In the name of our religion, our country was wounded. The fanatics that consider human life expendable in the name of their cause created a massive conspiracy that began at least 18 months ago, and culminated in the simultaneous hijacking of four commercial airliners. Calmly brushing aside the frightened passengers, among whom presumably there were children, they deliberately flew into the World Trade Center and collapsed the twin towers. Did they whisper some sacred words just before the impact? Could Satan mock our religion in a more cruel fashion?
Like many readers, I have taken my family on trips to New York. For my young kids, the Towers were simply the “really tall buildings”, as distinguished from the rest of the skyline. My brother worked there until January when he was laid off. Another Muslim family I heard of apparently lost their only two children, who had just finished college and started work in the prestigious twin skyscrapers. The old roommate of my youngest brother worked in the floor struck by the first jet. We thought he was certainly dead, but luckily he was late for work that morning, and was just entering the building as the 767 blew in.
For 5000 others though, luck was not with them. The human loss is terrible, but the symbolic loss of the towers, which have come to represent New York City, and to some extent American capitalism, was just as bad. The sight of the towers pancaking down on themselves as they collapsed was nauseating. Even worse were cornered and trapped occupants of the highest floors jumping off the building holding hands in groups of two or three. For physicians, the worst injuries to deal with are whole body burns. And there were many burn victims. Two men hand carried a paraplegic woman down 75 flights of stairs and got out just before the building crumbled. Because most were trapped in the collapse, there were relatively few injured given the presumed dead. In most disasters there are usually 2-3 injured for every dead, but this time it was the opposite.
For Muslims in America, this has been a trying time. Outside a Mosque in Southern California a man was stopped with a gun. Death threats and nasty phone calls have been directed at Muslim organizations and leaders. Muslims are afraid to send their children to Islamic schools. Some women are thinking twice about being in public wearing Hijab. On the other hand, the response of broader community to these acts have been tremendous and renewed my faith in the basic decency of the average American. An interfaith service at a Los Angeles Mosque was initiated by the actor Edward James Olmos, and featured a phone call from Governor Gray Davis, who was stranded back East and couldn’t attend.
For Muslims, we have to deal with the fact that our faith has been twisted to the point of being unrecognizable by certain elements. Their actions are horrible, but due to their sheer enormity, they overwhelm the positive and accurate image of Islam that we here have been trying so hard to advance. The Muslim community in America will have to live under the shadow of this dastardly attack for many years. It is important that we, both collectively and individually, do what we can to soften that blow. Muslim-Americans must work hard in the aftermath of this event to assist in the response to the human tragedy, to provide blood and financial donations, and to hold interfaith services and express our own deep sadness over this awful event.
At this writing, America is still in shock, and although Bush speaks of “war” it is obvious that there is tremendous uncertainty what to do in response. The foreign policy ramifications are quite complex. Bush has clearly signaled that lobbing a few cruise missiles at Afghani hillsides will not be enough. But a “war” on the states that may have participated in this will require an invasion and occupation. Even for the United States, this is a huge and long-term proposition. If Saddam Hussein is involved, a US occupation of Iraq is possible. That may not be as bad as it sounds. A US administered Iraq would certainly be much better for the average Iraqi than living under Saddam and sanctions. As large amounts of evidence comes in pointing toward Osama bin Laden, a response in the direction of Afghanistan, which has given Osama a home for the last few years, is in the cards. But how to get to Afghanistan? Iran will be uncooperative, and the Central Asian route is not feasible, which leaves Pakistan.
Already Pakistan has come under pressure from the US to help. Secretary Powell met with Ambassador Lodhi and has asked for transit rights for American planes through Pakistani airspace, a closure of the Afghan border, and cutoff of fuel supplies to the Taliban. For Pakistan this is a moment of truth. The Taliban in their early years were nurtured by Pakistan, but Pakistan has become disenchanted with them although has not made a clean break. Many in Pakistan blame the Taliban for the sectarian violence that has seen Shia doctors (including a cousin of a colleague of mine) assassinated systematically.
For Pakistan, fully cooperating with the United States holds risk but also benefits. If the United States wants to overthrow the Taliban, then a very close relationship with Pakistan becomes inevitable. Pakistan certainly wins an end to sanctions and likely can interest the US in mediating Kashmir issues. In addition, if a stable and effective government can finally be created in Afghanistan, then perhaps the millions of refugees still in Pakistan a decade after the Soviet withdrawal can go home. The key question for the US is whether they have the will for this sort of long-term struggle.
On the downside, if Musharraf creates an open and strong American alliance, the religious conservatives could be greatly inflamed. Their behavior would be difficult to predict, but a terror campaign within Pakistan against the Americans and the government is possible. On balance, Pakistan should choose to cooperate with America, but only if the US is serious about replacing the Taliban and mending Afghanistan.