Ten years ago today, 19 radical, Islamic terrorists belonging to the organization “Al Qaeda”, hijacked four U.S. commercial airliners and deliberately crashed them. Three hit specific targets – the twin towers of the World Trade Center in New York, and the Pentagon in Washington, DC. On the fourth plane the hijackers were forced by passengers to abandon their mission and the plane crashed into a field in Pennsylvania. It was headed for the Capitol. All passengers, crew and hijackers died in the attacks, as did over 3,000 other innocent civilians of all races, faiths and nationalities.
September 11, 2001, marked the first time in decades that the United States was attacked on our own soil. It was also the first time we were attacked by a religious/terrorist organization instead of another country. Al Qaeda is a terrorist organization started by (the late) Osama Bin Laden. It is not, however, free of Islamic influence and belief as some people want to believe. It is deeply controlled by Islamic followers, however radical they may be.
I do not believe all Muslims are terrorists. Nor do I believe all terrorists are Muslims. That said – if you look at the majority of terrorist attacks throughout the world in the last 10 years, you’ll find Islamic terrorists to be the most common. There have literally been hundreds of documented attacks. This website: http://www.thereligionofpeace.com/Pages/TheList.htm shows documented attacks from 2001 until 2011. Denying or ignoring this fact could be seriously dangerous to our nation and our people.
Today’s post is in honor of the victims of September 11, 2001. From the innocent people in the twin towers to the military members at the pentagon, to the heroes who attempted to take back control of the plane that crashed in Pennsylvania, all of you deserve our remembrance and honor. There were heroes in all three locations, from the average World Trade Center employee who helped another out of the building, to the police and firefighters who lost their lives doing what they do best – protecting people – to our service members who died just doing their jobs, to the passengers on that fourth plane who decided they weren’t going to die without a fight.
For me, today is about remembering those who died; some innocently and without knowing it and others who died trying to save them. There are heroes born every day in this country. And many of them become firefighters and police officers.
It’s about our military service members who have died in the fight to end terrorism. Regardless of their political or religious views, with few exceptions, they do what they’re asked to do out of dedication to and love for their country. Sadly, there are those Americans who ridicule the military even knowing the only reason they have that right is because of our military.
Today is about remembering all the 9/11 victims, including those who were not Americans. It’s about remembering how fragile life can be and how vulnerable our way of life can be when people who don’t have what we have are envious and hateful. Islam is not our enemy. Those who use violence in the name of Islam are our enemies. And it’s important that we all recognize that and keep working against them lest this tragedy happen again.
May God bless all the families of those fallen heroes and those who survived and suffer today because of 9/11. May God bless the families of all those innocent people who lost their lives that day. And may God continue to bless this great nation and guide her toward a strong and peaceful future.
We will not forget….
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