In Defense of the Anthem

Today we celebrate the 15th anniversary of a terrible act of terrorism on American soil - the September 11th attacks on the World Trade Center in 2001. Nearly three thousand people lost their lives, because a group of Islamic Extremists took action based on a hateful intolerant ideology and their lack of respect for life.

One of the most memorable and enduring images in the aftermath of those attacks was the torn flag that remained at Ground Zero. The entire nation came together and mourned with symbols of remembrance and American patriotism front and center. We recognized, that despite our differences, we were all Americans and all share in the road to healing from this tragedy.

That message was not lost in the world of sports. The teams of usually hated rivals came together in a show of solidarity with sports teams singing the Star Spangled Banner and America The Beautiful together. They didn't merely 'go through the motions', they showed solidarity with all Americans who recognized and mourned the loss.

This level of solidarity is more important than ever today, with certain groups in our society more entrenched than ever. These groups show layers of division that cannot conceive of a point of view other than their own righteous cause. Furthermore, anyone who dares challenge those views is vilified to the greatest extent of their fact-stretched under-informed opinions. Fifteen year later, we stand more divided than I ever recall in recent history.

So while these groups may see the Anthem or the Flag as a symbol of oppression, many others see them as a sign of hope and memory for those we have lost. Immigrants, such as myself, see these as a symbol of a new life within the adopted country. Servicemen and women see them as a means of pride and paying homage to their fallen friends and those who came to serve before them.

When a protest is made against the Anthem or the Flag, the individuals who do this drive the divisions between the people who respect and honor these patriotic tenets and themselves. If you are serious about bringing awareness to your cause and swaying the opinion of others, your primary purpose is to attract support for your cause. When you protest the Anthem or the Flag, you are automatically driving a significant portion of American people away from the cause you are promoting, before anyone has a chance to hear the message.


In essence, you are defeating your own cause from the very beginning. People tend to confuse popularity for effectiveness in this era of social media and hype. While this campaign has enjoyed great popularity, it's effectiveness has been negligible and even counter-productive for the aforementioned reasons. 

Just because you have the freedom to do something, doesn't mean it is a good idea. In the words of Henry DeSalvo from Big Trouble: "There isn't any rule that says I can't come over here and fart on your entree. But I don't do it. And do you know why? Because it would be bad manners"

The Day we call 9/11

It was on this morning 15 years ago, that I awoke just after losing my grandmother Fira the day before 09.10.2001 and still in mourning. I was awoken by a phone call from our friends from Israel, asking if everyone is fine and what is going on in New York?

Still groggy from coming back after a viewing the night before, I turned on the television to see one of the world trade center towers in heavy smoke. As I was on the phone, I stopped talking and just listened to the newscast, occasionally translating over the phone. Then a plane came in and hit the second tower, and we all now knew for certain that this wasn't just some accident - it was a concerted terrorist act by a group of people who don't value life, not even their own. 

While calls were made about not singling out Islam, but Islamic extremists/terrorists; the videos on the web, as well as journalist reports, showed Muslim countries' ordinary citizens celebrating and rejoicing at the tragic barbaric act and its aftermath. What's more, we witnessed our own country's Muslim citizens celebrating the destruction and devastation. In this one swept moment, the ordinary Muslim citizens supported their extremists' actions. I'm certain there were other instances, but his one was documented. 

If you want respect and tolerance, the least you can do as a human being is show some respect for human life and a tragedy like that. The most would be denouncing the actions of the terrorists and sending heartfelt condolences to the victims' families. What separates us from terrorists is our conscience that respects each others' lives. A terrorist has no conscience like that, and therefore ceases to be human. When you rejoice at the actions of a terrorist, you are closer to that terrorist than to the rest of humanity.