OldLahori
I’d like to share two letters from a woman about 9-11. Hope, you’d like her writing 
My Dear Americans
Salaam,
Hope you are safe and fine. To begin with my name is shomyla and I am 28 years old an advocate by profession, happily married and have two kids my son Firhaj, nick name Pinni ,is 4 yrs old and my daughter Minhal, nick name Minno, is 1 yr old. My husband Hammad is an electrical engineer and is 34 .I live in Lahore (the city of gardens) in Pakistan.
Honestly speaking, I will to start with a prayer because right from the day of attack on U.S. I wanted to express my feelings on a large scale I wanted to share my point of view with others my thoughts to be known publically. Because;
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[li]Secretly, I tell you I have this passion for writing. I used to write short stories in college and now articles on current but personal issues. But never had chance to get them published.
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[li]My elder sister lives in America with her husband and two kids 6 years and 2 years old and like many other Muslims in America they are facing the same problems of threats and insecurity and if through my writing this changes even a bit its worthwhile.
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[li]To tell you the truth every second person in our country dreams of American that certainly includes myself. America being the world’s most openhearted country, most stable, most developed and probably most beautiful, Watching Hollywood movies, I fall in love with America every minute.
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I feel the pain of all the people who are the victim of that brutal attack of 11 September. I want to condole them and tell them that we feel very sorry for them and at least I for sure would never have let that happened if I could.
No.4) Last but not the least I want the world to know about my religion Islam which is particularly a peaceful religion and also condemns the killing of innocent people no matter which religion they follow.
So thank you so much for giving me this opportunity.
I don’t claim to be a perfect Muslim but I say my prayers five times a day and wear hijaab in public and mix gatherings. I fear God and stay away from all the forbidden and try to win His favor in every way possible.
My hubby and me came home late that night after dinner. I knocked at my mother in law’s room to check if my kids were disturbing her because it was her prayer time. She asked me to come in. I was surprised to see she was not on her jainamaaz but watching television with a shocked look on her face. She didn’t wait for me to ask what happened? She said, “have you heard the news?” I asked “which one?” she replied **“there is a terrible attack on American trade center and Pentagon” **I forgot about the kids and sat beside her to watch CNN “oh no, and who did that?” ** she said with much grief in her voice,“I don’t know but they (CNN) seems to believe, they were Muslims.” **My next question was **“how many people died?” **I truly didn’t care weather they were Muslims, Jews, Christians or whoever because human life is important to me and should be to all of us no matter which religion they follow. Quran says “saving a life is equal to saving the whole mankind” every single life belongs to the God Almighty and no one has the right to take it without reason. He is the God of all the worlds (khaliqulaalameen), not (khaliqulmuslemeen), only Muslim’s God. So it is a sin killing innocent people.
I remember from my college days, I used to be a debater then and the best debate I ever won was on the topic “to be a good Muslim, you have to be the enemy of rest of the man kind”. Of course I spoke against it and won. The chief guest on the occasion came on the dice afterwards and said that it was easy winning against the topic because the basic statement is false. I still remember his words.
Next day after the attack, my sister-in-law came to my place and told me that she had been crying the whole night, watching CNN, seeing people in pain and their relatives in distress.and that there were many daycare centers in the building made that even worse. She also said that whoever had done this must be punished and I totally agreed.
Later that night my sister in America called to tell us that she was fine and safe. She told me how grief stricken she and her friends were there, on the incident and for the first time I came to know how very much she loves America. She said to me that there is no country like America in the world she said that she hated them who had done that to her country. I was touched and amazed by her emotions for America because its not more than 0 or 10 years she has gone there. Then my brother-in-law talked to me whom I respect alot and who is a well known engineer in America. He also along with his news service works for Kashmir liberation. He said if Muslims have done this, they will soon know whom they have benefited by that, and that they have degraded their own religion by doing this. He also asked me to go on some chat channel on the net and share my views with the others and tell them that Pakistan and Islam are strictly against these barbarian motions and I did the same.
There are also many Pakistanis who believe that something should have done about all the injustices Muslims are going through all over the world like in Palestine, Israelis are upto diminishing their race. In Bosnia in chechnia, what Russians are doing against Muslims? And not to go far, in Kashmir Indian soldiers are killing thousands of innocent Muslims daily and the whole damn world is quiet over it. So where should they go? What should they do? And whom should they ask? But I believe that this is not the way to protest not even to take revenge and Islam does not preach terrorism of any kind.
In Pakistan, here we are living in constant fear these days:
Fear of attack from Afghanistan, for supporting America against them as talibaan are threatening again and again to attack every single country who would help America in any way.
Fear of civil war within the country against government for supporting America for there are Muslim extremists who believe that one should always support Muslims against non-Muslims even if they are wrong. And they follow every single man who’d say “ALLAH U AKBAR! Come let’s fight this is jihad”. And they’ ll. start fighting against there own brothers. This is because of lack of education and proper knowledge of Islam.
Fear of America that once its soldiers come in our country would never leave. Maybe because we feel America wants to rule not only it’s own country with 52 estates but the whole world. And my country is too small (only 4 provinces) to fight against it.
We Muslim women are so over protected that we get scared even by the flight exercises. It is not that we mind being over protected as long as we are respected and loved thoroughly. I have started sleeping hugging my husband and kids more tightly after this incident. And my husband teases me by saying “lets have some more fun for tomorrow we shall die”. I was having a wonderful life until that moment because all these fears are definitely shadowing my life from all sides and living in constant fear can make your life hell even worse than the hell itself.
I love my country which has given me security, peace, education and much more. I love my God who has given me a wonderful country loving parents devoted husband caring inlaws and beautiful kids. I love my religion which has given me a high place of respect being woman, sanctity and hope to live even happier after death.
Shomyla H. Lahore, Pakistan
