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At Issue

With Philip Shaw

September 11th Changed the World Forever

Tuesday, September 17, 2002

A year ago, I was just like anybody else. So, when 19 murderous terrorists hijacked four passenger aircraft intent on crashing them into buildings, I was beside myself, like everyone else. September 11th was a world changing day. The fireballs coming out of World Trade Centre towers changed everything.
I got the news over my cell phone on a parking lot transfer bus at Woodstock's Outdoor Farmshow. On the other end of the line was a family member frantic with emotion. He told me two passenger planes had crashed into the world trade centre and the Pentagon had been bombed. After getting off the bus, I made one round at the show, when I heard there was a plane down in Pennsylvania. I didn't know what was happening. But I knew, I had to get home.
We now know that 19 hijackers had planned the 9/11 attack for months and years. They were part of the Al Qaeda terrorist network, headquartered in Afghanistan and headed by Osama bin Laden. Shortly after the terrorist attacks, President Bush went before congress and said the people who planned these attacks would be brought to justice. And in the case that couldn't happen, the President promised to bring justice to them.
The resultant war on terrorism is on going. Al Qaeda and the Taliban are on the run. The war in Afghanistan went well for coalition forces, although there was many a deal made with the devil. In Afghanistan, loyalties among different tribal factions blur. The Americans teamed with Northern Alliances and other Afghan mercenaries to drive the Taliban out. A year later they have melted back into the Afghanistan countryside. Osama bin Laden is either dead or nervously looking over his shoulder.
A year later, many of us are still asking why? Why did September 11, 2001 happen? The conventional wisdom is that the 19 hijackers were fanatical fundamentalist Muslim terrorists. Their actions by killing so many people was completely inconsistent with the Muslim faith. Many leaders in the American and Canadian Muslim communities have condemned the attacks. Only the fanatical fringe could have done that. That's exactly who was at the controls as those aircraft hurtled toward the trade centre.
Unfortunately, these murdering fanatics don't enhance the reputation of Muslims in general. In the immediate aftermath of 9/11, there were bombs thrown at mosques across North America. Some Canadian and American Muslims were the subject of abuse. It was an unfortunate chapter for a community which has truly taken their place in Canadian society.
I have many Muslim friends. Most, but not all of them, are in Bangladesh, the third largest Muslim country on earth. I've been to a mosque. I've attended Muslim congregations. I even had the pleasure of taking part in the Muslim Eid celebration in January 2000 at Sylhet, Bangladesh. My friends are not fundamentalists. In fact, they loath such people. Unfortunately, the 9/11 hijackers weren't from China, Burundi or Northern Ireland. The common characteristic among them was they were Muslim. Unfortunately, that's become significant. Callous murdering bastards would be a far better label for them to bear.
When the markets opened after 9/11, it was a bloodbath. For Canadians with RRSP's, losses have been tremendous. Both the American economy and Canadian economy have been like a yo yo. Luckily for us, the Canadian economy is booming with great job numbers and economic growth. The US economy has had a much harder time of it. Osama bin Laden, wherever he is, still casts a long shadow.
On January 2, 2000, I flew from Toronto to Newark, New Jersey, the first leg on a trip to Bangladesh. As the plane descended toward Newark airport, the pilot told us to look out the left side of the aircraft. Out the window, the New York City skyline shimmered in the early winter dusk. And there they were – the twin towers of the World Trade Centre, beautiful against the sky. But never again, never again. We're never going back to the way it used to be.



Philip Shaw, farms 830 acres near Dresden, Ontario. He holds a Masters of Agricultural Economics and Business Degree from the University of Guelph and is a well-known commentator on agricultural issues in print, on radio and over satellite in Canada and the United States. In the Chatham-Kent Times, Phil will use his frank and forthright writing style to address political and economic issues from the local to the international stage. He is a keen observer of political life at all levels, reads widely and has travelled the world to gather fodder for his column. See what's At Issue this week.