INTERNATIONAL PEACE DAY OR DECLARATION OF WAR DAY

My dear niece Arooj! 

You have asked me about my views about the recent tragedy 

That took place in New York on September 11th, 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 Trade Centre 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. The irony was that the day that United Nations had decided to celebrate International Peace Day was chosen by some individuals or groups in the world to attack civilians in America. 

It seemed that all North Americans felt extremely vulnerable. 
All their life they felt they lived in the safe and secure homeland.  They believed that wars and bombings took place “out there” in the Middle East or Africa or 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 their minds for the rest of their lives.

Within hours there was discussion of WAR on television and Americans started talking about Retaliation and Revenge. They started wondering who had masterminded such a sophisticated and complex attack, an attack that baffled all the intelligence agencies in America. Without any proof, fingers were pointed at Asama Bin Ladin, Saddam Hussain and Yasir Arafat. There were strong emotional reactions against Muslims, Asians and Arabs in the Western World. There was a fear of Civil War erupting amongst the peaceful streets of big cities in the Western World. 

 Dear Arooj!
I strongly feel that the conflict between East and West, First and Third, Muslim and Non-Muslim Worlds has escalated to new heights this week. The world we live in will never be the same. It is a very sensitive moment for 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. Unfortunately, they are not sure who they are angry with. They want to declare war but don’t know with whom. They want to attack and bomb but don’t know where.

I feel that America has to reassess and re-evaluate their foreign policy. They have to do some soul-searching and try to understand why Americans are the most un-liked people in the world. If they look at the recent history and try to understand the strong reactions of the world they would realize that America is perceived as the big bully, especially after the fall of the Soviet Union.

Most people believe that America had supported Mujahedeen in Afghanistan and asked them to fight Communism and after Russia collapsed America left them in the cold. Afghanistan is probably one of the poorest countries in the world. Poverty, ignorance and desperation transformed Mujahedeens into Talibaans. Americans seem to have short memories. They forget their recent past but people who are affected by their foreign policies do not.
America’s support of Mujahedeens had also affected Pakistan.  To support Mujahedeen America had supported the army dictator Zia-ul-Haq in Pakistan. Zia was the one who got Prime Minister Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto hanged. Many still wonder whether America was also involved in the mysterious plane crash of Zia-ul-Haq.

America was also involved in the politics of Iran. America had supported the Shah of Iran, his oppressive regimen and the secret police, the SAVAK. When I was in Iran I had read a long telegram from President Ford congratulating the Shah of Iran on his wonderful performance. After Khomeni took over in Iran, America also supported Saddam Hussain for years to fight Khomeni. There is also documented proof that April Gillespie, an American diplomat, had given Saddam her blessings on behalf of the White House to attack Kuwait but later on America turned against Saddam Hussain.

Most people remember that American bombers had also attacked the private residence of Kaddafi in Libya, killing his little daughter.
All these involvements and many more all over the world have made people from the Muslim world quite suspicious of American intentions. America’s role in the Gulf War, killing thousands to save a few cents on a gallon of gasoline, is also not forgotten. People ask why thousands of American soldiers are still stationed in the Middle East, draining the bank accounts of Saudi Arabia and why America that always talked about Human Rights never criticized Saudi government. Is it because America wants oil and does not want her financial interests to be undermined?
People from the Third world and especially the  Muslim World feel that America has been manipulating and exploiting them. They are very  angry. They feel America never lets United Nations do their duty. They believe America has abused, manipulated and undermined their self-respect and integrity again and again. They also feel that there is not any single country strong enough financially, politically and militarily to face the Super Power. Moscow had kept an international balance, but since the downfall of Communism there has been a vacuum. America needs an enemy to justify their multi-million dollar budget for arms. But there is no big enemy. So they have to create it. Many people are afraid that the  Muslim World might be the chosen enemy that would give America justification to bomb Afghanistan, Iran, Libya, Pakistan, Iraq or other countries.

As far as the timing of this attack is concerned, I feel that last week’s South African International Conference on Racism (it would have been better to name it Prejudice and Discrimination rather than Racism) played a significant role in the escalation of this conflict as America did not join the rest of the world in declaring Israel a Racist State. The peace-loving world wants Israel to stop establishing new settlements. They want Palestine to be accepted as a separate independent state. They want millions of Palestinians to return to their mother-land. The peace-loving people want Palestine and Israel to live side by side as friendly neighbours and realize that they are the children of the same father Abraham. They want Jerusalem to be declared an independent city under the control of United Nations where people from all over the world can come and visit their Muslim, Christian and Jewish Holy Shrines.
While it was distressing to see thousands of innocent people crushed in the debris of the Trade Towers and the Pentagon, it was also shocking to see Palestinian men and women celebrating in the streets of Palestine. I don’t think anyone in the right frame of mind would celebrate killings of innocent people. It just shows that hostilities are on both sides and quite deep rooted. 

Peace loving people from all over the world who believe in humanistic values also feel that the time has come that we break down the walls of anger and resentment and bitterness and build bridges of understanding and compassion and justice. We have to realize that we are all children of Adam and Eve. We, human beings from all corners of the world, have more in common than we acknowledge. We are all members of the same family. We all share the same moon, the same sun, the same air, the same mountains and the same oceans. We are all children of Mother Earth. Our enemies are our cousins. 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 really sad that our dark side is taking over. I hope that as the feelings of hurt and anger subside, we all, from the East as well as the West, can come together to cooperate with each other. The division between US and THEM is not healthy whether it is based on gender, ethnicity, race, language or religion. There might be diversity in unity but there is also a unity in diversity and that unity is our HUMANITY. Let us hope that we respect each other’s humanity and see a human being even in our enemy. If America declared war millions of innocent men, women and children will be killed and this time the war would be 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! These are some of my thoughts inspired by your letter. If you want more in-depth discussion about any aspect of my response, feel free to ask more questions. I will try to answer them. I always believed that asking questions and having a genuine dialogue was the best way to learn in life.
Affectionately   sohail. Sep 13th, 2001