Sunday 11 September 2011

My Take on That 10th Anniversary

On September 11 2001, I was in my backyard bringing in the washing at Oxford Avenue, Leicester when my neighbour Ola, a British-born Pole, looking pale and frantic exclaimed to me , " Did you know what happened to the Twin Towers in New York?"

I had seen a snippet of that in the news.  So I replied, "What do the Yanks expect after what they did to Iraq and Palestine?"  She looked at me in disbelief and went straight back into her house.

A week or so later, we went to Asda Supermarket ( a subsidiary of the American retail giant Walmart) at Oadby.  At the entrance I noticed a big book of condolences for the victims of 9/11.  It was already half-full with jottings of sympathy and support - and a tirade at the perpetrators who by that time were already identified as Muslims.

I took a deep breath and wrote this in the book.  "What about the deaths of 1/2 million children in Iraq from American sanctions after the Gulf War?  Who are crying and feeling for them?"

Madeleine  Albright was Clinton's Secretary of State from 1997 to 2001.  The video above was done on December 5 1996 where she calmly asserts that the deaths of half a million Iraqi children as a result of American sanctions  was - 'we think the price is worth it'.


After our shopping was done, I went back to look at the book.  The page with my comment had been torn off and removed.  It seemed that in this case - 'sauce for the goose' is not sauce for the gander.


Then on September 11 2002 my place of work was planning a minute's silence on the first anniversary.    I took a walk to the toilet instead - at one minute before the minute's silence.  Selective demonstration of mourning is not my cup of tea!!

Today, ten years after - and while the world still reeks of the blood of the hundreds of thousands killed in Iraq, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Palestine and Gaza, and Libya at the hands of the Judaeo-Christian Nato Forces and Israel ............



..... I prefer to look at the larger picture - to think outside the box of analyses and perceptions that we willy-nilly accept from the West - that America's grief and humiliation is also ours - that their culpability  for the deaths, torture, sufferings and humiliation of the non-whites remain white-washed.




Finally on this day, spare a thought or a tear for Palestinians.


Their day of grievious pain is everyday - not just on anniversaries.

12 comments:

Wan Sharif said...

Nice take.. as always

anak si-hamid said...

Thank you Wan Sharif - as always.

Mr Bojangles said...

That's one reason why unsporting me was not rootin' for Serena to win the 2011 US Open.

Otherwise the world would have been served (forgive the pun) with another predictable dose of true-blue patriotic dedication to those who died on that fateful day.

In fact she hinted at same when winning the semis against Wozniacki, calling all to cheer her on at the finals on the 11th.

Her tirade against the umpire was symbolic, I felt, of how wrong the whole 9-11 thing was - hitting back at the innocent and ignoring your own complicity. Maybe it should be dubbed The Day 9-11 Part Two didn't happen. For her, at least.

anak si-hamid said...

Thank you Mr Bojangles especially for another example of American (and Western) narcissism -the 'me, me, me' obsession.

'Hitting back at the innocent and ignoring your own complicity' - very apt summary.

Anonymous said...

Please write more on this and related issues, Akak...

anak si-hamid said...

Anonymous 9.03 am,

Thank you. InsyaAllah Akak shall keep the pace.

koolmokcikZ said...

bravo! well said.

anak si-hamid said...

KoolmokcikZ,

Thank you. Glad you liked it.

Anonymous said...

Thank you for writing about this.
I'm sure for many out there are thinking along the same line but not able to put it in words
Please keep writing. Really enjoying your blog.

anak si-hamid said...

Anonymous 3.04 am,

I'm very touched by your comment.

Though I'm 67, InsyaAllah I shall keep on going with this 'crusade'.

Thank you

BaitiBadarudin said...

Salam Aidilfitri,
Salute to you Kak AsH for so being forthright in expressing your viewpoints. Thank you too for the video links here and photos in the previous posting - that was so touching - "Memories, light the corners of my mind; Misty watercolor memories of the way we were. Scattered pictures of the smiles we left behind ..." May I share that too? Take care and pray that Allah bless both of you.de

anak si-hamid said...

Dear BaitiBadarudin,

Bless you too for your kind and loving, lovely thoughts.

Salam Hari Raya to you and your loved ones.

It's always good to hear from you.

Take care