CNP

[smithy16]

Can someone have a look and tell me what you think.

The victims of one conflict are often the perpetrators of another.

Dear Editor,

I am writing to you in light of the recent 10 year anniversary of the 9/11 attacks in the United States, which saw the whole world stop to pray and mourn for the deaths of the innocent victims of that terrible tragedy. Whilst I believe the attacks on the World Trade Centres and the Pentagon which saw upwards of 3000 deaths, were completely and utterly wrong, the way that many Americans responded to this conflict not only saddens me, but appals me.

In response to any conflict, especially of the scale that 9/11 was; it is right to mourn and grieve the people that were lost at the hands of the Muslim Extremist group Al Qaeda, who claimed responsibility for the attacks. It is right to release your feelings and emotions in order to cope with the losses. It is right to want to avenge the lives of the many people that had their lives taken away in one short day. It is, however, not right to respond in the way that not only many Americans have, but people throughout the world.

Many people throughout the world have responded to the attacks by attacking and persecuting innocent Muslims who have no connection to the attacks. Apparently, it is popular belief that since a person is Muslim and the people that carried out the attacks were Muslim; they deserve to be punished. This has even now extended to include Arab’s, who have been attacked for simply being Arab.

Since that fateful day in September, crimes directed towards Muslims and Arabs have shot up by more than 1600% immediately after, and there have been incidences in Chicago where Muslims were forced out of their local Mosque by police; and where a Pakistani grocer in Texas was brutally murdered, and where an Arab shop owner was killed in Arizona by a man apparently on an Anti-Arab rage.

We cannot allow these people to continue to attack innocent people; who despite practising Islam, are citizens of the United States. They did not carry out the attacks. They most likely do not even condone the actions of the people that did carry out the attacks. The terrorists’ attacks were carried out by a small group of Muslim extremists; many of which have since been held responsible for their actions. We must acknowledge that they played no role in the attacks an leave them be to continue practising their religion, as a Christian is allowed to practice Christianity and as a Jew is allowed to practice Judaism. Yes we must mourn and grieve and never forget the people that died on the 11th of September 2001; but we must not exact revenge of people who were and are as innocent as the people who died in the attacks.