Assignment+1

The rise of media, especially television has manipulated minds of many individuals around the world. It has forced people to believe what they see and not raise any questions. Little do people realize that what they see is mediated, filtered, and promoted in such a way that it gives them an intended effect or message, which in many cases is believed to be true. In my case, despite all the news and other forms of media reports bombarded on television on September 11, 2001, it is still very difficult for me to believe that the terrorist attack was a planned act of Muslims. This is hard for me to accept because as a Muslim myself, I cannot believe any human can do harm to another.

Today, Muslims are constantly confounded by this accusation even though they are all not guilty. It has been made hard for a Muslim to go to the mosque, to get education, to go shopping, to travel, to stay in close proximity with non-Muslims, and it has even been a struggle to breathe peacefully without any discrimination. People need to realize that this continuous discrimination (especially in Europe and the United States) is negatively impacting enormous amounts of Muslims and this is not an effective approach to solve the problem.

In the following essay, I will discuss why I think the terrorist attack on 9/11 (September, 11, 2001) was not an act of Muslims, but was rather an interesting approach for the government of the United States to get into resource-rich countries such as Afghanistan and Iraq. My second aim for this essay is to demonstrate that even though the terrorist attack may have been an act of a radical Muslim group, it does not mean all Muslims are terrorists.

I have gathered some evidence to explain why I think 9/11 was not a planned act of Muslims, but rather an interesting approach for the government of the United States to invade Afghanistan and Iraq. To begin with, similar to my beliefs, more than a third of American public suspects that the federal officials assisted in the September 11 terrorist attacks on the United States so they could go to war in the Middle East (Hargrove & Stempel, 2006). This statement explains that many people have accepted that the attack on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon was used as a conspiracy theory.

Secondly, in an article Porton writes, that “using the eyewitness testimony of police, firemen, and WTC workers, along with the scientific analysis of Steve Jones…the twin towers- as well as WTC #7, which was not hit by a plane-were destroyed, indeed pulverized, by explosives in a sophisticated controlled demolition” (2007). This quote explains that many people believe that the collapse of the twin towers was aided by explosives which were somehow secretly planted. An eye witness who supports this evidence is an assistant fire commissioner, Stephen Gregory. He claimed, "I saw a flash flash flash [at] the lower level of the building. You know, like when they demolish a building" ( [|Bredesen], 2006). This quote also suggests that the buildings did not collapse because of the plane collision but possibly because of planted explosives.

Thirdly, Steven Jones, a professor of physics has also questioned the story of the terrorist attacks of 9/11. He published a controversial paper speculating that explosives and "cutter charges" were positioned throughout the Twin Towers to prompt their collapse. In addition, he argues that the melting point of steel is about 1,480° C, whereas, the utmost temperature of a jet-fuel fire is around 980° C (Gatehouse, 2006). Therefore, he hypothesizes that thermite (which is a fine powder used in incendiary bombs) was positioned throughout the structures of the buildings to make the fires burn even hotter (2006). This evidence also suggests that the events of 9/11 are worth questioning and are misleading.

Lastly, Elias Davidsson, who is an Icelandic Scholar and Human Rights Activist, has also been questioning the story of the terrorist attacks of September 11th. He says that there is a lack of evidence for claiming the story to be true. He gives a number of examples such as “the lack of verified passenger lists for any of the planes, the lack of any CCTV footage of any of the accused hijackers in the airport terminal or boarding the flights...the lack of testimony from any airport personnel that they saw either passengers or hijackers boarding the planes” (Johnson, 2007). These are all very valid arguments for claiming the lack of evidence to support the official story. Can a person be found guilty of murder without any proof? Well this is no different. Muslims have been blamed guilty without any solid evidence. Furthermore, Davidsson questioned how the World Trade Centre Building fell to the ground in 6.6 seconds without any prior impact on the building, such as windows breaking (Johnson, 2007). This argument is once again perfectly valid in questioning the ‘told story.’

In conclusion, all this evidence suggests that the government was involved in the 9/11 attack and may have even helped stage it. In addition, media has played an enormous role in shaping stories and reports to manipulate the reader into believing the fake ‘truth.’ A study concludes that along with perceived reinforcement, “media exposure has assumed to strengthen or solidify existing attitudes” of people, especially by news (Oliver, 2008).

Many people might argue that all these facts that I have gathered above are not real solid evidence. Therefore, I plead them to realize that even if the terrorist attacks were an act of a radical Muslim group, it does not mean all Muslims are terrorists.

To begin with, suicide and killing an innocent soul is a major sin according to Islam. Within the Quran (the Holy Book for Muslims) the following verse is found: ** “If anyone slays a person **
 * - unless it be for murder or for spreading mischief in the land - **
 * it would be as if he slew all people. **
 * And if anyone saves a life, **
 * it would be as if he saved the life of all people”. **
 * Qur'an 5:32 **
 * This verse proves that many people who believe that Islam urges violence and the killing of innocent is totally misleading. **


 * Secondly, many News Channels such as CNN portrayed that Muslims were very pleased with the evil attacks planned in the United States. However, the biased Western media filtered the news of many victimized Muslims in the brutal attack of 9/11. **Why weren’t the lives of Salman Hamdani, Baraheen Ashrafi, Samad Afridi, Ashraf Ahmad, [|Shabbir Ahmad], Umar Ahmad, and countless more not worth mentioning (About.com)?

A perfect example of a true, faithful Muslim is Salman Hamdani. He was a 23-year-old New York City police cadet, part-time ambulance driver, and an incoming medical student. His disappearance on September 11 forced law enforcement officials to approach his family and question him in relation to the 9/11 attacks. They supposedly believed he was somehow involved (I wonder why? He’s Muslim!). His whereabouts were uncertain for more than six months, until his remains were finally acknowledged. “He was found near the North Tower, with his EMT medical bag beside him, presumably doing everything he could to help those in need. His family could finally rest, knowing that he died the hero they always knew him to be” (About.com). He is a perfect example of a real Muslim, who puts his life at risk to save another.

In conclusion, many experts around the world believe that the September 11 terrorist attacks were carried out by elements within the U.S government and that it was an ‘inside job’. Many believe that the government was looking for an excuse to invade these countries in the Middle East for power and oil. In the era of photo manipulation and recreation, is it not possible that videos can also be altered?

However, on the other hand, many people argue that these facts and arguments are not enough for accepting this side of the story. Therefore, in the mean time, it is important to remember that all Muslims are not terrorists. They too, truly care for the victims of 9/11 and pray that a day such as, never repeats again. But why do people not realize that many innocent Iraqi and Afghani civilians are also suffering like those who lost their lives on September 11th? For them, that miserable day is repeating on a daily basis and the worst thing is that they did nothing to deserve any of it. So how do we show we care? Should we let media manipulate us and hide the truth? I think it is time for change. It is time to show that we are all the same and we all care.

**References:**

[|Bredesen], Kim. (2006). Was 9/11 an inside job? //Eurozine.// Retrieved February 4, 2009, online at: http://www.eurozine.com/pdf/2006-07-21-bredesen-en.pdff = = Gatehouse, Jonathon. (2006). Hijacking The Truth on 9/11. //Maclean’s.// 110(20): 40.

Hargrove,T. & Stempel, G. (2006). Was 9/11 an 'inside job'? //Scripps Howard News// //Service.// Retrieved February 2, 2009, online at: http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/national/279827_conspiracy02ww.html

Johnson, Andrew. (2007). UK Muslim Leader Speaks out on 9/11, 7/7, Trilateral Commission and “Common Purpose.” Retrieved February 1, 2009, online at: http://www.checktheevidence.co.uk/cms/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=144&Itemid=60

online at: http://islam.about.com/blvictims.htm
 * Muslim Victims of September 11th Attack.  **//About.com.// Retrieved February 1, 2009,

Oliver, Mary. (2008). Exploring Implications of Perceived Media Reinforcement on Third-Person Perceptions. //Communication Research.// 35(6): 766.

Porton, Richard. (2007). 9/11 Mysteries. //Cineaste.// 33(1):80


 * Qur'an. 5:32 **