling death that had fallen upon them due to the bullying nature of their government. They had done nothing wrong: it was no fault of theirs that they were born on the American soil.

They had no say in their government sponsored Zionist atrocities inflicted upon the Palestinians. They never approved the US bombings on the starving Iraqi children. But now they were fighting for life inside the crumbling walls made of steel that was believed to withstand any calamity. All they wanted was life, not the American version of freedom and democracy.

For one moment, an average American might have thought about the sufferings of the Palestinians at the hands of the state sponsored Israeli terrorism. What America experienced for one day, the Palestinian people have been experiencing for the past 40 years. In the coming years, the American public may think twice before paying taxes, a portion of which goes to fund the Zionist state’s occupation of the Arab land.

On Sep 11, four hijacked aircrafts tilted the equations that were believed to remain constant ever since it was created. What fell was not buildings made of lifeless bricks and steels rather the invincible pride of America- the most powerful nation on earth.

AMERICA was hit. Till that day, the US acted like a game coach who gave certificates to others as to who could play alongside it or away from it. The ‘Guardian of Democracy’ was hit in its heart by terrorists believed to from the ‘Old World Order’. The Pentagon and World Trade Center symbolized the military and financial superiority of US. And today they are no more than a heap of ruins.

The Economic Aspect

News reports suggest that there are tons of gold bars under the ruins of fallen building of WTC. Stock markets plunged across the globe. The US dollar, believed to be the most stable currency, lost its early value. The ONLY gain from this fall was for the EURO and YEN and not for any states of Central Asia. Has this attack to do anything with the US economy already passing through economic recession? Doubts remain.

Terrorists: Inside or Outside US?

From the nature of attack, it is as evident as the crash video that this is NOT an attack minus the support from within US. How could 50 passengers go unchecked into the aircraft with knives? Could the attack, so well executed, be carried out without cooperation from within the country “We know that they were trained and technically proficient, that they were trained in the United States to fly, some of them at least, to fly these airplanes, and they flew them with deadly accuracy” says U.S. Attorney General John Ashcroft. Therefore it is blind prejudice to blame the attack only on ‘foreign terrorists’.

The Oklahoma bombing was the frustration of an American citizen against his own country. It is time America admit the truth: Terrorism, the mental disease of modern humanity, has entered the American mind as well. Therefore it better cure its own disease before curing others’.

Impact on Third World

Many developing nations have been vying for proximity with the US and in this race they are ready to forego their true heritage cherished for many years. Those that denied heavily on US are finding it hard to face the new crisis that has shaken the previous balance of ‘demand and supply’. Many third world countries are paying the price for the attacks on America. In the nationwide telecast, the Indian Prime Minister ‘there would be less demand for Indian exports and foreign direct investment flows would shrink due to heightened uncertainties’.

Knives vs. Star Wars

Reeta Sinha, American born American citizen who is also
Indian, wrote in her essay,

‘But it isn’t the US these terrorists want. They don’t want our land, our buildings, our wealth, our leaders or our people. I think they are just sick and tired of being pushed around. As I write this, I don’t know who ‘they’ are. It doesn’t matter whether these terrorists came from outside the US or from within. As we saw with the Oklahoma bombing a few years ago, there are many inside the US who feel pushed around, who feel they are not included when US leaders tell the world, ‘we are the best, we are the smartest, we are the most powerful, we are No.1.’ These terrorists have made a mockery of the CIA (Central Intelligence Agency) who seems to have no clue that an attack of such magnitude was even possible, let alone imminent. They have put the FAA (Federal Aviation Authority) to shame, as its radar screens showed four flights veering off-course and, apparently, with no indication the planes had been hijacked. Airport security has been deemed lax for years, yet there have been no noticeable improvements. The terrorists have left US leaders virtually powerless.

Racism unmasked

The US has been a proud advocate of human rights and equality. It has constantly mocked those narrow-minded people who shed blood in the name of race and religion. All thorough its history, it has a maintained a good record of its multi ethnic population.

The occasional communal riots that take place in Indian subcontinent, for example, is practically unheard in the US. But the ‘Attack on America’ pulled down not only the WTC and Pentagon buildings, but also the communal face of its mainstream culture. And the irony is that the wrong community was targeted for this racist attack.

“On Tuesday night, the Richmond Hill gurdwara [a Sikh place of worship] was attacked when miscreants in a car who drove by firing what were believed to be rubber bullets at the building.” [Rediff.com]

Was this happening in US: the paradise of individual and ideological freedom? The adherents of Guru Nanak, the sage who preached love and harmony, had to face this embarrassment at the hands of the ‘most progressive nation on earth’? Had this incident happened in other parts of world, the western media would have immediately labeled it as attack by ‘fundamentalist militants’.

The report goes on to say:

In a more gruesome incident, however, an elderly Sikh gentleman was attacked with baseball bats and seriously injured as he walked down the street. The reason for the incidents is believed to be misunderstanding about the appearance of Sikh men. To the lay American, the Sikh with his turban and flowing beard looks very much like Saudi millionaire turned terrorist Osama bin Laden, who is suspected of being behind the attacks on the US and whose images are being telecast regularly on all the news channels. (Rediff.com).

The sole ‘credit’ for this attack goes to the biased media and its websites that gave its verdict even before the investigation agencies. Perhaps it is a US-only phenomenon that the government mimics the exact conclusions of its media giants. And to be on the safe side, the media has invented their own pet phrases like ‘believed to be’, ‘indicated that’, ‘unnamed sources say’, ‘apparently linked to’ etc. Using these phrases makes the report no worthier than rumors on the streets.

Hollywood has always fantasized itself with blockbuster movies of mass destructions, either caused by aliens or by foreign powers. In this case, the latter proved true. Like many onlookers testified, the scene was like a Hollywood movie- fire, smoke, blasts, cry for help and helpless rescue workers.

Minority’s Role

Another aspect that entered my mind was the state of the Muslim minority in United States who were stalked for their faith. This incident has made them realize the need for increased participation in the political process of the country. In no circumstances should a minority community’s loyalty get questioned, whether it is in East or West.

Communal Harmony

There is a certain group among Muslims who demand seclusion from the mainstream community (while in a non-Muslim country) and who boycott all national celebrations. They advocate hatred towards the ‘kuffar’ and consider the national celebrations as signs of ‘jahiliyya’. They make fun of those Muslims who advocate communal harmony and peaceful co-existence with other communities. They see no need for inter-faith meetings meant to strengthen harmony.

For instance, once when I had put a video of Indian Independence Day celebrations which showed small Muslim children marching along the highways of Kerala after their Madrasa classes with Indian flags in their hands, a visitor commented: “Are these not the practice of Jahiliyya days?

But the very same people with this ‘jihad’ mentality are mobilizing all their resources proclaiming their solidarity with the national disaster. Those who saw no sense in the ‘Muslims donating blood to the Hindus injured in the Gujarat earthquakes’ are donating blood and money to the victims of the ‘Attack on America’. Leaflets are distributed saying “We should not give birth to Hate or Revenge at this time. And be patient according to levels as taught to us by our beloved Prophet Mohammad .

Those outside US are also speaking aloud the ‘peaceful and loving’ nature of Islam. It is only when they are threatened that they realize the importance of communal harmony and peaceful co-existence. Until a few days back, they spoke for the ‘puritan’ form of religion ignoring the lessons of tolerance taught by its Merciful Prophet. Today they are also beginning to believe in the need for communal harmony and the sanctity of human life. The spirit of all faiths is to bring peace among humanity. This is quite evident from the life and works of sages like Nizamuddin Auliya (ra) and Zainudhin Makhdum (ra). The Muslim world, especially in the west, has much to learn from the late Syed Abul Hasan Ali Nadwi (ra), the greatest Muslim scholar of our times, who started a separate movement for inter faith harmony.

Dawn of a new world?

To conclude, this attack on the strongest has created a state of tension around the world. It has given birth to a new level of political consciousness among the Asian countries. Everybody has begun talking politics, young and old alike. The present generation, seduced by the glittering culture of America, had been living with no political convictions of its own. But this incident has awakened some minds about the happenings around them who are otherwise absorbed in movies and music.

A new world order is dawning and perhaps in tune with the lines of Allama Iqbal, the Visionary Poet of East,

The faint light of stars tell the day break is near,
The Sun has risen, gone are the days of heavy slumber.
In the East’s chill veins life-blood flows again,
Avicenna and Farabi this mystery cannot solve.
The tempest of West has made the Muslim a true Muslim,
In the tumult of sea pearl’s fulfillment lies.
To the believer again from the Almighty is going to be granted
The dignity of Turk, the intellect of Indian and the eloquence of Arab.

Yet, despite this entire clamor, I was surprised to find a Middle East based Hindi Radio channel busy in taking song requests from its listeners as the countless innocent Americans were crying for help from the shattering buildings.

Some people never change!

Sep 15, 2001