The Aggression of 9/11and the Culture of Hatred

The 10th anniversary of al-Qaida’s aggression on the United States has come and the Americans recalled the sad memories of their loved ones who fell on the morning of that tragic and sad Sept. 11, 2001, when 3,000 innocent people, including Christians, Muslims, Jews and others from different religions, vanished without a sin or guilt. As the attacks unfolded, the leaders of al-Qaida, its followers and supporters exchanged congratulations and blessings, worshipped Almighty God to thank Him for the “obvious victory” and praised those who implemented the attacks, calling them “the great 19.” They also described their criminal deed as one of the glorious Muslim invasions. Americans woke up from the shock to wonder: What have we done to be victims of such a penalty? What prompted these youth, “religiously committed,” to commit this criminal act? The shock was severe on them. It reminded them of the Pearl Harbor disaster, when the U.S. fleet was destroyed and thousands were killed by the surprise Japanese attack in 1941, on the other side of the American continent.

In the Arab and Islamic worlds, answers to this question spawned and varied among intellectuals, politicians and public media as well as among the Arab and Muslim public opinion elites. Some denied that this act was implemented by Muslims and produced evidence supporting that it was plotted by “Mossad” or “the U.S. Intelligence,” or that it was a U.S. plot to conquer Afghanistan and Iraq, dominate Muslims’ capabilities and resources and fight against Islam in Muslims’ own homes. I recall that a famous Islamic figure — appointed by his followers as an Imam and symbol of moderation in a rally — preached a sermon at the mosque to affirm to the extent of certainty that the U.S. knew “for sure” that bin Laden and his companions were innocent, but mobilized to eliminate Muslims, driven by a malevolent Crusades motive! But how did this man obtain this certainty?! He replies that “commander of the faithful” Mullah Omar took a pledge on bin Laden and his Arab guests not to commit any act of aggression against any country, and bin Laden had sworn allegiance to him, to the hearing and obedience. Therefore, he legitimately and religiously could not reverse the convent! Also, the man had no means of communication to enable him to implement such great work!

As for those who admitted al-Qaida’s responsibility, a large segment of them justified the act of aggression under various excuses such as the fact that it was an act of vengeance against America’s grievances of Muslims, showing blind bias in favor of Israel and constant conspiracy against Muslims… It came out of revenge for the injured dignity and rehabilitation of account and “honor,” sending a message to the U.S. government that Muslims do not yield to injustice and humiliation! Some believe that those devastating attacks likely occurred to force the United States out of the region, to withdraw its troops, close its bases and dismantle the political and military alliances with countries in the region, given that some states position themselves under U.S. protection to confront al-Qaida cells and the aggressive efforts to revive the religious state that implements Islamic Sharia according to Taliban pattern, which stands as a “paradigm” of the religious state in the eye of the leader of al-Qaida, his followers and supporters and theorist sheikhs of closed thought. Other people explain this act of aggression, and the other suicide bombings on the part of groups raising religious jihad (holy war)-related slogans, as a reaction to the injustices and tyranny of the ruling Arab regimes against the Islamists, and the repression, persecution, torture, prisons and hardship in living standards, freedom of movement, denial of natural rights and violation of human dignity they undergo at their hands. They point to the contrast of allowing the secular to dominate positions of guidance, awareness-raising, information and education and the degree of provoking, besieging and excluding Islamists.

Other people held frustrating political and economic conditions responsible for violence in general and terrorist acts in particular. Some of them found women’s leaving their homes, flaunting themselves, mixing with men and moral decay in general to be major sources of this spiral of violence!

Yet, despite our understanding of all points of view explaining or justifying the act of aggression against the innocent and peaceful, whether Muslims or others, I see that they ignore “the source of the disease” within a process of equivocation and self-deception, either exempting extremist movements of the responsibility for the underlying causes leading to the spread of violence in Muslim societies, or justifying violence through blaming the acts of aggression which swept the lives of thousands of innocent Muslims on the “grievances” which prompted those religiously motivated aggressors to carry the aggression out.

The truth is that there is a “profound hatred” embedded in the souls, dominating minds and orienting behavior. Life is a great favor bestowed by the Creator, and man is born a lover of life; however, the “culture of hatred” certain individuals get imbued with and get adapted to at a young age make them aggressive creatures who prefer death to life. In particular, there are those who incite them constantly and approve of their deeds as those a (Jihad) God loves and is pleased with, and tell them that they will be rewarded sirens as wives and Paradise as abode!

Such are the consequences of the “culture of hatred” rooted in the community soil. Our ancestor communities were not of such a blind violence which spawns mass murder of innocent people without any compunction! Our parents and grandparents did live in peace with themselves and in reconciliation with others, and dealt with the peoples of the Earth without any complexes; however, an extremist hostile-to-life thought has intruded in the Gulf area during the last three decades. It has been planted and sponsored by three political and religious movements which managed to invade the Gulf tolerant culture: the religious, political Islam and the nationalist (Naceurist and Baathist) movements. The resulting cross-fertilization and interaction between them came to produce a “culture of hatred” against the others, be they the opposing locals, the West or the liberal trend.

The “culture of hatred” is a combination of two elements: the religious blasphemy and the nationalist treason, in a totalitarian pretension monopolizing religion and patriotism. This combination can be explosive only through constant incitement on the part of media, satellite channels and websites; these young people are the victims and fuel a culture of hatred! There is neither salvation nor alternative but the “culture of peace and tolerance,” as called for by His Highness Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan, on the 10th anniversary of the attacks of Sept. 11.