It’s hard to believe that 11 years has passed since that dreadful day that claimed the lives of thousands of innocent American citizens and awakened many of us to the vulnerability of a country. While some of us watched the devastation unfold with our loved ones from our living room television, there were many that were faced with the reality of their loved ones tragically killed. The nightmare continues as many more lose family members daily who continue to fight for the rest to feel safe in their nation.
God Bless all of those who were directly affected by the terrorist acts on September 11th and for those who have given their lives for the country, you are the true heroes!
September 11th, 2001 lingers in my memory as a day of heartache. Glued to my television set, watching the nightmare unfold, I felt sorrow well up in me. Islamic extremists had reminded America just how dangerous radical religion could be. The hijackers had destroyed the Twin Towers and wounded the Pentagon, killing countless innocent people. All I prayed for was for the healing of those who lost their loved ones.
I grieved not only for the lives lost, but for the horrors that were bound to take place after that dreadful day. I was worried that the West would blindly chastise law-abiding Muslims together with Islamic extremists, and that oppression of Muslims would soon follow. I also feared that the Americans might go beyond indispensable justice in its pursuit of those responsible for this horrible sin. Retaliation was something we all could foresee in near future. In some way we might be in the face of a war. With a heavy heart, I feared that many innocent people would perish in the fighting like what has happen to those victims of circumstance. Ten years after the tragedy, it seems that we are possibly inept of distinguishing Islamic fanaticism from Islam as a whole, spreading fear in their wake. The world looks darker to me now than it did on September 10th, 2001.
Even after 11 years after the attack, still the pain lingers in everyone’s heart. At the crack of the dawn, all of us would be left with delusion of aghast memories coupled with enormous human suffering. The tragedy of September 11th was followed by an era of wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, weakened civil liberties, and human rights violations in the name of "security." Still, the past 11 years have brought glimmers of hope as well. On September 11th, people came together and united in the face of horror.
Looking back, I take comfort in the resilience of the people, knowing that there will always be those who face chaos with courage. I know that in times of horror, there will always be people who set aside their differences and help others. There are many voices for human rights, and many people who have condemned extremism without succumbing to blind fury and xenophobia. Many look back on September 11th with a spirit of humility. As a nation, we are more mindful of religious extremism now and awareness of a threat in the best possible way to prevent in the wake of a racial catastrophe.
As we walk into the eleventh anniversary of September 11th, we can take look of what has passed since 2001. There is always a better way to look at things and spread the awareness against the threat of radicalism through knowledge, coordination, and justice. We must understand that war and blind wrath will not extinguish extremism, and may actually inflame it. We can go forward reflecting on ways to prevent religious extremism and create a more just and peaceful world.
The people who died in the Twin Towers, the Pentagon, and Flight 93 should not be forgotten. The courage of the fire personnel’s should never be forgotten. Nor should their sacrifices, as many perished on September 11th and others live on with the agony. September 11th impacted all Americans, and worldwide regardless of race, gender, or religion, and all of us must remember and draw wisdom from that day. As we remember those families who were touched with the loss of loved ones on that terrible day, let us also remember than we can do nothing more for the dead. We must concentrate our efforts on those still living. The legacy of 9/11 hasn't been particularly helpful for them. The damage done to the collective American psyche seems incalculable.
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