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It's Time to Eradicate Terrorism
Posted 09-17-2001
The events of Tuesday September 11, 2001, make the issues of county
government seem mundane. The attack on America not only shocks us that
terrorism isn't just something that happens to someone else, but it will
leave a lasting scar on the American psyche. Oklahoma City and the 1993
bombing of the World Trade Center, let us know that it could happen in
America, but the devastation of September 11th, the tremendous loss of life,
will change us all.
At first, watching the events
that day seemed like a bad movie. First, one tower of the World Trade
Center, and then with an entire nation watching, the second tower was hit. A
short time later the Pentagon was hit. But still, it seemed to be happening
only on the East Coast. Then, we received word of a hijacked airliner over
Westmoreland County airspace, and, ultimately, the crash in neighboring
Somerset County. That crash could have easily been in our county.
Suddenly, the events took on
a different perspective. The acts of terrorism became a much closer
phenomenon. We found out our Public Safety Department took a call from that
airliner that pretty much confirmed the hijacking. Rather than a profound
tragedy in New York or Washington, the events were now in our own backyard.
Individually and
collectively, it is very difficult to put the events in perspective. It
becomes more difficult when we learn of two Irwin area natives aboard one of
the flights. As time goes on, we'll all probably find more connections to
people either on board the downed airliners or in the World Trade Center or
the Pentagon. It is extremely painful to watch the families of victims on
television. To see their great suffering, to think of the families
shattered, makes us all realize that it could have been any of us.
What is also extremely
difficult to understand is the perspective of people who could hate us so
much that they would inflict this violence on innocent Americans. It is very
hard to understand the mentality of the Islamic fundamentalists that will
gladly kill themselves to inflict death on us. The answer to that issue is
so complex; it actually covers centuries of hatred toward Europeans and now
Americans. The animosity has been in place since the Crusades and now
manifests itself in modern-day terrorism directed toward the United States
of America.
It is time for non-violent
Moslems worldwide to step forward and not only condemn terrorism, but to
stop it. I don't profess to know the Koran, but I cannot believe any
religious book promotes violence. I'm certain the vast majority of Moslems
do not support terrorism, but they have sat back for too long and allowed it
to exist. The issue goes beyond the long-standing conflict between Israel
and the Palestinians. The terrorists hate our culture, and those violently
repressive Islamic leaders want to inflict their religious and cultural
views on the rest of the world. They view us as the antithesis of those
views and beliefs.
I believe we need to respond
in some fashion to punish the terrorists. We do need to show there will be
retribution for such an attack on our citizens. But remember, these are
people willing to die for their beliefs, so in their minds, death makes them
martyrs. Unfortunately, there seems to be a growing cadre of such people. If
we rid the world of Osama bin Laden, there will likely be a replacement. A
military response may be a short-term solution.
The Islamic world needs to
start policing itself. If they want standing in the world community, they've
got to eradicate the repressive, violent people like Osama bin Laden. From
one end of the Islamic world, from Morocco to Malaysia, there are plenty of
western-educated people with considerable power and influence who understand
there are international standards for safety and civil behavior. They must
step forward and correct this damaging violent movement that is frankly
turning the world against all Moslems. It is slowly happening in places like
Iran where the democratically-elected president is trying to lessen the
repression of religious zealots and restore a secular government. But, it
appears that they will not peacefully give up power.
We in the United States are
often mystified by cultures so unlike ours. As part of the global community,
we really spend little time trying to understand other peoples. However,
there must be international standards for safety and non-violence, and not
just for those of us in the West. We need to enforce those standards as a
world community, and there can no longer be acceptance of international
terrorism. Countries that harbor terrorists must be punished and punished
severely. For the past thirty years, we saw acts of terrorism primarily in
Europe, and perhaps, we, Americans, were too passive because we thought it
wasn't happening to us. Well now, it did, and it is time we lead the world
to eradicate international terrorism once and for all. If we do not, the
potential for more days like September 11th will exist for all of us. |
