An Afghan teenager's perspective on 9/11

Hi everyone! I thought something interesting to post around 9/11 is a speech by two of my favorite teenagers, Sajia and Sahra, who are both in high school at the Ethel Walker School in CT and were participants in Seeds of Peace three years ago, and in my dialogue group. They are there with generous scholarships, and are some of the only international students, and both felt like it was really important to speak at the school assembly on 9/11 and not just stand by. So here is their speech.

Love to family!

Speech on 9/11 from 15 year old Afghan, Sajia:

I am Sajia Darwish from Afghanistan. Me and my compatriot Sahra Ibrahimi want to offer our genuine condolences to the people of the world, especially people of USA who lost their beloved ones on September 11^th 2001. We all know this was a dreadful and horrifying attack on the World Trade Center where people from 115 different nations were working.

I also want to recognize that there were not only people from USA but also all around the world, so we can say this attack has been shocking and has left many people with broken hearts all around the globe and I know how it feels like because I have seen lots of events similar to this in Afghanistan, all the time. Thousands of my people have died there since the wars began. I would not be here if the US had not invaded Afghanistan, I might not even be in school. It is so complicated, and we are where we are, and I think we all need to start with love and curiosity, not hatred and fear.

I feel offended when people make stereotypes about Muslims after 9/11 and when they introduce Muslims as terrorists. These inhumane attacks had its effects on the people of the world beside USA and Afghanistan. I just wanted to clarify that Muslims are not terrorists and that Islam is not a religion based on war and terrorism but it is a religion that invites people to brotherhood. Osama bin Laden was not a Muslim. He was an extremist who changed the meanings of the holy texts. Afghans want peace, and our religion is a peaceful one. I am a Muslim but I am not a terrorist and we should know that there are extremists from every religion around the world and they can do every thing unless we stop them, unless we be united and work hard to keep the world a safe place for the human beings to live. So today let’s remember how complicated the world is, and the importance of compassion.