Gdansk Airport, Poland.
I don't know if it's because it's September 11th, but this bearded brown guy was just subjected to the most disgustingly intrusive body search by an overzealous Polish customs employees. The bastard literally ran his (plastic gloved) fingers inside the line of my shorts. No, i didn't have any metal, no, the metal detector didn't buzz, and no, no one else got that treatment - except the other brown guy. I asked him.
The veiled woman was also searched thoroughly - including her hijab, which was patted, squeezed, almost pulled.
Thank you, America, for demonizing us in everyone's eyes, even some monolingual idiots from the Polish hinterland.
It is heartbreaking that over 3000 people have perished 10 years ago. I have myself visited Ground Zero on the fourth anniversary of the attacks. I held hands with 9/11 families and attended the memorial ceremony, including the reading of all the names of the victims.
(Which, i believe, is more than most Americans can say have done to honour their memory.)
But when will we move past this tragic incident that - keeps paying, sadly enough. Never mind that at least two generations of white people will forever flicker at the sight of me. The tens of thousands that face racism on daily basis because of their faith or skin colour. Popular racism, as well as institutional racism - from extra security checks to permits and visas rejections, for example. To jobs lost or applications rejected. To dirty looks in the subway, as I had something to apologize for.
And while every lost life is one life too many, on the scale of disasters, we as an international community have seen worse. Off the top of my head, since then, about 108,000 died in Iraq as result of an unjust war that was engineering by a vindictive mind. God knows how many in Afghanistan. In the past 6 months, 40,000 Libyans have been killed. As have thousands of Syrians. Thousands of Gazans. Tens of thousands have died in the horn of Africa famine due to our inaction. Add to those the various earthquakes, tsunamis, typhoons, and natural disasters globally. Then add the millions dying around the world in the wars that don't make it to our newspapers.
I could go on. But you get my point.
I'm sorry, but this year, my sorrow is mixed with anger. I am tired of having to suffer because America has decided that a collective sin should be carried by all brown people everywhere.
My sincere condolences. May we, collectively, succeeded in getting past the memory of September 11th 2001.
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On board of airplane. Taking off now. The Polish man to my right just crossed himself.
But I cannot raise my hands in prayer - someone could see it and call an alert. So i keep my hands quietly on my knees.
Until when?
