The day that the world changed.

Salamu

My Niggas!

On the 11th of September 2001, the world changed forever. Two cowardly acts of terror, on innocent civilians changed the way that the worlds saw Arab people, changed the way that tourists were allowed to travel, and completely changed the outlook of two countries through war campaigns launched by the American Government. 

It was one of those events that you will never forget. You will always remember where you were on the day that the airplanes flew into the World Trade Center. I was studying at university at the time and had just came out of an interpersonal communication lecture which was on the way that different cultures interact with each other and how they should embrace racial tolerance. 

I have been very outspoken about my feelings for the majority of the British race (because of their arrogance and God mentality) and the Australian race (also because of their arrogance and their brat temper tantrum approach to sport) and because of this I was quite fond of the American race. 

And I still am. But my view on the American nation was also severely affected by 9/11. And not mainly by the people who were directly affected by the event, but by George W Bush. 

You see, the pain that you feel by losing someone to an event like that is completely understandable. And at that time you do feel an intense hatred towards the people who caused that pain. But when the man who is the most powerful person in the world talks about retaliation on a culture because of a few people who were obviously extremists makes you wonder how a man like that can breed so much hate. 

Because of Bush's take on 9/11, some Americans cant look beyond their hate at the person. At their soul. I am a Catholic, and I profess that I am by no means an expert on Islam or the Qur'an, but there are basic truths about it that the world needs to know. 

In order to understand Jihad, one must understand what the Prophet Muhammad taught about it. He said that there is a Greater and a Lesser Jihad. The Jihad that we all know and have experience with (the holy war) is the Lesser Jihad, and one cannot go on the Lesser Jihad until he/she has completed the Greater Jihad. The Greater Jihad is the fight within ones soul between good and evil. Yes the Qur'an does say that you need to strike back at those who oppress you. But you must do it for the right reasons. Don't be blinded by feelings of greed, hate or lust when embarking on a Jihad. The Our'an also has laws which govern Jihad beyond doing it for the right reasons. It says that you should strike back at those who oppressed you. That excludes innocents, especially women and children. 

And what is sad is that it is the actions of a few which influences the views of the many. One must bear in mind that devout Muslims see these extremists in a negative light. To them what happened on 9/11 is not Islam. I lived in the UAE post 9/11 and I can tell you now that the Muslim people showed me more peace, hospitality and people welcoming me into their homes with open hearts than any Catholic. I am a devout Catholic and I both love my faith and am proud of it. But the Catholic church has a lot to learn from Islam. The Catholic Church in Durban is building a center to help poor and destitute people recover from drugs and alcohol. It will also be a sanctuary for the homeless and those who are destitute and don't have food. The majority of the people that will be served by this center are not Muslim. Yet the Islamic Society of Durban have given the biggest donation to the Catholic Church to build this center. These are the people that the Americans go to war with. 

Yes there are terrorists and I do agree that they need to be hunted down and be held accountable for what they did. But in war, the biggest casualties are innocent people who in this case do not support the extremist actions that happened on 9/11. 

What is my message on 9/11 - 11 years on from the fateful day. It is a message of tolerance. Yes you might have been directly or indirectly affected by the events of that day. And you are entitled to feel hurt and pain, I am not begrudging you that. But it must be understood that the events on that day were committed by a few people who tried to strike fear in the hearts of many. As a whole, Islam deplores the actions of extremists who target innocent people.Hating the whole Arab world will not heal your pain. Blaming Islam will not bring your family back. Tolerance and acceptance is the only way to make the world a better place for future generations.  

Till next time my Niggas!

Mei jua daima kuwa kabla yenu, na vivuli nyuma yako!