CJ Werleman is an Australian journalist, author, and political commentator. But beyond everything else, he is a crusader against Islamophobia. Werleman highlights atrocities against Muslims from around the world. In his recent show about completing the 20th anniversary of 9/11, he discussed the two aspects, how the destruction has visited the Muslim world in 20 years since the 9/11 attacks and how the US has suffered the deadly for.
9/11 attacks were carried by Al Qaeda, the terrorist organization founded by the late Osama bin Laden with America’s support. He highlighted that Islam has no relation with terrorism. But after 9/11 West dumped into the idea that Islam is the gateway to suicide bombing and cause of mass casualties attacks. This atmosphere made Muslim’s a reference object in national security discourse that Islam is the gateway to violence and extremism. A point of view started building that the more pious or conserved the Muslim became in participating in his faith, the more likely he is to become a radical Islamic extremist.
So instead of exclusively targeting the culprits responsible for 9/11 (Al Qaeda which numbered not more than 200 militants at the time of the attack ), the United States made 1.6 billion Muslims guilty by proxy. Suddenly every Muslim was made an object of suspicion, pumping the law and enforcement agencies to carry unconstitutional civilian operations if anyone was perceived to be a Muslim. For example, the New York police department carried out illegal Muslim violence and mapping programs for more than 12 years and this was a violation of the US constitution. The secret units infentraded and spied on Mosques and Muslim student groups and Muslim-owned businesses but never once did legal authorities prejudiced singly to law and enforcement to act upon.
After 9/11, US was in no mood to calm, clear and conservancy, US wanted only revenge no matter the intended cost, consequences and casualties. George W Bush took or should have been kept it to Al Qaeda but he turned it into a civilisation struggle between the Muslims and non-Muslim world. George Bush addressing his media said that “You are either with the US or you are against the US in the fight against terror”. The war has become a paradigm way for making everyone a conscripted soldier under a range of this civilisation war.
Ten days after the 9/11 on 21 Sep George Bush said that “Till there is no refugee for the rest and we will pursue nations that provide aid or haven to terrorism, every nation and every region now has a decision to make either you are with the US or you are with terrorists”.
After the US invasion rather than confining Bin Laden and bringing down him and his 200 followers in the Tura Baura mountains, the US choose to focus its energy and resources in toppling the Taliban regime thus making the United States an occupying prior, which was where the harsh show began. Suddenly, every being Muslim in Pakistan and Afghanistan became a suspected terrorist and the US began rounding up and torturing everyone.
The vast majority of the 700 Muslims were placed in torture cells since 9/11, these crimes against humanity happen because the United States moved over to the dark side. So here the US attracted global sympathy for the 9/11 attacks as the war on terror was not attracting global condemnation, fear and suspicion. If human rights and basic rule of law separate us from terrorists, the US was acting as the terrorist group had vagued to vanquish.
Linking to the most catastrophic decision of the US was a decision to invade Iraq, a country that has nothing to do with 9/11 and zero contact with Al Qaeda. Shocking way (cartoonist way) of describing state terrorism against a most defensive civilian population. The US franked down 1000 rockets on the Iraqi capital and killed millions of Iraqi’s. Americans then carried out armed drones and patchy gunships from the skies on civilians. In jail where the US military personals and contractors operated a system of torture and investigation revealed how the US soldiers even raped younger Iraqi boys in front of their mothers. Those who survived deadly torture established a group ” ISS” which should not surprise anyone, given to demonstrate there is a relation between torture, trauma and radicalization.
The US then expanded its operations to Pakistan, Syria, Yemen and Somalia. In an interview, Somalian refugee said that “Our homes destroyed, livestock destroyed, crops destroyed people obliterated. Our children and I face so much agony and suffering after being forced to flee and now we don’t even have a single bag, let alone a home to go to”.
After all, the US clung to the war on terror killed 2 million people. ( 1 million in Iraq, 220,000 in Afghanistan, and 80,000 in Pakistan). War on terror discourse institutionalized Islamophobia and excuse and pretends wage of war against the unwanted Muslim population. 20,000 Hindu Muslims in 2017 were on pretence on combating Islamic terrorism. China justifies its way of concentration when China came to violent Islamism. War on terror generate Islamophobia, also gives fuel to fascists and created a wave of hate for Muslims and movements in Europe, the US and Australia.