American troops in Zamboanga commemorate 9/11

ZAMBOANGA CITY — American forces stationed in this southern port city commemorated yesterday the Sept. 11 attacks by terrorists in their homeland five years ago.

Western Mindanao Command chief Maj. Gen. Eugenio Cedo joined the US Joint Special Operation Task Force-Philippines (JSOTF-P) at a brief ceremony at the US military camp inside Camp Don Basilio Navarro where the US force commemorated the series of events that hit the Americans in 2001.

Similar attacks were also remembered, including the bombing at Malagutay in this city near Camp General Enrile which killed a US Special Forces member in October 2002 and other terror strikes in the country like the Valentine’s Day bombing in 2005.

Cedo said the anti-terror Task Force Zamboanga has been directed to intensify the conduct of checkpoints at all suspected entry and exit points of terrorists.

"The conduct of checkpoints is round-the-clock to prevent any possibility that may be hatched by the terrorists," he said. "They would like to repeat or stage a similar incident in urban centers in the Philippines."

Cedo said intelligence monitoring has also been started to track any possible movement of terrorists while the military counts on the vigilance of the civilian populace to prevent terrorist incidents.

Four commercial airline jets were hijacked in the morning of Sept. 11, 2001 by suicide bombers in the US. Two planes slammed against the twin towers of the World Trade Center in New York, another at the Pentagon in Virginia while the last plane went down on a field in Somerset County in Pennsylvania after its passengers and crew tried to retake the aircraft from the terrorists.

Five years after 9/11, the Americans’ perception about Muslims has changed and it did not spare an American Muslim leader and Imam from suspicion of terrorist links.

Imam Mohamad Bashar Arafat laments that even a Muslim religious leader like him was looked on as a terrorist in the US.

"People have a wrong perception about Islam. We have some hate crimes after 9/11. Everyone who looks at Arabs think that we are terrorists in the US. I feel now I have to reach out to the people," Arafat said during an inter-faith dialogue in Jolo, Sulu.

"America is not perfect but I have learned to focus on the positive and help make positive growth in the community. It is also our responsibility as Arabs-Muslims to reach out," he said.

Born and raised in Syria, Arafat is the founder of the Civilizations Exchange and Cooperation Foundation. He is also the Muslim chaplain for the Baltimore City Police Department and the president of the Islamic Affairs Council of Maryland.

Arafat added that he had to understand the change in Americans’ perception because the 9/11 attacks were a turning point in their lives "and the people felt they should know who are the people in their backyard."

Arafat was joined by Muslim activist Tiye Mulazim in their visit to Jolo that was sponsored by the US Embassy in Manila and co-sponsored by the Philippine Council on Islam and Democracy.

The Muslim leaders will engage local audiences in Manila, Zamboanga, Tawi-Tawi, Marawi and Cotabato on the topic of "Peace and Development through Inter-Faith Dialogue and Civic Engagement."

They will meet with Muslim professionals to discuss Islam and democracy, the positive results of interfaith dialogue and cooperation, and civic engagement.

Mulazim and her husband are the founders of Shura Inc., which provides mental health services to the community. She is a former president of the Muslim Women’s League in Baltimore City. — Roel Pareño, Pia Lee-Brago