Thoughts On The 9/11 Anniversary from Around the World

The BBC has received many emails and online comments about the September 11th anniversary from around the world, here is a selection:

Comments emailed to the BBC in English:

“I was south of San Francisco on September 11 and had an involuntary extended business trip as a result. I think that I saw the best and the bad of Americans in the 10 days that followed the attacks. The very best was the fall back on the US National Anthem line “the flag was still there” with US flags and red white and blue bunting appearing on public buildings, private houses, cars, roadsides and bridges; indeed, almost everywhere there was a space. The bad was the gung-ho, we must find someone to blame and retaliate to vent our anger, never pausing to ponder on the driving force behind the attacks and the role that Uncle Sam had played in the run-up to the attacks.”
Robert Wilson Thomas, Ireland

“At the time of the attack I was a resident of Hell’s Kitchen (on the westside of Manhattan in the West 50′s) but had spent the summer in Massachusetts on Cape Cod. When I returned to Manhattan in late October, the small picture window that had offered a perfect view of the Twin Towers instead showed a plume of smoke that continued to rise from the rubble more than a month after the planes had hit the towers.”
Alan Klein, New York

“I was nine-years-old. My father said this is a deliberate terrorist attack. As we went outside i remember what looked like F-15 fighter jets flying above us. I was lucky to be home, not in school. 22 people were killed from my town just 22 miles from downtown Manhattan. My cousin was in the building across the street from the WTC, where he helped evacuate his building. It was a very worrisome day. My brother is now in Afghanistan and that day still affects me.”
Robert Le Sueur, NY.

“It was a very crisp bright morning, the first i knew was a dull humming sound, as i looked up it was hard to register what i was seeing, like being in the cinema watching a disaster movie. As the planes hit the most impactful feeling was the wind it generated through the avenues, it felt like a hurricane the souls of the dead whirling through the city. At night the sky was a crimson red, a hue i had not seen before, the streets were ghostly and fighter jets flew past my 25th floor apartment. I caught a glimpse of yesterdays news, an article about Paris Hilton, I wondered if the news would ever be that frivolous again.”
Poran Malani, Bangalore.

Comments Sent To BBC Arabic (Translated)

“These attacks changed the way the world looks at extremism. This western world was prompted to pay attention to all extremist religious currents in all the world, even ones in the remote areas, a turn-around from the days extremism was a local problem in repressive undemocratic regimes.”
Issam, Baghdad

“The consequences were catastrophic on Afghanistan, Iraq and the Arab region. The attacks affected the world view of Muslims and Arabs in a negative way, despite what some may consider are genuine attempts by the West to learn more of the essence of Islam. On a personal level, the attacks meant getting a visa to western countries and America in particular is much harder.”
Sayf al-Din, Egypt

“I agree with those who say that the Arab Spring was to an extent a consequence of the Sept. 11 attacks. But people are still between denying and believing the official version of the attacks. Ironically, those who carried out the attacks are a result of the Afghan war against the Soviets in which the Americans sided with the Afghan militants and now it is as if the magic has turned on the magician. On a personal level I weep whenever I see the burning towers and pictures of workers falling to their deaths. I wish the date is marked globally as a day for world peace and brotherhood between all.”
Abdul Elah Al-Ayashi, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia

“Up to this moment, it is not clear who was behind the assassination of President John Kennedy, was the killer acting alone or with others? And the question is still discussed after more than 40 years. On the same basis, we may not know the truth of 9/11 for another 40 years.”
Ayad Awad, USA

“In my opinion, America’s interference in the Arab and Muslim world, its alliance with Israel and its support of the Arab dictators was the real reason for these attacks. It is the foreign policy of US administrations that determine the fate of the relationship between America and the Arabs, and I think America has, in effect, declared another war on Islam and Muslims post-September 11th.”
Issam, Gaza

“Any horrible event like September 11th, whose dire consequences in Iraq, Afghanistan, Libya, Yemen, Syria are still continuing, is a painful incident for anyone with a conscience. But despite that, it served a divine purpose; who can deny that what’s happening now in our beloved East would have happened without September to 11th.”
Abu Mazen, West Bank

“The effects of September 11th on my country, Iraq, does not need explaining. It destroyed lives and souls. America saved us from the dictator that was Saddam, but what came after him made us long for the days of dictatorship.”
Zaid Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

“America is still continuing to repeat its mistakes. The world was better before 11 September! Most Arabs respect the Americans as a people and as individuals, but they hate the hostile policy of the US towards them! Bush claimed that he would dry the sources of terrorism but he reproduced thousands of Bin Ladens!!”
Musa, Amman, Jordan

Comments Sent To BBC Persian (Translated)

“It’s clearly obvious that the US was behind the 9/11 attacks and took political advantage from them. If US intelligence is so strong that shortly after the attack it learned that Muslims are responsible then why did they not know it before?”
Yousef, Shirazv, Southern Iran

“It was hard to believe. Only after watching the videos of the attacks several times did I believe it. But I couldn’t stop thinking about the poor people who were killed in those buildings. And even worse was to think about US’ reaction. I was worried about US’ hasty and illogical reaction against Muslims.”
Reza, Mashhad, Northwestern Iran

Comments Sent To BBC Vietnamese (Translated)

“At the anniversary, 9/11 the whole world pays tribute and send condolences to the United States but no one would do that to the wars with American ‘footprints’. In Buddhism we call it ’cause and effect’, so despite all the rhetoric, people were caught up in the 9/11 event because of all the wars America had been involved in.”
Danny Mai

“That cause and effect principle does not spare anyone. Japan has paid a price for the massacres they did during World War II (they got two American atomic bombs, tsunami and floods).”
Harry Nguyen

Comments Sent To BBC Brazil (Translated)

“The biggest terrorist strike in history wasn’t the fall, in New York, of the Twin Towers, 10 years ago. It was an act of the American government: the atomic bombs in Hiroshima and Nagasaki. More than 242,000 civilians died.”
Ed Oliveira

“I believe that September 11th changed international relations forever. To me, one of the saddest consequences was Islamophobia, a clear distortion that Islam is to blame. Danger lies with radicalism, religious, political, cultural or ideological!”
Catarina Muniz

“The death of innocent people is tragic and sad in any event. However, I think the US is trying to turn September 11th in something more horrible than the Holocaust. The US is using September 11th as a way of justifying their responsibilities in so many deaths they have been causing around the world.”
Willams de Carvalho

“Afghan and Iraqi cemeteries are full. The life of a westerner is more valuable than the ones of thousands of murdered Arabs. This is the White House in all its white color.”
Elizabeth Mendonça

Comments Sent To BBC Russian (Translated)

“If I try to analyze the present situation in the world (especially Libya) I might predict two trends with all my regret – more terrorist attacks and more countries willing to get nuclear weapons.”
Alex Ivanchuk

“I was at work on that day. I got the news very quickly but was able to see pictures only in the evening. I remember what I thought – it was like watching a badly produced TV trick show. Something like Apocalypses… The first plane which crashed to the tower – I was sure it was some kind of a pilot mistake but when the second plane crashed I had no doubts any more – it’s serious.”
Pastor

“I remember how I read a so-so novel 20 years ago about some hero who was trapped by evil forces and had nothing left but to fly his jet into the headquarters of his enemies. 9/11 is real and much scarier.”
Demian Filimonov

Comments Sent To BBC Mundo (Translated)

“On 9/11 the economy of the world’s richest country collapsed.”
Francisco Mejia, Toronto, originally from El Salvador

“It was more an ideological disaster than economical, as the security and faith of the world’s strongest figure was destroyed. So I think the impact was social, cultural, emotional, etc … All my affection for all the generations of people that saw so many human beings dying in the safest place in the world, people whose only sin was to do their daily activities.”
Gustavo Alonso Reséndiz Suárez, Mexico

It’s a shame that the US has squandered so much money over the last 10 years only in wars and the worst is that it continues and will continue doing so, even going through this terrible economic crisis where the most unfortunate and affected are the citizens (mainly from middle class and below) It’s so sad.
Carla Revollo Pérez, Bolivia