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An Anniversary of Televised death.

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An Anniversary of Televised death.
Maliha
09/11/03 at 18:25:38
[slm]

An anniversary of televised death

I don’t have a connected television. The peace that is emanating in my little apartment seems surreal considering that today is the anniversary of our generation’s “D” day.  Somehow reliving yet another year of seeing the twin towers crash, and hearing the same appalling stories over and over again, is not something I was particularly looking forward to. Listening to the media pundits and so called “analysts” regurgitating the administration’s stance on the “war” on terror (more like ensuing terrorizing war) would have probably made me physically sick. Some things are very hard to swallow, and the jaded truth underlying humanity’s situation today hangs bleakly, like a grey lifeless cloud, with no silver lining in sight.

The all too recent and painful death of a loved one, made me reflect on what those families must feel. Yet some of us have the privilege and solace of mourning our loved ones in the private sanctity of our own realms. How devastating must it be to witness the wholesale carnage inflicted on other innocent lives, in the name of *your* loved one. How utterly despicable to have to stand by, while the sacred memories of these precious innocent lives are cheapened, paraded, and advertised over and over again, as the new label justifying more deaths. I can still recall those images of desperate souls jumping out of the high towers. I wonder fleetingly if they would be replayed along with the maddening image of those towers crumbling, virtually reconstructed, and crumbling again and again. Those images were imprinted in the recesses of our aghast hearts as the tragedy unfolded. The majority of the silent Muslim masses, were reflected in the hopelessly fervent prayer I whispered “please don’t let it be one of us”.

While other Americans were allowed the peace of grieving, Muslims in America and worldwide were beset with anxieties. The confirmed images of the “terrorists” bleakly resembled too many of us. Our leadership waited for the script to be handed down. When other Americans went out with candles and held vigils, we did the same. When our fellow Americans lashed out, our scholars repeatedly condemned the act. When the administration stamped everyone of us with the “guilty until proven innocent” sticker, too many of us did little except try our best to present the “good” face of Islam. We attended interfaith seminars, we reached out to the community, we made press statements. We talked.

Then of course came the ensuing war. I am not sure what the numbers are of Muslims that died directly as a result of 9/11. 20,000? Does that sound like a fair number? Of course no one seems to be counting. American lives have been proven to be a lot worthy of narrating, celebrating, mourning, and tabulating than the suffering majority of the world. Muslims have been the brunt of too many attacks, the majority of us, who were too comfortable in the sanctity of our private lives were shoved in the limelight. It has been two long years, of seeing too much death, too much bloodshed, too much harassment, fear, and anxieties...yet we are still, largely, playing by the same script. This year, while others were making their way with candles and vigils, Muslims closely followed on their heels.

While there is nothing wrong with showing support for the victims of 9/11, it might be high time for us to start considering writing our own scripts. For one, we could use the same platform of grief to recount the many untold stories of savagery committed in the name of these same precious lives lost. No more muted noises. Where are the pictures of the dead Iraqi children that somehow irrevocably became reconciled with the fallen buildings? Who is speaking of the grief of the Palestinian mother standing amidst the ashes of her beloved home and family? What happened to the Afghani girl, still being raped and terrorized, dreams of freedom lying broken like forgotten shells amidst sand dunes? Do any Muslims recall the dates when the Bosnian men were massacred and women fed filthy pig entrails? When did the *ongoing* Chechen tragedy become a lifeless page in our history books? Can we hear the muted wailing of mothers stretching all the way from the Philippines, to China, to Kashmir, to Iraq, Bosnia, Chechnya and even much closer to home in America?

Where are the advocates bringing light to the injustices of the Patriot Act and the many Muslim men captured illegally, humiliated, abased and scattered throughout Guantanamo Bay, and jails in the our great free country? Every time I see an image of another Muslim man, eyes averted, handcuffed, and helplessly being paraded as the newest “conquest”, a little part of me dies.
Every time, I see the lines of pain etched in women’s faces trying hard to explain the torture being inflicted on them, my spirit sinks lower. A heavy burden knowing that I will have to answer for the silence of the multitude of the wounded, terrorized, oppressed...what did I say when the truth was buried and the dead were unable to speak no more?

We are really far behind as an Ummah. We have long, long miles to trek. Too much bloodshed to clean up, too many broken hearts to heal, and far too much suffering to gently ease off the pages of our history. Misinformation reigns rampant and to date, too many of us are wallowing in the petty dynamics of our differences instead of looking up, beyond, far into the horizons of the fleeting time we have on this earth. We need to talk a little less and actually *do* a little more.

When people trudge on for the 20th , 50th, 100th, 9/11 anniversary, and the charade of terror is still carried on, Muslims need to put aside those candles, those empty interfaith meetings, and facades of endless marches and demonstrations. As Muslims we don’t believe in death anniversaries. Life and death are the cycle of this fleeting world, to be caught up in reliving the same memory in the same helpless way we have been doing is to paralyze our very hearts into inaction and a sense of futile morbidity.

So what are we supposed to do? We all know the real work for it had been cut out for us a long time ago. We just seem to have forgotten the dusty path in the hazy memories of our dreams.  Let’s ponder on just a very few list of things we need to do. For example , we need to put serious thought into strategizing our survival as an Ummah. We need to put aside the ever growing gulf of theocracy, divergent Fatawas, and technical routines of worship and mull over some practicalities: like how exactly are we going to get around the blockades on charities meaning to reach our destitute brothers and sisters around the world. We need to put faces and names to the dying millions, perchance the clouds of compassion and mercy will rain tears of tenderness and resuscitation to our dying souls. We need to raise the next generation into healthy, conscious, reflective Muslims able to breathe new life into the scattered fragments of our dying hearts, institutions, and nations. We need to reach out a little more, to our own brothers and sisters. For far too many of us are set on the edge of criticism and the highroad of self righteousness. The gulf between our hearts is leading all of us into the oblivious road of cynicism and deathly sedation. We need to heal the madness within. We need to shut out the irrelevant voices without.

The list is far too long. Yet hope does exist. For in each of lies this fragrant divine consciousness, this uniqueness and preciousness that when nurtured properly will illuminate the whole universe. In each salient breath we take, we are making a conscious decision to either crush our own souls into pulverized bits of nonexistence or blow the merciful winds of His Mercy and Compassion in a world dying for a single resuscitating breath of life.

Make your next sip of oxygen, worth the very air Allah blessed you with.

Your sis in this fleeting struggle.

Nur al Layl  :'(
[wlm]
09/11/03 at 18:26:26
Maliha
Re: An Anniversary of Televised death.
Trustworthy
09/11/03 at 19:12:39
[slm]

Is it just me or America starting to really irritate me and get under my skin?  Like today I was driving and in front of me was a car that had a bumper sticker that read

"America Bless God"

Ya Rubb!!  If Allah (SWT) was not on my mind at that moment, I would've rammed that car off the road, gave him the evil eye and said "God gave you America, you stupid idiotic moronic imboscile!"  Ya Rubb give me the strength and patience.

And the other day as I was driving, I saw this car that had a huge US flag on the back.  I mean it was one of those flags that the military uses.  It was so distracting and it could've blocked other driver's views.  

America is not that great of a country.  Yeah you have freedom, blah, blah, blah, but that freedom isn't free unless your definition of freedom ends with fries.

After 9/11, I could bare the mind numbing stares and the sea of whispers and the occasional smart alack remark.  Like last week, I got into an accident, Al-hamdulillah I'm fine, but all 3 cars went to file a police report and his wife was frustrated b/c the Police Dept had no sign showing it’s place.  The wife said, “I am a tax payer and you think that they would at least put up a sign showing us where they are located.”  Her husband said straight out, “Well honey, may be they don’t Al-Qaeda to find them.”  And this was in front of his 12 yr old son.  

Mind you I was standing right next to him too and this is after we had a conversation about him being in the Philippines and recognizing Muslims.  I knew I was going to say something regretful, so I just bit my lip, shook my head and calmly said, “I’d have to agree with your wife here.  I pay my taxes as well.  May be the person who is looking for Bin Laden is the same person that was suppose to put the Police Dept sign here.”

I was talking to a few co-workers some time ago and we were discussing 9/11, Muslims, Islam, and the death toll trying to make sense of it all, I guess.  We got into the topic of bravery and unity, how every American came together to help each other.  The praises go to those dead heroes trying to help ppl escape, Christains, Jews, and Catholics.  I added Muslims.  They were all like, huh?  Really?  We didn’t know that.  So I asked them flat out, “Is it b/c you didn’t want to know?  Or the media didn’t want you to know?  Or the government didn’t want you to know?  Islam is the fastest growing religion, not from births, from conversions.  The US has the most ppl converting to Islam.  Do you think we all drive taxis or own gas stations?  Even born Muslims overseas and here have those kinds of jobs.  Proof is standing right in front of you.  I don’t wear a burkah, but I cover.  I am married.  You have witnessed my prayers, my fasting, and even my Hajj, pilgrimage to Meccah.  Knowing me and my Muslim friends that come around, you think I follow Bin Laden?”  They said, “It’s as touchy a subject for you as it is for us.”  I asked, “Why is it a touchy subject for you?”  They said, “B/c we’re Americans.”  I said, “Hello!  Do I have to wear my citizenship badge around for you to remember that I am an American too?  But do understand this, I am first and foremost a Muslim.  I am a Muslim American and not the other way around.”  The we got into a discussion of Islam.  That was my da’wa for the whole week.

I understand patriotism.  What I don’t understand is their ignorance when we make up almost half the world’s population and that’s not just in the Middle East.

Ma-asalaama…
09/11/03 at 19:13:41
Trustworthy
Re: An Anniversary of Televised death.
hayat
09/12/03 at 03:36:33
[slm]

may Allah give you muslims in america strength as sabr. as you are also in a position of constantly having to defend yourself and vindicate. ppl go on critisizing you and you got the really hard task to stay calm in every situation and at the same time explain and explain and explain that islam isnt that what the media over there tries to show it is.
al7 in europe it is not that bad, ppl of course keep on asking, but the bulk of them are not biased and are capable of thinking PRoperly and not influenced by one general opinion stated through the media
btw @ trustworthy:
[quote]their ignorance when we make up almost half the world’s population and that’s not just in the Middle East.
[/quote]
well there are 1.2  to 1.3 billion muslims in the world, right? and there are 6 billion people total....?

waassalam
hayat
Re: An Anniversary of Televised death.
yumna
09/12/03 at 05:53:22
[slm]no no trustworthy u r definitely not the only one who is irritated with america
Re: An Anniversary of Televised death.
Luminous
09/12/03 at 10:41:21
[slm]

I think many people are fed up with america right now. I know I am. i think I'm defending myself everyday to these people. At work I constantly have to be on the defense with my boss. She's very "patriotic" and says things like the FBI has the right to go into any house they choose and search it. My guess is the FBI will pick one of our houses over theirs. I had a friend whose house got raided just b/c someone maid a call and mentioned they had 3 computers and a network that they were all on. Come on 5 single ppl in one house of course you're gonna have computers. I had another friend whose house was raided just b/c he had b bunch of Islamic bumper stickers on his car!!

At school I've gotten the comments like you would feel more at home at school XYZ b/c your people are there. What like I don't feel at home at the school I'm going to? Or my favorite was when I started Grad school they messed up my name and put my last name first and first name last. So I was talking to this lady and saying how it is for some odd reason soo hard to get it fixed and she goes "those dumb americans" Hello she's american and so am I.

I will never figure it out, but I guess we just have to keep on going and keep our heads held high and be proud to be Muslim. That's the only way I think.

Salaam  :-)
Re: An Anniversary of Televised death.
timbuktu
09/13/03 at 04:24:00
[slm]

when you have faith in Allah (swt), then the whoile world may be against you, but the inner peace is undescribable. Hold on to faith in Allah, the world will continue to spin, & the graet deceiver (Iblees) will continue to deceive, but your faith wiilsee you through.

my dua's for all of you who have to put up with this.


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