Remembering 9/11 requires more than recalling where we were that morning 25 years ago or honoring those who died. It requires moral clarity about evil, gratitude for sacrifice, vigilance toward and courage in confronting the threats that remain, and a humble acknowledgment of our dependence upon God. Nearly 3,000 were killed in the attacks by Islamic terrorists that morning, while the consequences continue among first responders and survivors who suffer from Ground Zero-related illnesses.
Earlier this week, NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch called for “moral clarity” in preserving history and distinguishing between the terrorists who attacked the city and the heroes who ran into the towers to save innocent lives. Tisch made her comments at the unveiling of a new 9/11 Memorial Wall that includes the names of 469 officers who have died of Ground Zero-related illnesses.
Mayor Zohran Mamdani (D), the city’s first Muslim mayor, sat stone-faced during Tisch’s remarks. The call for moral clarity is warranted. Days before Tisch’s remarks, Mamdani gave the ceremonial pen from the executive order recognizing 9/11 to his chief counsel, who helped draft the order. The moral equivocation lies in Mamdani’s decision to use a ceremony honoring the victims of 9/11 to recognize an attorney who had defended a convicted al-Qaeda terrorist.
The events of 9/11 were not abstract tragedies where people lost their lives. September 11th was an act of premeditated evil driven by an ideology that hates what America was founded upon and remains identified with — biblical truth and justice. It is God’s character and His word that provide the standard by which we can distinguish between good and evil. But remembering rightly requires examining ourselves.
Did our response to that evil produce a lasting change in how we live?