Today is the 23rd anniversary of the 2001 attack on the Twin Towers and the U.S. Pentagon. Nearly 3,000 people died in that attack and the toll has continued to rise as many of the selfless first responders succumb to the long-term effects of the poisonous dust and fumes which spewed from the towers as they collapsed.
The radical Islamicists who seized the controls and crashed the planes into the Twin Towers, the Pentagon and a field in Shanksville, Pennsylvania, believed they were martyrs for a holy cause. Some of the Islamicist leaders responsible for the plot are still being held in the military prison at Guantanamo Bay.
I am using the word Islamicist to distinguish between these radicals and peaceful Muslims who follow the teachings of the religion of Islam. While our country came together in the days following the attack, it did take some time and education before people were able to distinguish between radical fundamentalist Islamicists and genuine followers of Islam. In those days and months following the attack there was a newfound unity in our country and a cohesiveness that brought forth from the ashes of that tragedy a sense of protection and care for one another. There was also a pervasive awareness of the radicalization of individuals who were indoctrinated in conspiracy theories that painted the U.S. as an evil empire and a tool of Satan to be vanquished at all costs. Documentaries showed videos of children being brainwashed in fundamentalist madrasah schools. News reports told stories of Americans being radicalized by websites designed to convert the innocent and disaffected into true believers ready to sacrifice their lives for an Islamicist Caliphate bent on subjugating women, outlawing same-sex relationships, and institutionalizing a host of other medieval codes that were enforced with brutality and cruelty. President George W. Bush convinced Congress to engage in two wars in an attempt to exact retribution for the attack and root out these extremists. The cost of the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq were immeasurable in terms of human suffering and the loss of both American and foreign lives.
In the weeks, months and even years following 9/11 no one would have or could have imagined that 20 years and 3 months later there would be an attack on our Capitol, not by radical Islamicists, but by radicalized Americans. Who could have imagined Americans attacking their own capitol? Who would have thought that a sitting president would encourage such an attack and refuse to accept the results of a legitimate election? Just as millions had watched the 9/11 attack, millions watched in disbelief as their own neighbors, military veterans, off-duty police officers and religious leaders launched an attack on their own government. Assaulting and killing Capitol Police officers, smashing windows, destroying property, even defecating in the offices of elected officials, and erecting gallows to hang the vice president; how could that happen in the same America that had rallied together in unity against the same brand of terrorism just 20 years earlier?
What we are witnessing today is the same kind of radicalization that brought fear in the days following 9/11, only this time it is not some foreign adversary; it is our own citizens. Instead of fundamentalist Islamic rule it is white Christian(ist) nationalism, but with the same legalistic standards that subjugate women, outlaw same sex relationships and enforce antiquated fundamentalist codes that have no relation to the original teachings of the Scriptures or traditional Judeo-Christian ethics. Instead of terrorist attacks from radical Islamicists, we are seeing intimidation and violence directed at election workers, judges and elected officials ranging from school committee members to state representatives. Instead of indoctrinating children in madrasah classes, “news” outlets use propaganda and disinformation to manipulate the drowsy minds of half-awake American citizens. Across the country right-wing politicians restrict school curricula to limit free thinking and the open exchange of ideas that form the core of genuine education rather than rigid indoctrination.
Do not be deceived by the false equivalency we so often see in the media: this is not an issue of right versus left, of Democrat versus Republican, of conservative versus liberal, nor believer versus atheist. The question is one of right over wrong, justice instead of injustice, freedom rather than oppression, and democracy versus authoritarianism. No legitimate religion and no ethical standard can support terrorism, violence, intimidation and oppression. Whatever one’s faith tradition or moral foundation, the choice is clear for those willing to look beyond the rhetoric and disinformation espoused by the demagogues fomenting this radical ideology. The attacks of 9/11 came without warning until the planes hit and the alarms rang. This time we have been forewarned; the question is whether we will heed the alarm.
The Rev. Michael Duda is a retired United Church of Christ minister living in Rockport. He formerly served as the senior pastor of the First Church in Wenham. Midweek Musings rotates among Cape Ann clergy.