The word “unique” is overused, but I think my experience on 9/11/01 may have been unique. I was actually on a plane, flying from Charlotte to Houston, when the first plane hit the World Trade Center. There were thousands of people in the air when the attacks happened, but what made my case unusual was that I was traveling on a business trip with a coworker, who happened to be Muslim.
The pilot did not immediately tell us what had actually happened. Instead, he announced that there was an air traffic control problem in New York, and that we had been instructed to land at the nearest airport, which happened to be New Orleans. He put the plane into the steepest descent I have ever experienced, as he headed towards the airport. I was personally convinced that there must have been some mechanical problem with the plane, and that he had made up the air traffic control problem to spare us the terror of anticipating a crash landing. It made no sense that a New York problem would require us to make an unscheduled landing, and even if it did, why would he make such a steep descent? I had mentally prepared myself for a crash landing, and possible death. Of course, he did pull out of the steep descent, and landed in New Orleans without incident.
Only when we were on the ground and were taxiing toward the gate did he explain the real reason, and even then the information was not totally correct. He announced that two planes had hit the two World Trade Center buildings, and a third had hit the White House. There was no mention of the Pentagon. Looking back, I realized how utterly confused and chaotic the situation must have been. The authorities did an excellent job, in the circumstances, of getting all of the many planes safely on the ground, with no other accidents or incidents.
We left the plane through the jetway in the usual way. The wing of the terminal where we entered had already been completely evacuated. The only people present, besides ourselves, were a large number of police. We were instructed to walk through the terminal in single file, without stopping, and were strictly order not to speak to anyone. I had been in this wing many times, and it was an eerie sensation to walk through a perfectly quiet and deserted building, which is normally bustling with thousands of people.
We made it through the wing, into the center of the airport building, and found total chaos. All arriving passengers had been funneled into this area, and a huge crowd of confused, frightened people was milling around.
My first thought was to find a rental car, and possibly continue the trip to Houston by driving. I went from one car rental counter to another, but all had been sold out. Finally, the last counter had one or two cars left, and I was able to book one on a one-way trip to Houston.
Next, I made my way to a pay phone, and called my wife to let her know I was all right. (I did not own a cell phone at the time.) There were long lines at the pay phones, but everyone was very orderly and patient. I waited in one line until I was able to make the call. It turned out that she had not had the TV or radio on, and knew nothing about what was happening, so I was the first one to give her the information. She turned the TV on while we were talking, and watched some of the reporting. We talked for just a few minutes, then I gave up the phone so that someone else could make a call.
Finally, I decided to attempt to find the coworker with whom I was traveling. Knowing that I had gotten one of the last few cars, I thought that he might not be able to find a car, and be stuck in New Orleans with no way to get to Houston. Although we were going to different meetings in Houston, we could at least drive over together, and he should be able to find a car in Houston. The area around the car rental desks was crowded and chaotic, and I thought I might not be able to locate him, but after a few minutes of searching, I saw him in the crowd. We picked up the rental car and set out on a six-hour drive, going west on I-10. Fortunately, the highway was near the airport, and we were on our way pretty quickly.
Of course, we immediately turned on the car radio, and listened to the coverage of the events. At first, most of it was just speculation, but before long the authorities had somehow pieced together some of the facts, and figured that Al Qaida was probably behind the attacks. Within a few hours, Bin Laden’s name was even mentioned in connection with the attacks. In any case, it seemed likely that they had been conducted by Islamic terrorists.
We drove in silence for a long time, listening to the reports. I was stunned, saddened, and worried about what this would mean for the future, so I was lost in my own thoughts, and in no mood to talk.
Suddenly, my coworker, who had been riding quietly, burst out with, “This would never have happened if it wasn’t for the US policy towards Israel!”
I was so surprised that all I could say was, “What?”
He went on in that vein for a few minutes. As he saw it, the US favored Israel in everything they did, it was a very bad policy, no wonder people were upset, this was a natural response to the bad actions of the US. Now, this fellow was a very intelligent and highly educated man. He had come to the US for graduate school, and had spent several years obtaining a PhD. He then worked for a large company in Los Angeles for five years before coming to our company a year or so earlier. He spoke perfect English, and seemed to be totally immersed in the culture of the US. But, somehow he had managed to maintain this extraordinarily warped attitude about the US and our politics.
After listening in stunned silence for a few minutes, I lost control, and basically told him to shut up, that I didn’t want to hear any more. We drove the rest of the way in silence. I dropped him off at a car rental counter in Houston, and did not see him again until we both returned home.
The actual events of the day of 9/11 were bad enough, but here is what has really stuck with me for the last ten years: after this event, we worked together for another couple of years, before he transferred to another location. In all that time, we never discussed it again. He never apologized for his outburst, or indicated that perhaps there might be another side to the question. He never condemned the attacks, or indicated that he regretted them. In fact, he never spoke negatively about terrorism at all.
I live in a small- to medium-sized city, but we have a fairly large and elaborate mosque. There is a local imam who is pretty well-known in the area. He publishes articles in the local paper periodically, calling for peace and brotherhood, or explaining elements of the Muslim faith. But as far as I know, he has never condemned any of the Muslim terror attacks, including the events of 9/11. My next-door neighbors are Muslims, and are wonderful people, but they have never commented on these issues. Before I retired, I worked with several other Muslim colleagues, most of whom I had great respect for. But again, I have never heard any of them speak out against Muslim-sponsored terrorism.
This, I think, is a major problem that the Muslim community in the US has not addressed. Until Muslims who live here are ready to openly and vigorously condemn the type of violence perpetrated on 9/11 and since then, there will always be an air of suspicion and hostility towards them. Like my neighbors, I think most of them are fine people and good Americans. But, this attitude just reinforces the belief on the part of many Americans that they cannot be trusted. In this atmosphere, one more attack, like that of Major Hasan, causes that belief to harden to the point that it will be almost impossible to change.
There is an article in my newspaper today, quoting several local Muslims as saying that they are being targeted for special attention by law enforcement officials. To be fair, one local doctor does say that he teaches his children that “…our religion does not, by any means, allow us to kill innocent women and children.” But, most of the article consists of complaints about the additional focus on Muslims.
Do they really not understand why this is happening?
Uncle Bill is a retired engineer, happily living in Almost Heaven, West Virginia. He grew up in Pittsburgh, and is (sadly) a life-long Pirates fan. Like many people, he was fairly liberal as a youth, but with age came wisdom, and he gradually became a staunch conservative.