What can I say that hasn’t been said before, what can I say that hasn’t been heard before and what can I say that hasn’t been written before ?
Well, it's the 11th anniversary (I do not like the word in this context!) of the dreaded 9/11 attacks. It has been a bleak decade filled with death, wars, rampant racial profiling, unemployment and recession. But today, I am not discussing the horrors or the aftermath of the attacks. I want to remember those people who died... many unawares, some prepared (the soldiers, I mean) and others just being in the wrong place at the wrong time!
My heart goes to everyone who lost their dear ones. The people in the seemingly unaware work-force, trying earn an honest day’s living, buried in their offices, the heroic firefighters who diligently answered the call of duty, dousing the billowing smoke and fire, the gallant soldiers who fought the 'war on terror’, lost their lives and limbs, exhibiting the highest spirit of nationalism. How can I forget the the unsuspecting ‘terror suspects’, the numerous men detained, tortured and mercilessly thrown into a world unknown to man and the scores of resilient civilians who saw the end of a dictatorial regime and walked right into the eye of the storm and in this case the battlefield! The proverbial ‘out of mud into the mire’ horror, that is their life today.
Images of this horrific incident are still fresh and so are the wounds inflicted by the perpetrators of terror. Numerous theories, documentaries, movies etc., debunking myths on 9/11 have occupied the centerfold of newsprint and prime-time alike. The 'Conspiracy' theory, the 'Insider trade’ theory, the ‘Fake tapes’ theory have questioned and shaken the very core of this atrocity. Whether this incident was an act of hate or tactful decision to dip into the oil wells, no one knows. Which theory is right and which is not, we may possibly never get an answer. But what is true and real, is the pain inflicted on everyone who lost their lives on that day and whose death in the years to come, can be linked back to the most dastardly act in recent history -‘9/11'. Fear of numbers anyone?
It’s 11 years today and world relations and equations with countries are more fragile than ever. Whether the ‘war on terror’ is worth the trouble is still debatable but it continues to be a difficult battle for everyone affected by the repercussions of this horrific event. Endless bloodshed, increase in crimes of hate, racial profiling, intolerance towards an entire community are all sadly, a reality.
The families have not yet recovered from their shock and loss and probably never will! Passionate discussions and debates will carry-on, new information will be discovered and the interest this topic generates, for what ever reason, will continue to grow. But today, I don’t want to take anything away and trivialize the pain of all those who are still suffering.
For, as difficult as it is to bid good-bye to those who lost their lives a little too early, on this day, all we can do is offer our sincere condolences to the of bereaving families of the victims of this tragedy.
But for those seeking closure, it’s 11 years and still counting!
For, as difficult as it is to bid good-bye to those who lost their lives a little too early, on this day, all we can do is offer our sincere condolences to the of bereaving families of the victims of this tragedy.
But for those seeking closure, it’s 11 years and still counting!
Urooj Fathima
