You heard that a lot this past September 11th, and all the prior ones as well, since the U.S. terrorist attacks that occurred on that date. The words are meant to remind us that nearly 3,000 innocent people were murdered on September 11, 2001, with the hope that the who/what/why of the event never fades from our collective memory. The historical facts of what happened aren’t complicated.
Islamist terrorists associated with al-Qaeda hijacked four commercial airplanes. Nineteen hijackers carried out the attacks, killing 2,977 people. Osama bin Laden and al-Qaeda were responsible for the plot, with Khalid Sheikh Mohammed identified by U.S. authorities as its principal architect. But no one will know those facts if some get their way.
For example, a Fairfax County, Virginia, school guide reportedly instructed teachers not to “associate the 9/11 attacks with Islam or Muslims” and not to “center the extremists or the acts of extremists.” The guide also reportedly omitted the names of Osama bin Laden and Khalid Sheikh Mohammed. So, let’s remember the date but rewrite the history; remember the victims but don’t name their murderers; remember the tragedy but remove the ideology that motivated it.
Thankfully, some aren’t having it. NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch blasted 9/11 revisionists at the unveiling of the new 9/11 memorial, saying: “Preserving that history also means preserving its moral clarity.” Bravo Jessica. Kudos also to Bill Maher for ripping media outlets for deliberately refusing to use the word “terrorism” to describe what happened.
If you think I’m making mountains out of molehills here, then please step back for a moment and ask yourself if there are any parallels with the 9/11 “forgetting” and another, larger-scale tragedy.