It is fitting that we pause today to remember the events of September 11, 2001 in New York, NY and Washington, DC.  It was a day in which a small group of terrorists once again reminded us just how much ideology and religious fervor can so blind the eyes of men to right and wrong to the point that they will turn aircraft loaded with innocent people into missiles to be used to commit deliberate acts of barbaric, cold-blooded murder against thousands of other innocent civilians.

It was also a day in which firefighters, police, rescue workers and even ordinary citizens committed selfless acts that taught us the meaning of heroism.  Through the coverage of 9-11 memorials and tributes, the media has done a good job of reminding us of all of this.  It has also reminded us of the deep sense of loss and the threat we face.  We’ve been called on to remember the soldiers who volunteered to fight against the terrorist threat and did not come home.  Nearly 4500 coalition forces have been killed in Iraq, and 1800 in Afghanistan (source).  The number that have been maimed or psychologically scarred is even larger.

As Americans, however, we must realize that 9-11 was a global tragedy and we were not the only ones affected…

At least 90 countries lost citizens in the attacks on Washington and New York, and other nations have taken some of the blows from the repercussions, as well. We have been involved in two wars since that tragic day, and far too many American soldiers have lost their lives, there is no denying it.  But those wars were not fought here, so few American civilians have suffered from the devastation of these wars.  The same cannot be said in Iraq and Afghanistan, where it was not just combatants that lost their lives, but often civilians with no connection at all to the hostilities.  When the military uses the term “collateral damage,” that is what they mean, the destruction of civilian property, homes and lives. Iraq Body Count estimates 102,417 – 111,938 civilian casualties in Iraq.  Nearly 10,000 have been killed in Afghanistan since 2007. The anger and pain we felt over the loss of 3000 innocent souls on September 11, 2001 was justified, legitimate and real. But is the anger any less if your loved one was killed incidentally by a foreign power was working to “liberate” your country. I hope so, but I have my doubts.

Furthermore, while there has not been another successful terror attack on US soil since 9-11, our allies have born the brunt of equally barbaric attacks since then, among them the Madrid train bombing on March 11, 2004, the attacks on the London mass transit system on July 7, 2005, the Mumbai terror attacks on November 26, 2008, and the cafe bombing in Morocco on April 27 of this year.  This is only a partial list, and while none of these approached the degree of destruction and death toll wrecked by 9-11, they were all senselessly brutal and targeting ordinary people in the midst of their daily activities. They were not necessarily targeted at the US, but they were targeted at our allies and they were perpetrated or assisted by common enemies, so they are proof that we must remain vigilant and on guard. The question is, vigilant to what and on guard against whom?

Did you know that in in the days following the attacks of 9-11 spontaneous candlelight vigils were held on the streets of Tehran condemning the terrorists, mourning and innocent victims and expressing solidarity with the Americans? Did you know that the government or Iran, both before and after President Bush made the Axis of Evil speech, offered support for the US campaign in Afghanistan? Indeed, nearly every legitimate leader, scholar and religious leader in the Muslim world, denounced the attacks of September 11, 2001, and yet far too many in the United States have the perception that the majority have failed to do so. In such a vast chasm between reality and perception, lies the problem.

Our vigilance must be wise and informed or it will only serve to exacerbate the problem.  A new word entered my vocabulary after 9-11, “Islamophobia,” i.e. the irrational fear of Islam.  I now see signs of it everywhere, including the controversy of the so called Ground Zero Mosque, hate crimes that appear to be based on religious prejudice, and in the rhetoric of public figures.

But Islam is not the enemy. Muslims were among the innocent victims killed in the attacks on 9-11, and they were also among first responders to the catastrophe. And yes, they were also the hijackers. Islam, like Christianity, Judaism, Buddhism, or any other religion with large numbers of followers, is a label used by people who maintain a wide variety of beliefs, and there is even dissent among those who use the label over who is entitled to do so. Timothy MacVeigh or many of the IRA bombers who killed innocent civilians considered themselves Christians, but others would say they simply cannot be considered such by anyone who understands the teachings of Christ. There is a great deal of diversity in Islam. Sunnis, Shias and Sufis of various orders have differences in their beliefs, they way they worship and in their customs. In addition, there are multiple schools of Islamic law, ranging from those who advocate rigid literal interpretations of text, to those which are more liberal, believing the texts indicate a direction and establish principles, but must be interpreted in light of contemporary realities.  The particular beliefs of Al-Qaeda and company are an extremely rigid set of beliefs held by a very small group of people.  Still, because their actions are brutal, barbaric and devastating, they are very visible and appear more powerful than they are. Thus Al-Qaeda loom large in our psyche and is able to keep us afraid.  We must remain rational, however, and not attribute the beliefs and actions of this or any other fringe element to Muslims as a whole.

That is why I am so shocked and angered when media pundits, religious leaders and politicians go before the public and challenge Muslims for not denouncing terrorism.  My feelings are only compounded when they say this in interviews with journalists who should know better, yet still and are not challenged.

Let me be perfectly clear.  All decent, humane citizens of the world who understood what happened on September 11, 2001 were unified in denouncing the attacks and that includes Muslims, or at least the same percentage of Muslims as it does Christians or people of any other faith. Only the most radical, militant Islamists indoctrinated by hate felt there was any justification. Before 9-11, it was very hard to find statements in which Muslim leaders denounce terrorism simply because most people usually don’t make statements affirming the obvious until they are put on the defensive or a need arises. Killing non-combattants at work, at home, at play or during their commute is assumed to be wrong in pretty much every system of morality and ethics I’m aware of.

Yet still the myth of Islam as a bloodthirsty religion persists, and so Muslim leaders have begun to clarify their position on terrorism. It’s a shame they had to. Still, the next time a politician, pundit or know-it-all neighbor tells you Muslims have to denounce terrorism, tell her they have and say you have evidence. What follows are just a few citations and links, there are many, many more where these came from.

On  this page Charles Kurzman compiles several statements by some of the most prominent Islamic scholars denouncing the attacks.  To cite one example, Shaykh Yusuf Qaradawi, Qatar; Tariq Bishri, Egypt; Muhammad S. Awwa, Egypt; Fahmi Huwaydi, Egypt; Haytham Khayyat, Syria; Shaykh Taha Jabir al-Alwani, U.S. says,

All Muslims ought to be united against all those who terrorize the innocents, and those who permit the killing of non-combatants without a justifiable reason. Islam has declared the spilling of blood and the destruction of property as absolute prohibitions until the Day of Judgment. … [It is] necessary to apprehend the true perpetrators of these crimes, as well as those who aid and abet them through incitement, financing or other support. They must be brought to justice in an impartial court of law and [punished] appropriately. … [It is] a duty of Muslims to participate in this effort with all possible means.

— Statement of September 27, 2001. The Washington Post, October 11, 2001,
Full text of this fatwa in English and Arabic.

International groups also denounced the attacks, as evidenced in a statement from the Organization of the Islamic Conference on April 3, 2002 said, which said in part:

We reaffirm our commitment to the principles and true teachings of Islam which abhor aggression, value peace, tolerance and respect as well as prohibiting the killing of innocent people;

We reject any attempt to link Islam and Muslims to terrorism as terrorism has no association with any religion, civilization or nationality

A compilation of anti-terrorism statements by the Council of American Islamic Relations and other organizations speaking out against terrorism can be found on their site.

If you go to the sites above to read the full text of any of the statements, you will also find links to statements by other individuals and groups.  Clearly it is no longer a challenge to find Muslim leaders and organizations, political or religious, who denounced the attacks for September 11 and who consistently reject terrorism. .  There are very few Muslims who accept the legitimacy of terrorism, and anyone who would claim otherwise is either ignorant or disingenuous.

I will never forget the horror of September 11, nor will I forget the heroism of the first responders. I remember feeling that evil had struck an awesome, terrifying blow, and being scared. But I also remember something else. I remember friends from all over the world, from all faiths and beliefs, reaching out to me with condolences and expressions of support that they wanted to extend to me and to others through me. I remember being touched by the expressions of solidarity and then feeling a glimmer of hope. It soon dimmed, but it is not gone out. It is only if that happens, that the 9-11 terrorists will truly be successful.

Related Links:

International Islamic Response Site – A country by country collection of responses to the attacks

BBC Report on Reaction to 9-11 attacks in the Islamic World

CAIR’s Anti-terrorism Campaigns

Muslim Condemnations of 9/11 from About.com

Revised 9-13-2011