September 11: The Unforgettable Infamy [Archives:2002/37/Focus]

MOHAMMED H. AL-QADHI
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It is an unforgettable day. It is a horrible and catastrophic event that all American and people all over the world will never forget, the terrorist attacks of the September 11. It is an indescribable and real infamy. It is disgusting and awful.
I felt startled when a friend of mine phoned me telling me that the USA is under attack, asking me to watch the CNN.
Wow! In the beginning I thought it is a creation of Hollywood movies. But I turned on al-Jazeerah and I saw the same horror.
Who are these guys who could do such a horror is the question everybody was asking in this bloody day. It is a day that will have a long term effect on all the people of the world, mainly Arabs and Muslims. The dilapidations and consequences of the terrorist attacks will, of course, continue to affect the world. It is a very expensive bill all of us will have to pay. It is very demanding.
Reshaping the world map
The attacks have created a big gap and gulf in the American consciousness as well as the international relationship. The attack enabled the US administration to reshape the world map and alliances.
The US administration reacted vigorously. It rushed to mobilize alliances and single out finance to crack down on terrorism, an unknown object, coming from everywhere. Mistakes have coincided this reaction. Some considered that an infringement of the human rights and international law as the US defends such principles. However, others justified the US action and considered it a basic right of the of the US to defend itself.
However, the US foreign policy invited a worldwide hatred to the US even among the US alliances. I read a report in the USA Today saying that such sentiments are on the rise even in England. This development raised the worry of the USA administration, which is trying its best now to wipe out this stereotype picture being drawn nowadays. I believe the US has the right to defend its people and in all means provided that there should be differentiation between terrorists and non- terrorists. Most of the people in Arab countries condemned the attacks and considered them an act of evil. It is not the Arab countries that should be blamed for the terrorism rise. The US has to share this responsibility. First of all, its biased policy towards Israel will breed many enemies among Arabs and Muslims. It is because of this policy Arabs and Muslims will hate the USA, as an administration not as people. Second, it is the USA which pushed the position of Islamic Mujahidine in their countries while fighting against the former USSR. The US helped such extremists at the expense of liberals and radicals. It is now time the US help open-minded and liberals get influential in their countries. There are a number of people who have no religions fanaticism and who can be friends of the USA. These people could a vital means to reduce extremism that later produces terrorism. Again, I should say that people in the Arab world have no historical hostility to the USA as the US has colonial history in these countries. It is only the unbalanced policy that will create such enmity. I believe the US officials understand this well.
Another point is that the US has taken stiff inspection measures at its airports which is a step to protect its people. I felt during my visit to the US last month that these procedures do not target a specific people. Sometimes it is done randomly. I did not feel any humiliation at all. Sometimes, some European or African friends were checked and I wasn’t. I and other friends of the international visitor program group visited the White House and I did not see anything exceptional there. Everything is normal if nothing happened. I was asked at Sana’a airport in Yemen to take off my shoes and belt, something that did not happened to me in Washington. This is to show that security has become a priority for every country. It will also consume a lot of their resources and revenues at expense of economy.
Launching hostile campaigns
With regards to sentiments of enmity to Arabs in the US, I believe such mobilization is there in the Arab countries. We should not blamed the USA for nourishing such feelings for we always lash out the American, pray every Friday for the collapse and destruction of this country. This a part of a hostile campaign. I believe it is very important for Arab and American intellectuals to conduct a sort of an open debate and dialogue to discuss issues of differences.
We should all work to make the world a better place for all of us. We should all try to recover the September attacks and its consequences.
On this occasion of the September 11, I do hope that the USA and all of us will recover these attacks and their consequences. The US should always remain a symbol of democracy, human rights, freedom and tolerance. It should remain a real shelter for all oppressed people all over the world

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