9/11: An Agent For Social Change; Religion, Security, Islamophobia
In a world that is constantly evolving, change is inevitable. Society must learned to adapt to meet the new needs of society. Whether it be the abolition of slavery, equal rights for women, oftentimes, change is good, and simply benefits society as a whole. Typically we call this transformation, a social change. But what exactly is a social change? Sociologist define social change as the transformation of cultural and social institutions through the change of human relationships and interactions. These changes typically occur over time and sustain a profound and long-term effect on society. In order for a social change to occur, there is typically an event or situation that takes place which prompts many to recognize the need for change. Without change, society would still be living in past mistakes. Nearly eighteen years ago, would mark the beginning of a new era of devastation, suspicion, and reestablishment. On the morning of September 11th 2001, it was like any other typical weekday, many grabbing their daily coffee, in the office, stuck in traffic, or having slept through their alarm clocks, no one could guess what darkness was awaiting them. The September 11th attacks, also known as 9/11, were a series of coordinated strikes orchestrated by Islamic extremist group al-Qaeda. Four hijacked planes were utilized to carry out suicide attacks at the World Trade Center in New York as well as the Pentagon in Washington. Though the attacks of 9/11 were not the social change itself, it was the event that provoked social changes globally. As the death toll rose, it quickly became the deadliest terrorist attack in the world’s history, claiming nearly three thousand lives. It forever altered security, immigration, and politics across the world.
As one learns through events such as the Spanish Inquisition, the Crusades, and World War II, an underlying driving factor for these tragedies becomes evident in all, thus being religion. As religion provides people with a purpose, a sense of unity and a feeling of security, oftentimes one will develop a strong feeling of pride for their given faith. However, much like many things in society, religion is susceptible to becoming perverted. When this happens this sense of pride transforms into religious elitism. This very ideology is what distorted the Islamic teachings to form what is known as Al-Qaeda. These extremist groups used this twisted version of an otherwise peaceful faith, as their premise for the attacks. In the book The Age of Sacred Terror, authors argue that the 9/11 attacks were purely driven by religion. These individuals perceived their horrendous actions as 'a sacrament ... intended to restore to the universe a moral order that had been corrupted by the enemies of Islam.' Their sole intention was to 'humiliate and slaughter those who defied the hegemony of God.' To provide reasoning for such, one could consider the cultural factors. For instance, an extreme feeling of ethnocentrism could account for these senseless actions. They feel their standards and customs within their own culture are superior to that of others, and therefore seek to eliminate those whose views differ from their own. This very ignorance was present within the extremist group Al-Qaeda which sought to completely diminish an entire nations’ integrity through enculturing themseleves into American society, and destroying them from within.
Prior to this incident, there was a strong sense of naïveté and almost invincibility. The process of boarding a plane was simple. Liquids were permitted, pat-downs were rare and the idea of having to go through a full-body scanner was something from a science fiction movie. Though this may seem rather lenient for those who have been brought up in a post-9/11 era and one whom only knows airport security to be an intense, tedious and sometimes invasive process, this was the reality of North America eighteen years ago. Since then, security measures have drastically changed, all across the world. Just two months following the events, the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) had been established. The TSA has since, employed screening officers in airports, planted armed Federal Air Marshals on planes, and trained individuals, as well as dogs to detect explosives. Agents today, are qualified enough to analyze body behavior and detect anyone who may raise a potential threat. In addition, a secondary method of identification known as gait, is now used to verify travelers through facial recognition and analysis of each individual’s unique walking pattern. However, despite these prosocial actions one controversial method, known as Racial Profiling has raised many ethical questions over the years. As the vast majority of targets being, Middle Eastern, many argue that this tactic simply violates these citizens’ rights and assumes guilt on the basis of race.
The increased precautions continued from outside of airports, as immigration too came under strict changes. Though the September 11 attacks certainly did not initiate the country’s immigration debate, it without a doubt, altered the course of action. It came as a shock when it was revealed all nineteen of the men who carried out the attacks on both the World Trade Centre and the Pentagon were all foreign nationals, who had in fact entered the country legally. For that reason detecting and preventing the entry of anyone believed to be a potential terrorist using the “watch-list” became the central motivation for the post 9/11 immigration policy. In addition, much of the government funding is used towards advancing immigration enforcement tactics. Muzaffar Chishti, a director at the Migration Policy Institute said 'Today, if a local cop tracks you down for making a wrong left turn in downtown Atlanta, he’s going to know your entire immigration history within seconds.“ This re-situating of these immigration policies reflects the cultural shift that has occurred in the broader American society. As a result, it has become a political platform for many, including current President Donald Trump. David Burnham, who is a co-director for TRAC; an organization that gathers government data, stated that 'After 9/11, the Bush administration tried to see immigration enforcement as a way to fight terrorism,' Burnham said. 'And it's just not.' This varies substantially from the attitudes of pre-9/11 President Ronald Reagan who was known publicly as pro-immigration. Following 9/11 anti-immigration attitudes have drastically increased and subsequently the same feelings have been projected onto refugees. Trump’s presidency has been widely driven by this “Islamophobia”. He has significantly reduced the amount of Syrian refugees permitted access to the United States, being the most restrictive in the entire seventy-year history of refugee settlement. This reluctance to accommodate the thousands of men, women, and children who face persecution in their home countries goes directly against what the United States and several other nations agreement to change after the Jewish genocide. After having dealt with the tragic consequences of refusing to take European Jews fleeing Nazi Germany, the notion of having a moral obligation to help the world’s most vulnerable regardless of their country of origin was created.
Aside from physiological as well as sociological modifications that occurred, what one couldn’t visibly see was the psychological changes that took place. Whether or not one witnessed the events in person, live on television or years after the fact, the horrid images of the moments thousands of people lost their lives, has been in ingrained in the minds of many. Dr. Joseph Pierre, a clinical professor in the field of psychology states that “All of us – regardless of where we were, who we lost, and whether we were alive at the time – feel the psychological repercussions of our national trauma, taking for granted the effects that are deeply embedded in the realities of today.” This speaks volumes as it goes towards demonstrated the personal effects the event had on those around the world, which prompted each individual to understand the need for change.
Consequently, many people searched for someone to blame and as the media is constantly headlining terror brought upon by “Muslims”, this made for an easy target. For this reason, it is necessary to clarify that these attacks occurred at the hands of extremist – not Muslims. As society witnesses a drastic increase of prejudice, and hostility towards those typically of Middle Eastern descent, it comes as no surprise that the term “Islamophobia” has been coined over the years following September 11th. One must understand that Muslim’s too resent these acts of hatred. It is simply unfair to blame an entire religion for the acts of a separate subculture. These terror cells have an alternative system of values and beliefs that does not align with the cultural and social beliefs of Islam. The British government stated that these individuals oppose 'democracy, the rule of law, individual liberty and mutual respect and tolerance of different faiths and beliefs.'
Nine-teen individuals, willingly engaged in the murder of thousands of innocent lives. Knowing that they too would take their last breath aboard those planes. But how exactly does this happen? It is simply impossible to provide a justifiable reasoning for these individuals actions, one can only draw assumptions. With respects to Karl Marx’s Conflict Theory, one can argue that these individual’s deviant behavior was a result from social as well as political disagreement. In response to what they believed to be inequalities, this group acted out senselessly, in order to change their circumstances. On a side note, it is important to recognize the rise of domestic terrorism occurrences. During a period of social-networking, in which information is always at our finger tips , extremist groups such as al-Qaeda and more prominently Isis in recent years have sought to recruit those in North American, as well as European countries. The vast majority of these targeted are in fact adolescence who typically reject the cultural goals of their society. These individuals tend to experience a feeling of normlessness and are unaware of their place in society. These make for easy targets for terrorist groups who provide these young people with what appears as a purpose in life. Consequently, these individuals oftentimes become radicalized and arguably brain-washed by the deviant behavior of this organization.
Although one may never shake the lingering thoughts that arise while boarding a plane, shopping at the mall, or walking down a busy street, it is important to remain confident in the changes that were made to protect society. As one reflects back to the days following September 11th, they recall the nation’s strength, courage and willingness to survive. It brought forth years of unimaginable pain and sorrow, however introduced a new era of awareness, safety and solidarity. Though it will forever be remembered as one of the most devastating days in history, it is also the moment that forever changed the world.
References
How 9/11 Changed America: Four Major Lasting Impacts (with Lesson Plan). (2018, September 11). Retrieved from https://www.kqed.org/lowdown/14066/13-years-later-four-major-lasting-impacts-of-911
Islamic extremism. (2018, December 17). Retrieved from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Islamic_extremism
Major Social Changes:. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://people.uncw.edu/pricej/teaching/socialchange/causes%20of%20social%20change.htm
Motives for the September 11 attacks. (2019, January 7). Retrieved from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Motives_for_the_September_11_attacks#Religious_motivation
Never Forget: The Lasting Psychological Impact of 9/11. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.psychologytoday.com/ca/blog/psych-unseen/201609/never-forget-the-lasting-psychological-impact-911
Religious war. (2019, January 3). Retrieved from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Religious_war
Sixteen years on, here's how 9/11 changed America and the world. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.moneycontrol.com/news/world/sixteen-years-on-heres-how-911-changed-america-and-the-world-2384525.html
The World is Changing. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.humanities.mcmaster.ca/gandhi/mss/CultureOfPeace06.htm
Types of Religious Organizations. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.cliffsnotes.com/study-guides/sociology/religion/types-of-religious-organizations
Benjamin, D., & Simon, S. (2003). The Age of Sacred Terror: Radical Islam's War Against America. New York, NY: Random House.
Editors, H. (2018, December 12). 9/11 Attacks. Retrieved from https://www.history.com/topics/21st-century/9-11-attacks
Flanagin, J. (2015, September 11). 9/11 forever changed the concept of immigration in the US. Retrieved from https://qz.com/499481/911-forever-changed-the-concept-of-immigration-in-the-us/
Lind, D. (2017, December 4). The Trump administration doesn't believe in the global refugee crisis. Retrieved from https://www.vox.com/policy-and-politics/2017/10/3/16379016/trump-refugees
Lind, D. (2017, December 4). The Trump administration doesn't believe in the global refugee crisis. Retrieved from https://www.vox.com/policy-and-politics/2017/10/3/16379016/trump-refugees
Orzala Ashraf Nemat. (2017, July 14). What impact did 9/11 have on the world? | The panel. Retrieved from https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2011/sep/05/9-11-impact-world-al-qaida
Pierre, J. M. (2016, September 11). Never Forget: The Lasting Psychological Impact of 9/11. Retrieved from https://www.psychologytoday.com/ca/experts/joe-pierre-md
Udice, K. (2018, September 10). 10 ways the world changed after the 9/11 attacks. Retrieved from https://www.thisisinsider.com/world-changed-after-september-11-2018-9#4-theres-been-security-increases-outside-of-airports-4
