Muslims reflect
upon Sept. 11
Chris Delissio
Freelance Reporter
Editor’s note: On the anniversary
of Sept. 11, an Emerald freelance
writer was in New York City. He
spoke with some Muslim Ameri
cans there and filed this story on
Sept. 12.
NEW YORK—A year ago on Sept.
11, the streets of Manhattan were
relatively empty, and the city was in
shock after 19 hijackers slammed
two commercial airliners filled with
people into the World Trade Center
in the name of Islam.
One year later, those same streets
are packed with again with people of
all nationalities and religions. Presi
dent Bush and Arab delegates speak
at the United Nations while little
Italy prepares for the feast of San
Gennaro. A pictorial memorial by
Joe McNally at Rockefeller Center is
filled with teary-eyed visitors still
trying to understand.
After these atrocities were com
mitted under the pretext of a Muslim
jihad, there was widespread concern
in America that Muslims might be
mistreated or singled out on the ba
sis of religion. One year after the at
tacks, American Muslims in New
York City have differing opinions
about the American response to and
war on terrorism.
“Everybody was nice, and I had
no fear (of retaliation) because of my
background,” said Said Bendarkawi,
a 40-year-old Morroean American
Muslim. “Islam doesn’t breed terror
ists. Islam shows you how to be com
passionate. Those people are crazy,
and they are not Muslims.”
President Bush agrees with Ben
darkawi that these men do not rep
"Islam doesn't breed
terrorism. Islam shows
you how to be
compassionate. Those
people are crazy and
they are not muslims."
Said Bendarkawi
New York City resident
resent any religion. “The terrorists
despise other religions and have de
filed their own,” Bush told LIFE’S
“The American Spirit.”
However, not all American Mus
lims share these same feelings.
Some men, like 42-year-old Pak
istani American Rizwan Khan feel
disenfranchised by the radicalism of
a religion that is supposed to stand
for peace.
“There are Islamic priests that
teach hatred. They’re preaching im
morality,” Khan said. “I try not to
(bring my son to Islamic mosques)
because first of all, they don’t preach
in English. I want him to learn the
morals and not the hatred. I want
him to be a gentleman, and that’s
why I put him in a Catholic school.”
When discussing the war on ter
rorism, the views differ as well.
“I really don’t think (Osama bin
Laden) did it. Barking dogs don’t
bite,” Khan said. “We made Saddam
the monster. We gave him billions of
dollars (to fight Iran and for oil). It’s
good for the country to go into Iraq.”
Bendarkawi’s views were more re
served and in line with that of the
United Nations.
Turn to NYC, page 18A
Local
continued from page 6A
from various guests and featured a
moment of silence at 7:45 p.m.
At 7:52 p.m., Springfield Fire
Chief Dennis Murphy introduced
the ringing of the fire bell. It was
rung 25 times to honor the fire
fighters’ lives lost in New York.
Eugene Mayor Jim Torrey ex
plained his observations of the com
munity’s reaction of the past year.
“Each of us during this past year
have found hope and healing in our
faith, family, and friends.”
For some attendees, last year’s
events could have a positive out
come, with work from everyone.
“I want to tell everyone to never
forget how special our freedom is,
and that God allowed this to happen
to increase people’s humanity,”
LCC student Angela Grabow said.
Springfield Mayor Sid Leiken
suggested that a loving world is a
safer world.
“Lasting homeland security be
gins and ends, my friends, with
love,” he said.
While many thought it was
time to move on, Lane County
Commissioner Bill Dwyer doesn’t
believe the tragedy will ever van
ish from memory.
“We will never forget them. We
will never abandon the American
we love.”
—Jenni Schultz
Commemorating
peace
Dozens of people spent Sept. 11
away from their televisions, apart
from the flag-waving and official
ceremonies commemorating the
one-year anniversary of the terror
ist attacks in New York City and
Washington D.C.
Instead, they stood in front of
the federal courthouse at Seventh
Greg Bae for the Emerald
Members of the Eugene and Springfield fire departments use a fire truck to erect an
enormous American flag at the Sept 11 memorial in Springfield's Island Park.
Avenue and Pearl Street and held
handmade signs, talked quietly
among themselves or spent hours
in prayer and meditation.
“I disagree with our government’s
war policies,” said Sarah
Charlesworth, a member of the
Green Party of Lane County and
one of the event’s organizers. “Being
out in public and communicating
with fellow activists who love peace
and justice helps people to think.”
People at the 24-hour protest did
n’t all share the same viewpoint.
Some held signs with anarchists
symbols. Others showed pictures of
fallen firefighters from Sept. 11 and
said they wanted to end terrorist ac
tivities without the bloodshed that
had been wrought in Afghanistan.
The event was organized by sev
eral groups with a University pres
ence, including the Justice Not War
Coalition and Eugene Peaceworks,
and organizers estimated that sev
eral hundred people came to par
ticipate or watch the protest as it
unfolded over the day.
Some attendees came from over
seas. Reinhard Seyer of Austria
and Klara Solk of Sweden were
passing by the courthouse and
stopped to munch the free food of
fered by the protesters.
“Anything to support a move
ment that tries to end the cycle of
violence that we’ve witnessed since
Sept. 11 is good,” Seyer said.
Many participants would not
give their names or be quoted, for
fear of what they called “govern
ment retribution.” John, 82, de
clined to give his last name, saying
he did not want to be on Attorney
General John “Ashcroft’s list”.
“I think we should have a visible
presence here and not let George
Bush and his accomplices start an
other war,” he said. “But we also
need to respect the people who lost
their lives a year ago.”
—Brook Reinhard
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