As you zip through security to catch your flight at the airport, you don't remember that 23 years ago there was no such thing. 23 years ago in the year 2001, on the 11th of September, the terrorist attack known as Nine-Eleven has changed the mood of the whole world and changed the life of the world. Its casualties killed nearly 3,000 people, including crew members of the hijacked planes, World Trade Center and Pentagon workers, and first responders. Its immediate damage included toxic dust and debris from broken buildings, construction crews, fire fighters, lower New York residents suffering decades of respiratory illnesses, cancer and mental health problems like PTSD, and of course the $60 billion in damage caused by commercial storms. The response to that attack led to long wars in Afghanistan and Iraq that resulted in millions of deaths, widespread destruction, and political and social upheaval. But the most lethal consequence of that attack was that latent fanaticism was awakened in ordinary rural Americans and in other parts of the world, and hatred of Muslims came to the fore. A tragic murderous streak of this hatred spread as a deadly attack on innocent Sikhs and thus on Indians due to ignorance of Halaal. After the 9/11 attacks, there were hundreds of physical attacks against Sikhs in America, on hundreds of Sikhs who were considered Muslims because of their turbans and beards. In the aftermath of 9/11, several organizations were formed to protect Sikhs, which played an important role in raising awareness about Sikhism. In contemporary America, mindless mass murders happen every other day, but cases of special hatred against Sikhs are not heard. Even so, but the reason for all such thoughts? Because this is being written on the evening of 9/11, 2024. Even twenty-four hours ago, a tumultuous verbal duel between the former president of the United States and a half-Indian woman who is ready to become the president has been played, and it appears that America has been divided in two. On the other hand, in India again what journalist heroes call 'in discussion' are the sons of public terrorists who are determined to divide people in the name of religion and spread such political terror. The reason for all these thoughts is that the Sikh Jangan is once again 'in discussion' in India, as it was Indira Gandhi's Sikh bodyguards who killed her, resulting in a tsunami of massive violence against Sikhs in Delhi and surrounding areas. The crookedness of the ritual is that to avenge the murder of Indira Gandhi, the son of Indira Gandhi came to America and condemned the attacks against the Sikhs and shouted that people of other religions in India are no longer safe! And now Sikhs in India will be allowed to wear turbans? Can he go to the Gurudwara? The perversity of the ritual is also that Indira Gandhi jailed the Khalistan fighters holed up in the Golden Temple in Amritsar, which led to Indira's bodyguards killing them. Today, the same Khalistani terrorist salutes Indira's son, who has gone outside India and raised this cry against the 'situation in India'. The strange thing is that the riots in Delhi were not religious, they were riots of anger against the traitors who killed the grandmother of this son, killed the Prime Minister of the country. Until that riot, Gaganwala had no idea that Sikhism was a different religion! Personally, Gaganwala is a Muslim fan of Nafees Juban, Manhar Mousikina, Diwane Ghalib Jalim and also a chief of Sikh fans. When they didn't even drink tea in public, Babbe used to go to Anna's tea at a Muslim hotel in Calcutta. He kept a book of songs from the movie 'Pyasa' on his pillow and used to mumble the songs. Plus, born in a staunch vegetarian gotra, B was fond of sabji roti at Anarkali Nonveg Hotel of B Sardarji. Ganesh used to go to Sardarji's langar, a neighbor on Chandra Avenue, to serve glasses of sherbet. In the same way, we rub elbows with the black people of America and speak the ebony dialect, and wrestle 'mucho gusto' with the Mexican mustandas. If a person considers another person to be inferior because of religion, caste, caste or any other external reason, we break his mouth. Apan whole world ka citizen mangata ne har majahab mein sir tikata firta. And hey, if you believe that any politician who has brought down or promoted some or all people in the name of this religion is someone's relative, then sir, you are eating sugar. All these people stand in front of the mirror and say mee, mee, mee. Sat Siri Akal, Jo Bole So Nihal.
Image Credit: (Divya-Bhaskar): Images/graphics belong to (Divya-Bhaskar).