Where were we on September 11, 2001 (9/11)? What what we doing when the twin towers of the World Trade Center were attacked? How did we find out about the terrorist attack that changed the world forever? On this anniversary of that catastrophic event, I find myself trying to recall the series of events that shaped our history and intensely embedded terrorism into our daily lives.

I was at work. It was a little before 9 PM in our part of the world when it happened and I had just finished dinner. Walking along the lobby corridor of the hotel I managed, the wide screen television on the far corner of the hall was tuned in to CNN and it caught my attention. An apparent accident in New York, they said. A plane crashed into one of the towers of the World Trade Center. No mention was
there as to what kind of plane it was or how big, just a plane. I was enveloped by a deep sense of concern, as did millions of viewers I'm sure. However, minutes later it happened. Another plane crashed into the other tower, a commercial jet in full view of everybody watching the events unfold, and we knew this was no accident anymore. America was under terrorist attack! As other events unfolded, I stood there with several hotel guests and staff members watching in disbelief. Some were on the verge of tears, other were already crying. We couldn't believe what was happening. The chaos in the streets, the panic, the destruction, the scenes of WTC occupants jumping to their deaths in desperation, unable to withstand the searing heat inside the building. How can such carnage happen in our world, I asked myself. Why? I then started calling friends and family, alerting them of the tragedy happening on live TV.

Link: 9/11 VIDEOS: reliving the attacks of September 11, 2001

It was a horrific sight. New York, premier city of the most powerful and most prosperous country in the world, under attack! The burning twin towers dominating that famous skyline. Minutes later, they collapsed, killing thousands of trapped victims as well as their rescuers.

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A day later pictures of the victims are flashed on the television screen, pictures of the missing and the dead, pictures posted in the streets around New York City as well as images of their family, relatives and friends still clinging to the hope that their loved ones are alive somewhere. My heart sank further, thinking of the pain their families must feel, thinking of the children who lost a mom or a dad, or both. How do you tell a child that daddy is longer coming home, or that she wouldn’t see mommy again? How do you come to terms with the horrible way a loved one died - burnt in the explosions, crushed in the collapse of the towers? Or were they one of the many who jumped to their deaths unable to bear the heat in the surroundings? These continued to flash in my head. The families, the friends, how would they cope? The pain must be unbearable, I told myself as I prayed.

Then there were the terrorists. One by one they were identified, their pictures posted on the screen. One face struck me above all the others. Square-faced, sinister eyes, scary. He was apparently one of the leaders of the group. I don’t recall his name but all I remember are those satanic eyes staring blankly at me. Questions again filled my head, and my heart. Why? What kind of misguided ideology would push someone to murder innocent human beings? This I could not, and still cannot, understand.

The world was never the same since then. That single event further divided our already factious world. That single event brought forth hatred, fear, wars, more bombings and terrorist attacks, security checks at airports, racism, paranoia. Though we already knew about terrorism before this incident, 9/11 opened our eyes to the extent of terror, damage, carnage and pain some radicals are capable of in the name of political and religious beliefs.

It has been seven years since 9/11 but the pain and the questions continue. We will not forget. We should not forget.