Remembering 9-11, How can I forget?
NEVER FORGET!
I remember 9-11 as if it happened yesterday. I came downstairs after awakening and turned on the TV like I always did. For some reason, the TV was muted as I saw the scenes. I was not wearing my contact lenses so I could not see with clarity but I saw the aircraft hit one of the towers. Still dozy, I assumed it was some special effects scene, which is what I told my wife as she came down. Then the sound got turned on, I put on my contacts and with a shock, I realized this was real; someone had hijacked aircraft and they were crashing them into buildings. With a sick feeling, I saw the buildings collapse, judging from the size of the towers, I assumed there must have been at least over ten thousand people killed in the collapsed buildings.
Then I learned that the hijackers were Muslims and their purpose was presumed to be “Islamic”. I cursed the people involved in the slaughter as I do to this day, May God hold them responsible and keep them in Hell for the horrors they perpetrated on innocent people!
A few people called me and asked what kind of response should Muslims make?
How can one respond, thoughts and prayers? It would be foolish to say anything that could mean that we, as Muslims, were collectively assuming any responsibility for the heartless, thoughtless, inhuman and definitely un-Islamic, actions of a few.
As the day unfolded, I realized that the decision to respond would ne with massive military resources and that Muslims would indeed, be held accountable.
In the, months and years that followed, the sympathy for the victims and their families transformed into concern for Muslims and fear for the Muslim families that were (and still are) being targeted as “terrorists” by the President, Congress and by all US agencies, most notably, the FBI. We were suspects and targets of unrelenting persecution. Within a year, under the direction of John Ashcroft, the US Attorney-General, the FBI had “detained” or jailed, over 14,000 Muslims in all jails…City, county, state and all.
I remember at one time there was a Congressional hearing in which Ashcroft admitted there was nothing material against the Muslims being held, but that he looked upon them “as pieces of a mosaic” and that some patterns will emerge from them. Nothing ever did, but most of the Muslims held, had their lives destroyed in the time they were “detained”, some for years, without charges or trials. They lost jobs, finances, their homes and in some cases, even their marriages.
There was mourning across the nation and across the world. In Muslim-majority countries, people marched in support of the victims and condemned the terrorist actions of the people. With tears in their eyes, Muslims were seen showing solidarity with the American victims.
In the US, there were efforts to compensate victims, memorials were built. It was as if Muslims did not exist as humans, Muslim survivors of the attacks were denied support in the face of the solidarity shown to other victims of 9-11. It was as if Muslims could not exist among the virtuous; only among the evil ones. Even newspaper cartoonists ignored Muslims as among the innocent. We were never recognized.
Radio talk shows and TV programs pivoted to focus on Muslims and Islam as the focus of all evil, even school books were re-written to show Islam and Muslims in as terrible a picture as possible. The FBI planted paid “informants” in Mosques and other Muslims communities, who were actually agents provocateurs tasked to find vulnerable, impressionable Muslims, incite and motivate them to violence so they could then be arrested by the FBI with great fanfare. A massive industry was born, with the sole goal of proving Islam and Muslims to be evil, but done disguised as “Anti-Terrorism Training”.
The nation’s Police sucked it up; there were no safe places in America to be a Muslim. Even many Churches and Synagogues got into the act, venting their hatred against Islam and Muslims by inviting self-declared “experts” on Islam AND Terrorism, to explain to their congregations why a Muslim cannot possibly be a good American. Targeting us Muslims, still remains a good source of fundraising for many of them.
Personally, I had people call me all sorts of names, “traitor” being the least of them. I was accused of being “a Sleeper-cell leader”, an “Islamist”, “Terrorist”, “Terrorist Sympathizer” and that I belonged in Gitmo. Friends turned against me, joining the accusations of being a terrorist, one threatened me with implied shooting claiming, HE was afraid for his family from me. There were other incidents where people threatened to shoot me just because I am Muslim. It became so serious that I feared someone would shoot at me while I was in the car with my kids. I was pretty sure they would miss me but I was equally certain they may injure or kill my children. I proceeded to train my 11 year-old daughter and my 7-year old son to unbuckle and fall on the van’s floor if I yelled, “Get down!”. I almost purchased a gun to protect my family then reason prevailed and I decided not to join the gun-nuts. Most Muslims went quiet, dressed more “American”, they lived in constant fear for themselves and their families, not from the local civilian, but from the agencies such as the FBI, The Police and ICE (Immigration and Customs Enforcement). Not far behind them were other agencies, even the USDA (Department of Agriculture) got in on the Muslim-hunting game. For the same “crime”, Muslims were imprisoned for as many as 17 years, while non-Muslims doing even more, were praised for their heroic work.
The chronicles of individual attacks and humiliations to Muslims are so many that it would take books to write them. But this should suffice for now.
Today, on the 20th anniversary of 9-11, it is time to rip off the collective scab of the pain of the attacks and feel it afresh; that is the patriotic thing to do. In the meantime, one might assume that targeting of Muslims, the persecutions and the hate-industry would have finished by now, sadly, not so. Bush Jr, opened the gates and lit the fires of Islamophobic hate, making it a Across America, Anti-Semitism has been declared a hate-crime, racism against Blacks has been declared a crime but Muslims have to beg to get the Police or the FBI to recognize violence against Muslims as such. Islamophobia has yet to be even defined; it is met by an indulgent shrug.
In my own country, agencies and administration still consider me to be “The other”.
Today in America, it is a mark of patriotism to target Muslims, Obama did not move the needle down. Trump actively fueled it, generating active hate towards Blacks, Muslims and everyone from, as he termed it, “Shithole countries”. Biden has yet to show any signs that he recognizes the threat to Muslims.
Sri Lanka Bombings
Sri Lanka Bombings.
When Hate and Fear bite back…
“Is Louis Farrakhan Tearing Apart The Women’s March?” Aiden Pink
Muslim Bomber suspect arrested in Florida!!
“Authorities say they arrested a Muslim bomber who appears to have been living in Florida and was associated with the Mosque there“.
Oh, how everyone (but Muslims) would celebrate the “capture” of yet another ‘Muzlem‘ out to destroy the US and the West!Certainly, the Republicans The Party of Hate and Fear), Trump and his Cabinet minions would be clapping until the cows come home, they would be referring to him as “Muslim Bomber” or, “Muslim Terrorist” and they would be linking him to all kinds of other Muslim groups.
Sadly, it turns out that the man is a Trump-supporting Republican. I am betting nobody will refer to him as a “Terrorist”, not even the spineless Democrats. Democrats will also not say anything connecting the Trump Bomber to the Republicans because there IS honor among thieves. Already, “the authorities” are referring to him as “quite possibly a lone wolf, working on his own”. I will probably grow old and die before anyone calls him “The Republican Bomber” or, “The Trump-supporter Bomber”.
Here’s another interesting point, the Seminole tribe of Florida, has disavowed him, saying he is not and was not, a member of the tribe and I am sure everyone will take this disavowal as God’s own Truth. Yet, when MUSLIMS disavow a bomber or a killer who happens to be Muslim, we Muslims are accused of lying to protect themselves. Republicans have already disavowed the man saying his actions do not reflect the principles of the Republican Party and that too, is perfectly acceptable to the world at large (I believe has EXACTLY in line with the desires of the Republican Party). Yet again, Muslims can disavow violent criminals until they are collectively blue in the face but will anyone believe us? Hell, NO!
Once again, we find the FBI, ATF, Police, Congress and the White House are all marching in lock goose-step to protect their own White, “Judeo-Christians” with absolutely never a regard for “The cult of Islam”, the Trump-supporting Terrorist will be gone from the media attention faster than yesterday’s dust from a porch.
We Muslims can heave a collective sigh of relief but beware, the next time a “Muzlem” spits on the sidewalk, “they” will be screaming for our heads.
FATAH: Mentally ill? The media or the murderer?
I was sent a link to this (headline) article from the Toronto Sun questioning whether the media were mentally ill because they were soft on Muslims. It was sent to me by a dear friend who, as a Hindu from Pakistan has (sadly) good reason to be mad at Muslims persecuting minorities like him in the name of Islam. Pakistan’s twisted system of law, what they call “Sharia-based” law gives cover to the monsters who take part in murders and persecutions of religious minorities. (https://torontosun.com/opinion/columnists/fatah-mentally-ill-the-media-or-the-murderer?video_autoplay=true)
My friend’s e-mail was in response to him originally referring to “Radicalized” when talking about violent Muslims. I pointed out that the term “Radicalized” is not a hole lot different from “terrorist”, “fundamentalist” and “home-frown” in that they have become slightly civilized code for Muslims. I asked him to not use such terms and to be against violence and injustice no matter who committed it.
He replied by telling me there are Muslims who go to becoming Martyrs and killing people so when they go to Heaven, they will have “a gaggle of virgins”. That as guests in this country, we should refrain from “complaining and bitching at home and in Mosques” about the US and the West because it contributes to Muslim violence.
He closed by telling me that as “A Muslim leader”, it is my job to speak out against violence. This was my response: Continue reading
Republican Party, the New American Nazis?
Las Vegas Slaughter, can we stop it?
More than 50 people are dead and the number is likely going to go up as some more of the injured lose they lives. Hundreds are injured.
How does this happen? How can Steven Paddock, a single person, kill so many at one go? No matter what weapon a person has, short of a bomb, it is not possible to kill and injure so many from such a distance unless one is well-trained in the art of using automatic and semi-automatic weapons.
Already, interested parties are running to defend their positions.
“He was just a guy,” Eric Paddock (brother) told The Daily Mail. “Something happened, he snapped or something, he was just a guy.”.
Sure. That’s true for everyone until they “snap”, except that when the person who “snapped” is not “one of us”, we begin to look for universal conspiracies.
Two Congressional representatives from Las Vegas were being interviewed on NPR at different times. After the usual, de rigueur expressions of condolences, the reporter asked the inevitable question about gun-control. We could almost see the congressman duck and cover as he said, “This is not a time for politics, it is a time to help people…etc., etc., blather blather…”. The other politician…probably a Democrat said a few mild words about “looking at guns” but she too, was more concerned about her job, than trying to look for solutions.
Oh, and what is the rest of America doing? Continue reading
Shooting Republicans…Muslims!
This man walks on to the baseball practice field in Alexandria, Virginia and shoots some Republican Party members of Congress. Confusion and outrage rule the day, the House and the Senate call out for total unity against such actions and pray for the quick recovery for those injured. Muslims in the meantime, breathed a collective sigh of relief, thanking God the shooter was not Muslim.
Hours later, the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs subcommittee hearing convened…to discuss Muslim extremism! As far as our Congress is concerned, it is still all about violence by “Muzlems” and that sums up the threat to the United States. Shooting violence by non-Muslims is not an issue because that takes the focus away from Islam and Muslims; lets keep the fires of Islamophobia stoked because Hate and Fear are what unite this great country.
Not a single Senator or Representative in Congress has spoken out against this persecution of Muslims. Continue reading
Vigil for the murdered Indian in Kansas
Muslim Bans, Muslim Lists…Action and Reaction
Targeting of Muslims has begun, it started with a sweeping ban on everyone from seven Muslim-majority countries (Iran, Iraq, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria and Yemen). Then it was drawn back to be a ban on all refugees from those countries, then “Extreme Vetting of people from these countries; all in order to stop ALL “Islamic Terrorism” of course! Presumably, terrorism by non-Muslims may continue because it is more palatable. Muslims are being harassed at US entry points (yes, even more than ever before) and some have even been pressured into signing a renunciation of their Permanent Resident status.
Let just allow that the Trump administration and his equally Muslim-hating cabinet are really concerned about “Terrorism”. The term they used was “Islamic Terrorism” which means Muslims. Continue reading
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