A thought for 9/11

For the record, I am NOT a Muslim.
I am an AMERICAN, A Citizen of the United States of America, where we celebrate FREEDOM OF RELIGION.

For many months now I have heard of people demanding that a mosque not be built at ground zero.

From all the details I can find, the site is not to be an official Mosque, but rather a Community Center that has as a feature a prayer facility. http://newsblogs.chicagotribune.com/steve_chapman/2010/07/the-truth-about-the-ground-zero-mosque.html

Also the location is at least TWO BLOCKS AWAY from ground zero. A person cannot see the building from Ground Zero. From the building you cannot see ground zero.

This is an unwarranted attack on the Muslim religion. An unwarranted attack, that goes against everything that the Unites States is supposed to stand for.

Terrorist DOES NOT equal Muslim.

Should we prevent the building of Churches in Germany because during the Holocaust, many NAZIES claimed to be Christians?

Should we prevent the building of Churches in the United States because many Ku Klux Klan members who were involved in the Lynching of innocent people have claimed to be Christians?

The terrorists were not true Muslims. They did not follow a true Muslim leader. They follow an extremist bastardization of the Muslim religion. They distorted the words of the Muslim religion to justify their own evil acts.

Much as the Christian Church has done over the centuries.

But to blame the entire Muslim religion for the acts of a few evil men is just wrong.

Attacking Muslim Mosques, or Burning the Quran, is not a valid statement. It only adds fuel to the terrorist extremist’s fire. And they use these acts to prove the lies they are perpetrating.

I have several friends and coworkers who are true followers of the Muslim religion. They are good people and do not believe that the radical terrorists follow the Muslim religion.

Please remember to think before you act. Make sure you know your target before you attack. Make sure you know what you are talking about before you speak. Please remember that several Muslim families lost loved ones in this horrible attack. The difference is, during their grief, they have been forced to live through unwarranted attacks, suspicion, and mistrust. Some victims were even falsely accused of being terrorists.

A 23-year-old New York City police cadet was a part-time ambulance driver and incoming medical student. Because he was a devout Muslim, when he disappeared on September 11, law enforcement officials came to his family, seeking him for questioning in relation to the terrorist attacks.  They allegedly believed he was somehow involved.  His whereabouts were undetermined for over six months, until his remains were finally identified.  He was found near the North Tower, with his EMT medical bag beside him, presumably doing everything he could to help those in need. Salman Hamdani was declared a hero. But until his remains were found, his family was treated as suspected terrorists during the time they should have been allowed to grieve in peace.

People forget there were several VICTIMS of the 9/11 attacks that were Muslim. Below is a partial list of those Muslim victims that I was able to find with a simple Google Search.

Samad Afridi
Ashraf Ahmad
Shabbir Ahmad ( leaves wife and 3 children)
Umar Ahmad
Azam Ahsan
Ahmed Ali
Tariq Amanullah (leaves wife and 2 children)
Touri Bolourchi (a retired nurse from Tehran)
Salauddin Ahmad Chaudhury
Abdul K. Chowdhury
Mohammad S. Chowdhury (leaves wife and child born 2 days after the attack)
Jamal Legesse Desantis
Ramzi Attallah Douani
SaleemUllah Farooqi
Syed Fatha
Osman Gani
Mohammad Hamdani
Salman Hamdani
Aisha Harris
Shakila Hoque
Nabid Hossain
Shahzad Hussain
Talat Hussain
Mohammad Shah Jahan
Yasmeen Jamal
Mohammed Jawarta
Arslan Khan Khakwani
Asim Khan
Ataullah Khan
Ayub Khan
Qasim Ali Khan
Sarah Khan
Taimour Khan
Yasmeen Khan
Zahida Khan
Badruddin Lakhani
Omar Malick
Nurul Hoque Miah
Mubarak Mohammad
Boyie Mohammed
Raza Mujtaba
Omar Namoos
Mujeb Qazi
Tarranum Rahim
Ehtesham U. Raja
Ameenia Rasool
Naveed Rehman
Yusuf Saad
Rahma Salie & unborn child (wife of Michael Theodoridis; 7 months pregnant)
Shoman Samad
Asad Samir
Khalid Shahid (engaged to be married in November)
Mohammed Shajahan
Naseema Simjee
Jamil Swaati
Sanober Syed
Robert Elias Talhami
Michael Theodoridis ( husband of Rahma Salie)
W. Wahid