10 years and a week

We will never forget

So, it's been a week since September 11. And it's been a decade since the collapse of the World Trade Center towers.

In all honesty, I can remember what I was doing when it hit the news (I was eating breakfast and getting ready to go to school), I remember what happened at school (the teachers were all in the staff lounge watching the news, and they all looked somewhat frightened). BUT I don't believe it even phased or affected me when I was ten.If anything, the changes in policies and socio-political climate didn't really begin to affect me until I started college; although I did see some of the effects during high school. And for me, the anniversary comes and goes like any other day of the year.

Yes, it is sad that many innocent lives were lost on that day (This is the nature of war.). Yes, I am proud that this nation came together as one (Hence the saying "United we stand."). Yes, I respect the people who laid down their lives in order to protect our country and its people. But at the same time, hate emerged.

Forever Changed

One of the things that bothers me the most when the debate of the war against Iraq and Iran is brought up, is the statement along the lines of "We must get rid of the Muslim terrorists."  Muslim is in bold for a good reason, this had led to a popular belief amongst the public of the U.S. that ALL Muslims are terrorists. I believe there's something wrong with that line of thought. The Bill of Rights, the 1st Amendment I believe, gives each and every U.S. Citizen the right to religious freedom; you are free to express your faith and beliefs. This is one of the best freedoms this country has; but sadly, the followers of Islam have been recipients of hate from the public. From what I remember, Islam is NOT a religion of war, or of hate.

Along with that, is the supposedly random searches at airports. I understand that these are for safety, but they're still annoying when I get checked, especially since I frequently travel from Sacramento to San Diego; for example, from 5 one-way trips to each city, I was held back 4 times. My stuff had to be scanned a couple of times once, all I had in the bag were some books and a stuffed animal. Another time I was told my sweater was "too baggy", it was cold outside! (It was raining in Sacramento, and I still wasn't fully acclimated to the cooler weather.) But I digress, some people have noticed that there is some racial profiling going on with these pat-downs and searches. That might be true, especially at the two airports I frequent; so I really hope that the "random" part is implemented and not done based on how someone looks. Just because someone looks "Middle Eastern" doesn't mean he or she is Muslim, Muslim does not equate with terrorist; and followers of Islam are found within all ethnic and racial groups throughout the world.

Changing yourself
The U.S. is supposed to be a country of guaranteed freedoms; true we are free to DISLIKE a religion if we want to do so. But to say "I don't like Muslims because they killed x amount of people through terrorism.", I believe, would be to ignore the fact that there are millions of peaceful Muslims in the world. Just as you probably don't believe that a political party (and I mean any of the political parties that are in the U.S.) portrays your beliefs or what you think the country stands for, it is also wrong to allow yourself to believe that the acts of a few radicals represent a faith community which has been around for longer than the U.S. Constitution.

I definitely believe that each and every one of us should at least learn some of the basics of any and all religions, this helps in understanding the culture and dress and customs of others. We live in a globalized world, if other children are taught about the U.S. and some of our customs, wouldn't be just as respectful to learn about other parts of the world? I think it is, and maybe this will begin to bring about peace.


Any and all comments are appreciated, but please be respectful. I understand this is a very emotionally charged subject. Your thoughts are important too.