Mourning For 9/11, But Please Mourn For The Rest Of The World Too
11 September 2017Marwan Adina
You woke up today. Brushed your teeth. Prayed. Got dressed for work/school.
Maybe even rolled back into bed. It was a normal day today. Until you looked
at a calendar. Put on a hijab. Said good morning to your non-Muslim
colleagues. Classmates. Friends.
We all know the frustrated, heart-aching feeling of waking up Muslim every
year on Sept. 11. If you're scrolling through social media, buying key chains,
or even holding a conversation, 9/11 remembrance will flood your timeline,
design print, and dialogue. How can we ever forget the tragic and Islamically
condemned fall of the Twin Towers when marketing teams have branded and
monetized the slogan "Never forget." How can we forget the emptiness Ground
Zero radiated in the atmosphere when our morale was just as lifeless after our
own nation blamed us for the terror. How can we forget the time(s) terrorists
hijacked our religion to execute political revenge attack(s).
In truth, I don't think any of us want to forget. I don't think we ever will
forget. Many of us did lose friends and family during that attack. Almost all
of us experienced some form of trauma/threats/abuse from 9/11 simply for
being/looking Muslim. Frankly, we shouldn't, in any case, forget events like
this that cause terror on nations and result in civilian casualty.
So why is it so easy for us to forget a U.S.-Led airstrike in Syria? U.S.
invasion of Iraq? Vietnam? How about the Rwanda Genocide? Anyone remember
Burma? Ethiopia? What about the recent crisis in Rohingya? Any catchy slogans
attached to these tragedies yet? Are they too international/Muslim for us to
remember? That's okay, let's see if we remember what happened in American
Slavery? How about what we did to the American Indians? Too outdated for you?
How about 917 active hate groups in America today? Are we spending as much
time learning about these terrorist attacks/terrorists as we did for 9/11?
In one way or another, we are all connected to someone that has been impacted
by one of the events listed above. However, why are we picking and choosing
which one's to mourn for? Why are there yearly anniversaries for some while
others don't even have proper, deserved news coverage? I am tired of those
around me that become activists and patriots in their community once a year to
remember an anniversary of one out of the hundreds of terrorist-led attacks.
These are the same individuals that refrain from keeping up with worldly news
because it is draining. These are the group of people that will buy the damn
key chains and visit the Freedom Towers yet ignore the rest of the
country's/world's pain.
Individually, we cannot drain ourselves stressing over who doesn't care for
the entire world's peace. What we can do is spread our awareness, resources,
and knowledge to those in our reach and pray we not only remember other
tragedies around us but also work together to implement solutions in an effort
to prevent further events like this. In keeping an open eye, mind, and heart,
remember the following hadith translated by Shakir from Verse (4:75) in the
Holy Qur'an:
"AND WHAT REASON HAVE YOU THAT YOU SHOULD NOT FIGHT IN THE WAY OF ALLAH AND OF
THE WEAK AMONG THE MEN AND THE WOMEN AND THE CHILDREN, (OF) THOSE WHO SAY: OUR
LORD! CAUSE US TO GO FORTH FROM THIS TOWN, WHOSE PEOPLE ARE OPPRESSORS, AND
GIVE US FROM THEE A GUARDIAN AND GIVE US FROM THEE A HELPER."
So go ahead, continue on with your day. Hold dialogue with those around you
about 9/11. Cry for the individuals that were killed that day. Cry for the
families that lost loved ones on those planes. In those buildings. On the
rescue teams. But please don't stop there. Cry for the rest of the world too.
The other rescue teams. The White Helmets. The beaten protesters. Think about
everyone we've lost in warfare. In terrorist attacks. To hunger. Health
disparities. Help them. Spread awareness about them. Donate to organizations
that can directly assist them.
If we want to show solidarity, we must have it with all humankind. Dedicating
one day to remember one event does not make up for an entire year of your
ignorance and lack of care. I urge us to actively engage in dialogue about
disparities, displacement, terrorists (both domestically and abroad), etc.
Learn more about the world and it's seemingly endless supply of catastrophe.
Love purely and equally. How we move forward is our responsibility. Let's own
up to it.
Marwa Adina is a poet that studies Public Health at Rutgers University.
Living the life-long struggle of balancing science with the arts, Marwa finds
comfort in connecting with other people to share stories and tear apart the
patriarchy. Connect with her through Facebook and follow her journey on
Instagram @arabianroots Co-founder of Re-literate Word, a literary magazine
for up-coming artists.
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