Trifurcation of Timeline

History and time have been bifurcated for years but that seems to have changed ten years ago and a new timeline was unconsciously accepted by the world. I still distinctly remember the day like many others, when two giant steel birds brought the pride of a nation to the ground- the ground which we now know as ‘Ground Zero’. A lot has changed from that day onward and as I reflect back reminiscing the decade behind us , I question whether what happened happened for a constructive reason or was it a futile exhibition of fanaticism from one side and excessive prudence from the other.

The definition of terrorism was not inked after the September 11^th attacks but it took an indelible form from that day onwards. A society oblivious of the heinous acts of terrors plaguing the world around it was juddered so hard that it still tries to pick it self up from the rubbles. From September 12^th onwards, America and the rest of its cohorts in the western world broke away from their tenet and acknowledged that terrorism in countries like the former Soviet, Africa , South East Asia and the Subcontinent were not just confined within the borders of an exacerbated nation but were intertwined in a complex global society. From that moment onwards the United States took upon itself the responsibility to eradicate the world of religious fundamentalism with a phantasm which was idealists to many and repulsive to the Islamic world. But this phantasm, as prejudiced as it was did have positive ramification around the world. Intelligence sharing, which even after the cold war era was considered a taboo among many countries had become a protocol in the war against terrorism. Societies were clandestinely inundated with advance technologies to detect suspicious activities which have impeded terrorist activities around the world. So, before P911 (time line of post September 11^th) when defending a nation plagued and intimidated by terror was considered ones own obligation, today this obligation is shared by the international community ( even though participation is dictated by self-interest). This is why I question – what happened that day did it happen for a constructive reason?

The decade P911, the world not only changed in a way society jointly viewed terrorism but also itself. Was it all a futile exhibition of fanaticism ? I believe it was. The message which the terrorist stamped on the world was that of a few fundamentalist. They are minions working as mercenaries who carry the agenda of a handful of intelligent, nefarious and obdurate men who manipulate the thinking of vulnerable individuals by haranguing trenchant religion literature. With the assassination of Osama-Bin-Laden and the noose tightening on mother ship ( audaciously borrowing from a Sifi movie as a metaphor for Al-Qaeda), what is left are off-shoots/splinter cells who have demonstrated their atypical attributes but also their lack of sedulousness when it comes to execution. 2011 has been a revolutionary year, in literal terms, with many Arab countries in the middle east and North Africa ousting despots giving way to a democratic and free society. Ironically these are the very fundamentals upon which the free world was formed, which the religious radicalist want to abrogate. Its surprising how things at times come a full circle, the society for whom you think you are fighting for with a imperious tenet eventually repudiate it for what radicals consider  as a prosaic and irreligious tenet.  So, do you think it was a futile exhibition?

And, has the decade P911 been an exhibition of excessive prudence? The past decade has not only strengthened a societies emotional integrity but also diluted its cultural and religious identity. Racial profiling is unconsciously embedded into the minds of the people. The color of your skin, the length of your facial hair and the attire your wear which signified cultural and regional identity has been replaced by radical religious identity. Adding to the already arduous airport security a secondary screening done through racial profiling has left an indelible emotional trauma on a particular sections of the society. Security checkpoints at entertainment centers, museums, monuments, shopping malls etc have impeded the core ideal of our society – Freedom (of movement). Generations oblivious towards such rationale will slowly accept this societal behavior as a norm going ahead, which will shatter the foundation upon which our society prior to P911 was built upon- Freedom, Equality, Tolerance, Justice and Peace. All these precautionary measures, as salubrious as they might be, are in away doing exactly what the fundamental radicalist intended-‘Division of society amongst the line of race, religion and color’. So,  do you think we being too prudent?

(I personally abhor the term Islamic terror since fanaticism is a chimera in every society and religion.I have tried my best to refrain myself from implying any religious propensity)