The attacks didn’t really come out of nowhere. Soviet invasion of
Afghanistan, US armament of the rebels that became Al-Qaida, western
carved borders foisted upon Arab populations, US – Israel
relations all played a part of why groups of religious fanatics
declared the West and especially the US as their enemy. Westerners
decry the abuses and lack of human rights for women in several Islamic
ruled countries. We ignore the violence, offensiveness and threatening
quality of a Western culture shaped by markets with mega powered sex
sales. Muslims have not been crazy to see sexualized market forces as
likely to devastate their culture.
The attacks destroyed a long-enjoyed level of privilege and security
in the US. The Islamophobia that ensued ignited and amplified deep
patterns of US and western racism. The flag industry boomed as we
prepared to teach the invaders a lesson. Iraq had no ties to speak of
to the attacks. That didn’t matter. The US bombed the cradle of
civilization into oblivion. War in Afghanistan far more easily
justified became perpetual war. The cost of 20 years of war included
900K deaths and 8 trillion dollars according to a report from Brown
University.
The war on terror declared after 9/11 continues today. Terrorism
continues. In the aftermath of violence, terrorist groups often find
increased success in recruitment. On US soil, that has meant a steady
growth of domestic terrorist groups.
Some trace the militarization of US policing to post 9/11 expansion of
an industry of weapons for police state operations. War waging mindset
has crept into all our social institutions.
The extreme fringe of Evangelist and right-wing political forces found
9/11 good for business. Fear, racism and hatred of Muslims helped the
fringe to gain the center.
Muslim haters failed to distinguish between their declared enemy and
brown skinned Christians, Hindus, and Sikhs. The cost to people with
brown skin was loss of liberty. Too often it has been death.
The first African American US President paid heavily for his name and
the color of his skin. The leader of the racist birther scam became
the next president despite or because of his anti-Islamic and
anti-immigrant rhetoric. He exploited an already established image
within his base of an alleged enemy as dark skinned and foreign. The
two became interchangeable in many people’s minds.
Islamophobia became a powerful force in the Evangelical right. They
sounded an alarm saying: “we are under attack. We need real men to
defend family, nation and their allegedly Christian faith. Aggressive
and even abusive men rose to power. Tolerance was seen as the cause
of the nation’s problems.
Hate of all things liberal grew and grew. The “l” word no longer
expressed enough contempt. Any attempt to cultivate concern for the
environment or public commonwealth became tagged as whacko evil and
socialist.
Response to the downing of the trade towers, the killing of 3000
people led to a radical shift away from butter to guns. It fueled
forces intent on restructuring government and laws.
With the new warrior masculinity there came a new level of sexism,
misogyny, and assault on women’s rights.
These trends began before 2001. However, a fire was started on 9/11,
and it’s still burning.
The opinions I expressed belong to me. Your assessment may well differ
from mine. During the “Congregation Responds” section, there
will be space for discourse.
For now, I do trust that we have in common: a love for our country, a desire for
safety, and hope that truth and justice will prevail. I trust that we can
all share a minute of silence to pay respect for losses- however
we understand them, …losses that were a result of the 9/11 attacks
of our nation.
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