Aool

Chicago7
Flash Presentation
  Part 1:

Well it was another hectic day in college. three classes and a lab and a lot of hard work. at about 2000 pakistan time we came into our dorm from the gym all hungry and tired. beat from one day of hard student labour

as i was cleaning my hands in the sink at the corner of mess i heard something strange. there were some people talking about some explosions in america. i looked around and my first question was "where?" (most of my relatives like in greater NYC).

there was no answer but some clapping and jeering at how we have finally brought america to its knees. i was shocked. i didnt have dinner and went to the common room. there were 50 peopel sitting infront of the tv.

no clapping or jeering here. there were people jumping off the 80s floor. people covered in dust. and people crying for help. there was no jeering. there were stories of frantic phone calls. there were stories of trapped firemen. there was no jeering.

i ran to call my relatives none of whom would pick up. i sent email upon email to them all. it was futile ... a feeling of impeding doom. anyone of them could have been there at that time. one night but as long as a thousand.

as the figures started coming in we were all shocked. 3000 , 40000, 7500 i mean what is going on here. the people who were clapping a day before were now quiet. they had seen the people juming of the 80th floor.

now they cannot hide what they do not like by laughing at it. they have to face it. they have to remain quiet in the face of the screen and not block it out by laughing at how they have brought america to its knees.

it wasnt america that mattered it was Steven, Mark, Clarissa and Elizabeth .. it was humans ... it was us ...

in the initial days before the hate_muslims_coz_they_did_911 spree started in america, educated muslims the world over were trying to come to grips with what had happened. it was a nightmare. it was sickening that someone jsut got up and killed thousands.

i remember it didnt sink in till a week later. then i was just too miserable to think about it. a human can kill so many more i cannot digest. i think i never may... but what happend on 11th september 2001 i will never forget ...

(This article was related to what i saw and felt on and after 9/11, as long as it did not diretly affect muslims and pakistan. after it started affecting us it was a different ball game all together)


aool, August 21, 2002 Karachi, Pakistan

Part 2:

i remember when i started hating FOX news.

very soon after 9/11 we are all sitting shocked in front on the tv. suddenly
we saw very excited newscasters who seemed like they had the inside news of the century. and they told us that it is most definitely muslims who are involved. FOX was the first to lift a finger without a shred of proof.

that is about the time when the relations between americans and muslims
collapsed somewhat. from that moment onwards we were the enemies. pakistan
was bad and india was good(without knowing anything except that pakistan is
muslim and india is not). israel was good and the arabs bad again for no
other reason than the one just mentioned.

i heard frantic phone calls from relatives all over america about someone being abused verbally. someone getting beaten. someone getting shot. a few relatives who had in america for 22 years were thinking of moving back due to conditions. but it has all subsided.

at home i was always having emotional discussions with friends. some said that the 9 11 perpetrators had a reason. some said they did something that was illegal by islamic principles. it was hard. there were many opinions but no agreements. but it has all subsided.

then there were the attacks on afghanistan. pakistan was in a very delicate situation as most pakistanis opposed an attack on afghanistan. but we had to side with america coz of the " with us or without us" (excuse the french) crap. and also because our lovely friend india asked america "if pakistan does not help you, use our land to attack it as well as afghanista" then one day america got up and attacked afghanistan.

within hours all major cities were in chaos. all markets were closed as shop-owners ran for refuge. the army was patrolling the cities. some major cities went out of control of the army even.

americans were enraged for 9/11 but pakistanis were enraged for being forced into the war. for being so helpless that we had to do something we did not want to. our weakness made us vulnerable. we were angry when violence flared up on our streets. we were angry when the us threatened to side with it.

we were angry when we, who felt grieved at 9/11 were treated in an abominable way only because it was thought that we are not capable of compassion.

this is what pakistan was angry at.

after seeing the aftermath of 9/11 and how it has affected me / pakistan, muslim countries and muslims worldwide. i am sorry to say but the shock of 9/11 has decreased, so has the pain and the grief. pain is felt for those who feel it too. sympathy is for those who will sympathize with you as well.

our feelings and thoughts, that it is wrong to attack innocent civilians, fell back on our faces when the United Stated of America, the citadel of freedom, the castle to democracy and excellence, the home of the pure, attacked and killed civilians in afghanistan with cold blood and with no vocal opposition of americans in sight. without a sound emanating when kabul is carpet bombed ... when thousands run for their lives to pakistan.

to make others like you and feel for you, you have to like them and feel for them.

aool - Karachi, Pakistan - August 21, 2002