Perhaps for the first time since 9/11, the day passed off without many people remembering it, mainly because media was busy into several more pertaining issues, Muzaffarnagar riots, verdict in Delhi gang rape to BJP’s PM hopeful back home while international media is spiraled into Syria crisis. This is an old article that I wrote in 2011 on the decadal anniversary of 9/11, that originally appeared in HardNews . A slightly edited version is reproduced here:
By M Reyaz, TwoCircles.net,
I still remember 9/11 very vividly for we (I and my younger siblings) were all waiting for this day to arrive for weeks. No, don’t take me wrong, I had no inkling that day would become unforgettable for all the wrong reasons.
Incidentally that was the day; we brothers got our first desktop at home after weeks of persuasions to our father about the importance of computers. We were excited but it was taking too long to assemble its different peripherals. I got impatient and came to other room and switched on the television. To my (and the world’s) horror, we saw visuals of twin towers of the World Trade Centre being hit by two hijacked planes and they crumbling like a pack of cards.
The rest is history. But the last decade is a living history. We very much lived this history. I was 15 when the incident happened, a high school student. I am research fellow and a media professional now. In many ways, the event of 9/11, its aftermath; as many events before and after it, was the raison d’être for me, son of a middle class trader to choose this path.
Explaining in detail what shaped my decision here is unnecessary and uncalled for.
Muslims (and the world at large) are still trying to grapple with the situation and trying to come to terms with the changing realities of the world. In academic circle if one theory and name that did most rounds in the last decade was Samuel Huntington and his theory of the ‘Clash of civilizations’. Its different matter that the argument had equal number of people who refuted it or those who agreed that the ‘fault lines between civilizations’ are indeed ‘the battle lines of the future’.
Its different matter though that geo-politics, economics and ‘interest’ of nations (often short sighted) determine these fault lines in reality.
The Islamophobia has certainly taken deep roots and will not cease in a day. A certain Muhammad who was a firefighter at the Ground Zero and died saving people, was initially thought to be a ‘traitor’ and terrorist because he was Muslim and was missing. His mother says it’s not easy for Muslims to live in the West even a decade later. Ten years down the line have things changed? When “modern day crusader” Anders Behring Breivik bombed and opened fire and killed his fellow citizens in Norway to register his protest against the transformation of Europe into “Eurabia,” it was initially thought to be the handiwork of “global jihad.” In fact experts elaborated on the plan of these ‘jihadists’ and the reason behind the attack.
Back home, there have been cases where attacks initially thought to be carried out by ‘Muslim outfits’ are now linked to ‘Hindu’ extremists.
It is instances like these that make Muslims feel ‘insecure’ and the apprehension of being roughed up for being ‘Muslim’ and take refuge in ‘conspiracy theory’. Non-Muslims, on the other hand, believe that Muslims are under a ‘siege’.
But is only history and wrongdoings or misjudgments of ‘others’ responsible for the fate of the Muslims? The mess in Afghanistan is the handiwork of USA, no doubt. But does it absolve Pakistan and its rulers and most importantly the warlords of Afghanistan of their faults and petty politics.
Muslims in India love to point out the ‘biases’ in Indian media against them, especially when reporting on terror. But the table is turned upside down on reporting of say Norway episode or the news of ‘Hindutva’ attacks are seen in no-better taste in Urdu dailies or in handful of English (often English translations of Urdu write-ups in form and substance) periodicals.
The moment words like terror or jihad come, Muslims withdraw to shell and start quoting Quran to say how a “true” Muslims cannot be a terrorist. They will instantly point to Zionist, RSS, the likes of Pragya Thakur and Colonel Purohit.
But why can’t Muslims accept that there can be fringe lunatic groups or individuals among other communities, there can be handful of black sheep among us as well. People inspired by certain ideology, desperation, sense of injustice, poverty or certain permutations of these.
A small incident of a teacher joking about names or dresses of Muslims in Jamia Millia Islamia was blown out of proportion. It’s a different matter that most of his former students swear by his name and agree that he was outspoken and rabid at times, but has “no communal intentions.” In fact some students blamed the ‘internal politics’of the department for the mess.
Lessons have certainly been learnt. Western academics introduced more and more courses and researches on “Muslims in the West.” Studies on the states of Muslims, Integration Council and the PM’s 15 points Programme are some of the measures taken by our government.
Dr Manmohan Singh too wants to “identify and address the causes of radicalisation of some of our youth” for their larger integration. However, feelings of ‘injustices’ and being left behind in this surge of globalization, a sense of alienation and desperation are still very high.
I am very different from my brother who is an entrepreneur or my father, and so am I from several other fellow Muslims. The differences are even deeper with non-Muslims. But it was never as simple for I would often identify more with a Hindu Indian than say an Arab Muslim.
I had this realisation twice once when I was in Pakistan and then again when I was in Germany.
People have at least started talking, and hopefully things will only improve from here. Differences are bound to be there. But there should be an urge to “come to common terms as between us and you” (as taught in Quran) for peaceful coexistence and not just look towards ‘others’ as conflicting parties – to clash with.
A decade is long time but it is still too early for me to decide if my decisions have been right but my quest for “commonalities” will continue…