[Vision2020] Far from ground zero, opponents fight new mosques

Tue Aug 10 18:26:17 PDT 2010

Why shouldn't the American people permit . . . nope . . . make that
"encourage" followers of the Muslim faith to build a mosque in tribute to
those who lost their lives on September 11, 2001.  After all, included on
the list of victims are the names of 59 human beings of the Muslim faith who
also perished in those towers.

Perhaps the demons that many of us should confront are not necessarily of
flesh and bone, but those embedded in our own minds.

Courtesy of About.com at:

http://islam.about.com/blvictims.htm

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Muslim Victims of September 11th Attack

Inna li-lahi wa inna li-layhi raja'un.

>From Allah we come, and to Him is our return.

Thousands of innocent lives were lost on September 11, 2001, and our hearts
and prayers go out to their families and loved ones.  For several hundred of
the victims of 9/11, grief and sorrow has been compounded by constant
suspicion, bias, hatred, and attacks on the faith they hold dear.

Imagine being the family of Salman Hamdani.  The 23-year-old New York City
police cadet was a part-time ambulance driver, incoming medical student, and
devout Muslim.  When he disappeared on September 11, law enforcement
officials came to his family, seeking him for questioning in relation to the
terrorist attacks.  They allegedly believed he was somehow involved.  His
whereabouts were undetermined for over six months, until his remains were
finally identified.  He was found near the North Tower, with his EMT medical
bag beside him, presumably doing everything he could to help those in need.
His family could finally rest, knowing that he died the hero they always
knew him to be.

Or imagine being Baraheen Ashrafi, nine months pregnant with her second
child.  Her husband, Mohammad Chowdhury, was a waiter at Windows of the
World restaurant, on the top floors of Tower One.  The morning of September
11, they prayed salaat-l-fajr (the pre-dawn prayer) together, and he went
off to work.  She never saw him again.  Their son, Farqad, was born 48 hours
after the attacks -- one of the first 9/11 orphans to be born.  In an
interview with CTV Canada, she relates that in the months to follow, she
mourned for her husband and endured the hostility of some ignorant people
around her.  "When they saw me ... I'm wearing a scarf. There is a hate
look."

Or consider Rahma Salie, a passenger on American Airlines #11 that crashed
into the North Tower.  Rahma, a Muslim of Sri Lankan origin, was traveling
with her husband Michael (a convert to Islam) to attend a friend's wedding
in California.  Rahma was 7 months pregnant with their first child.
According to the Independent UK (October 11, 2001), Rahma's name was
initially put on an FBI watch list, because her "Muslim-sounding" name was
on the passenger manifest, and her travel patterns were similar to those of
the hijackers (she was a computer consultant living in Boston).  Although
her name was eventually removed from the list, several of her family members
were barred from taking flights to her memorial service.  Her mother,
Haleema, said, "I would like everyone to know that she was a Muslim, she is
a Muslim and we are victims too, of this tragic incident."

Partial List of Muslim 9/11 Victims:

Note: This list is as yet incomplete and unconfirmed.  It has been compiled
from the Islamic Circle of North America, the Newsday victims database, and
reports from other major news organizations.  The victims' ages, employers,
or other personal information is included when available, along with links
to further information or photos.

Samad Afridi

Ashraf Ahmad

Shabbir Ahmad (45 years old; Windows on the World; leaves wife and 3
children)

Umar Ahmad

Azam Ahsan

Ahmed Ali

Tariq Amanullah (40 years old; Fiduciary Trust Co.; ICNA website team
member; leaves wife and 2 children)

Touri Bolourchi (69 years old; United Airlines #175; a retired nurse from
Tehran)

Salauddin Ahmad Chaudhury

Abdul K. Chowdhury (30 years old; Cantor Fitzgerald)

Mohammad S. Chowdhury (39 years old; Windows on the World; leaves wife and
child born 2 days after the attack)

Jamal Legesse Desantis

Ramzi Attallah Douani (35 years old; Marsh & McLennan)

SaleemUllah Farooqi

Syed Fatha (54 years old; Pitney Bowes)

Osman Gani

Mohammad Hamdani (50 years old)

Salman Hamdani (NYPD Cadet)

Aisha Harris (21 years old; General Telecom)

Shakila Hoque (Marsh & McLennan)

Nabid Hossain

Shahzad Hussain

Talat Hussain

Mohammad Shah Jahan (Marsh & McLennan)

Yasmeen Jamal

Mohammed Jawarta (MAS security)

Arslan Khan Khakwani

Asim Khan

Ataullah Khan

Ayub Khan

Qasim Ali Khan

Sarah Khan (32 years old; Cantor Fitzgerald)

Taimour Khan (29 years old; Karr Futures)

Yasmeen Khan

Zahida Khan

Badruddin Lakhani

Omar Malick

Nurul Hoque Miah (36 years old)

Mubarak Mohammad (23 years old)

Boyie Mohammed (Carr Futures)

Raza Mujtaba

Omar Namoos

Mujeb Qazi

Tarranum Rahim

Ehtesham U. Raja (28 years old)

Ameenia Rasool (33 years old)

Naveed Rehman

Yusuf Saad

Rahma Salie & unborn child (28 years old; American Airlines #11; wife of
Michael Theodoridis; 7 months pregnant)

Shoman Samad

Asad Samir

Khalid Shahid (25 years old; Cantor Fitzgerald; engaged to be married in
November)

Mohammed Shajahan (44 years old; Marsh & McLennan)

Naseema Simjee (Franklin Resources Inc.'s Fiduciary Trust)

Jamil Swaati

Sanober Syed

Robert Elias Talhami (40 years old; Cantor Fitzgerald)

Michael Theodoridis (32 years old; American Airlines #11; husband of Rahma
Salie)

W. Wahid

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Peace . . .

Tom Hansen

Moscow, Idaho

"The Pessimist complains about the wind, the Optimist expects it to change
and the Realist adjusts his sails." 

- Unknown 

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