September 9/11/2001 : Tragic Event Which Changed The World

I remember 9/11/2001 as if it was yesterday.It was just 8 months since deadly earthquake had hit my city and brought down building where I used to stay. As I was getting along with my life ,9/11/2001 occurred. Event which had nothing to do with my country and my life but event whose memory remains permanently place in my brain.

I remember coming from my office and my dad saying-'Terrorist strike in usa'. It was unbelievable to see images of planes crashing into world trade center. Video which was being shown on television and I was totally shocked,worried,angry and concerned at same time. The idea that country like USA could be attacked was inconceivable for me at that time.

Terrorism was not new to me and my country. India has been victim of terrorism since 80s and we have seen many terror attacks in past and latest being 26/11/2008 when mumbai was attacked. But what made 9/11 unbelievable was the modus of operation of terrorist. They didnt hide bomb in some railway boggie or bus, they didn't hijack plane and blackmailed authority,they hijacked plane and crashed it in world's tallest building of that time. It was more about causing impact than killing people.

Yes many precious life were lost but idea of attack was not just killing but causing maximum impact of psychics of people of America and the world.

Next I saw bush's video and his famous 'You are with us or against us' .Pervez soon was seen taking complete u turn and creator of Taliban (CIA and ISI) were now after them. Afghanistan was invaded , Taliban made to run and USA along with NATO is still there in Afghanistan. Battle is still far from over and speculations are on about whether Taliban would get back in Afghanistan after USA exits and would they be more dangerous now for central Asia and south Asia?

Coming back to 9/11/2001 , it did change the world for ever. Terrorism had showed what it can do and laws against terrorism were strengthened all across the globe. The world bin laden , Taliban , al qaeda ,jihad ,war on terror and radical Islam became household name. During early months after 9/11 , fears about world war -3 and predictions of Nostradamus became part of general discussion. Any person with scalp cap became reason for speculation and suspicion. Ugly religious divide had made a comeback and bin laden was poster boy for the same.

The infamous man of the tragic moment , bin laden is still missing but he became role models of misguided people and many still consider him as their hero. A terrorist in India was arrested by police an year back and this terrorist had videos and cds of bin laden preaching his extremist way of world.Shocking reality of how bin laden managed to influence people in his own way.

For most right thinking humans , bin laden is one of symbols of what fanatic mind can do and how liberal forces need to come together to nail such fanatics. Bin laden , mullah omar, Al queda are symbols of fanatics who want to force their way of thinking using tools of fear and threat to entire human race.

For India the tragic 9/11 brought empathy from the west. Country which is among first to face terrorism was not looked with empathy before 9/11 .For first time India was not a loner in battle with terrorism and there was moral support about India's concern.

On global front the world has seen two major shifts. Attitude towards terrorism has been changed world over. We see better cooperation between various governments on counter terrorism strategies , tightening the noose on illegal finance rackets used by terrorist , wider support against terrorism.

In same way a global nexus between terrorist who have evolved to keep challenging the global effort is also being seen.Recent attack in mumbai has multi national nexus among terrorist. It saw Pakistanis being directly involved ,supported by USA citizen david headley while phone payment was traced to another country while funds seemed to be raised in another country.Terrorism too seems to be globally connected and is in better co operation.

Coming to larger question. Is USA and world safer place to be in since 9/11/2001?. As this hub is being written Pakistan has had another major bomb blast . The news has just poured in and causalities is expected. This is fourth attack in less than seven days on Pakistan , the country which is one of front line in war on terror .

USA too is seeing rising trend of its own citizen being involved in terror plots abroad or inside their own country. While Pakistan born ,USA citizen made failed attempt at times square , jihad jane too made headlines for her zeal to go and murder Swedish cartoonist and david headley was arrested for his alleged role in mumbai attack on 26/11.

In two countries where usa's invasion took place ,that is Afghanistan and Iraq , Taliban and alqueda still remains a potential threat who have been striking with regular frequency.

Coming to Canada it did arrest few people who are said to be planning terror attack on USA.Unfortunately the terror suspect was born in India before he went to saudi arabia and remaining there for some years found his way to Canada.Another unfortunate Indian born link was in gas low terror plot. Another example of how globally connected terrorism is.

Examples like above are reminder for all civilized , liberal citizens of the world that terrorism still remains a grave threat to world.It is also a reminder that we need to work on many different fronts to win against terrorism which includes inclusive mechanism, development and awareness.

9/11 was not just a date ,it is an tragic event which shook the world and as we pay homage to those who died in mindless act of barbaric terrorist ,it is also day to introspect about how we can make world a better place where people from every faith , nationality can live a better ,prosperous and harmonious life.