My
dear niece Arooj ! You
have asked me to share with you my views about the recent tragedy that took
place in New York on September 11, 2001. It is still an overwhelming experience
for me and I have not fully absorbed all its significance but I can share with
you some of my initial impressions. The first feeling that I experienced was of
profound sadness. Seeing vivid images of planes attacking the Twin Towers in New
York and Pentagon in Washington killing thousands of innocent people and leaving
many more in grief, pain and suffering was far more than any one in the world
would have imagined. It seemed that after the attack all North Americans felt
extremely vulnerable. All their lives they had lived in a safe and secure
homeland. They believed that wars and bombings took place ‘out there’ in the
Middle East, Africa and Asia but ‘not here’ right in the middle of the
downtown. Television stations called it ‘ Attack on America’ and the whole
country became glued to the television screen watching the falling towers and
rising smoke to the skies moment by moment. I think those images will be
imprinted on people’s psyche for the rest of their lives. Within
no time there was discussion of war on
television and Americans started talking about retaliation
and revenge. On television screen we
saw the headlines America Strikes Back. Without any proof presented fingers were pointed at Osama bin
Laden. There were strong emotional reactions against Muslims and Arabs. There
was a fear of civil war erupting in the middle of peaceful streets of big cities
in the Western World. Dear
Arooj ! I
strongly feel that the conflict between East and West, the First and the Third
World and Muslim and non-Muslim nations has escalated to new heights this week.
The world we live in will never be the same. It is a very sensitive moment for
the Americans who always felt they were strong and confident and in control.
Suddenly they are feeling weak and confused and vulnerable. Many of them are
full of anger and resentment and hatred. They want to declare war but don’t
know with whom. They want to attack and bomb but don’t know where. While
it was distressing to see thousands of innocent men and women crushed in the
debris of twin Towers, it was also shocking to see on television Palestinian men
and women celebrating in the streets. I don’t think anyone with a
compassionate heart and a reasonable mind would celebrate killings of thousands
of innocent people. It just shows that hostilities are on both sides and quite
deep rooted. I
think time has come for all of us to do some soul-searching. Peace loving people
from all over the world, who believe in humanistic values also feel a strong
need of breaking down the walls of anger, resentment and bitterness and building
bridges of understanding, compassion and justice. We all have choices. We can
declare war and kill each other and take revenge or we can have a compassionate
attitude towards each other and put our heads together to find ways to live
harmoniously and peacefully. I feel sad that our dark side is taking over. The
division between us and them is not healthy. We are children of Adam and Eve. Let us hope
that we respect each other’s humanity and see a human being even in our enemy.
If America declared war, innocent men and women will be killed and this time the
war can become the bloodiest in the history of mankind, as it would happen in
the homes and streets and neighborhoods all over the world. Let us hope we keep
the candle of our Humanity lit in our hearts even in the midst of the darkest
hours of our personal and social lives. Dear
Arooj ! I am aware that it is quite confusing for all of us. You are quite
welcome to ask questions and I will try to answer them. I always believed that
having a genuine dialogue was the best way to learn in life.
Affectionately Sohail
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