It was 22 years ago today. For those of us who lived through it, the memories are almost as vivid as if it were last week. We remember where we were when we first heard of the planes hitting the World Trade Center, the Pentagon, and crashing to the ground in Pennsylvania. We remember the fear that grounded flights for days, closed borders, brought previously unthinkable security procedures to our daily routines. That fear and determination to strike at the root of the terrorists who launched the attack led most of us to support the U.S. incursions into Iraq and Afghanistan.
As we look back on events in history—certainly those within our memories—it’s so important that we appraise how past events influence subsequent experiences. Though a comprehensive review is beyond the scope of this short article, the 22-year span of time since 9/11 has provided an opportunity for a host of retrospectives and analyses. Ideally, the perspective of history gives us the ability to apply our learned wisdom in our responses to subsequent events. Of course, that is often not the case. All too often we fail to learn the lessons of history—it’s so easy to do—and, unfortunately, we suffer the consequences.
I thought of this as I read two pieces in the news this week. The first told of a San Diego native of Palestinian-Mexican descent who ran for office in California’s 50th congressional district. Ammar Campa-Najjar, who converted to Christianity from Islam, faced a slew of unfounded and ugly racist threats from his opponent. All of them focused on his Muslim and Palestinian roots. Astoundingly, after losing the race, Campa-Najjar, who previously had FBI security clearance, enlisted in the Navy and is now an officer.
The second article reported on the detention of an Afghan man at the Mexican border. He was the example the reporter used to reveal that Muslims appear to be unfairly detained when they cross at a particular location along the thousands of mile-long boundary. After facing threats from the Taliban for his advocacy of women’s rights and democracy, the man sought refuge and requested asylum after crossing the border illegally. While this is obviously a crime, the issue is that Muslims are being held for longer periods of time than others.
9/11 gave us an opportunity to gain a deeper understanding of the diversity of the Muslim and Arab world. We’ve seen that although terrorism remains a real threat, there are far more allies than enemies. The successful Abraham Accords are such an example vis-à-vis Israel and its own Arab neighbors. Even today, Muslim and Christian Arabs in Israel are full citizens and contribute to the strength of the country. Some of the greatest threats to our own country come from regions that are distinctly not Arab nor Muslim. Our world is a complicated place; the more we invest in understanding the lessons of history and the diversity of our allies and our enemies, the better prepared we are to face the challenges of tomorrow.
—Rabbi Ron Stern