9-11; Then And Now
We all remember what we doing on 9-11 ten years ago. I was on I-55 driving from Springfield, IL to Bloomington, IL to buy a new car when I heard a plane had hit one of the twin towers. Like a lot of people I thought it was just a small plane and the pilot had made a mistake. However, as I continued to listen to the news that morning, I knew it was something else. And like a lot of other people, I was in shock when I got to the dealer and saw the images on CNN.
We all know what’s happened since then; Osama bin Laden, Afghanistan, Iraq, domestic surveillance, Pakistan, dirty bombs, the list goes on and on. When I try to think how my life has changed since 9-11 there are some things that are pretty obvious, tighter security at airports and other public buildings, a heightened sense of awareness at some events but I also wonder at times about the things I didn’t see.
When you have a name like Abdul-Hakim Shabazz you occasionally wonder what people you don’t know will think when they see your name on a guest list. I truly believe that shortly after 9-11 when people met me they breathed a giant sigh of relief that I was Black and not Arab. However, for someone who was in the talk radio business pretty regularly from 2003-2011, I know it had to make some folks uncomfortable and it probably cost me a potential job or two in a bigger place. To deal with that, I made a decision shortly after 9-11, to keep things as much business as usual as possible. In other words, approach life the way I always have, with facts and a sense of humor.
I still recall the first time I hit the airwaves at WXNT-AM I had someone e-mail me telling me they couldn’t believe that a person named “Abdul” would be allowed on the radio. He went on to say “we’re at war with you people and I don’t want to listen to no terrorist talk radio!” I told him that was a double negative which meant he did want to listen to terrorist talk radio. I never heard back from him.
When someone went on about Iran, I’d remind them that we helped overthrow their government back in the mid 1950s and install the Shah. When someone talked about Muslims taking loyalty oaths or being rounded up for security risks, I’d ask how they planned to identify them? All a Muslim would have to do is change their name to Sam or Samantha, order pepperoni pizza and trade the burka for GAP khakis. And when someone would quote something out of the Koran to back up some inane point, I’d ask them if they ever read the rest of the book? I could usually answer that question for them, no.
I never defended bad behavior. In fact, I think the Islamic World is badly in need of the equivalent of the Protestant Reformation. I take comfort in some of the uprisings in the Arab World, especially when people have finally decided they have had enough of autocratic dictators who use the United States as a foil to mask their own shortcomings. But it would be nice if someone would nail a protest doctrine to mosque door.
I have always been an optimistic. Luckily my optimism is rooted in practicality and patience and sprinkled with a good sense of humor. That has served me well since the days of 9-11. My plan is that it will do so more in the future.
