Sept. 11, 2010 marked the nine-year anniversary of the tragic events that impacted New York City, Northern Virginia, and Pennsylvania,
and the entire country.  It was a day in which almost every American
stopped to collectively remember those who were lost; unfortunately,
it was also a day where the divisions within our society became 
painfully evident.
The televised public memorial in Lower Manhattan was subdued and 
somber; however, the hundreds of protestors who took to the streets
surrounding ground zero were anything but.  Even though Reverend Terry
Jones of Gainesville, Florida had cancelled his so called “burn a 
Koran day” after a huge public outcry, protestors in New York were still spotted burning pages from the Koran and using them to simulate toilet paper. This was all in earshot of the family members of the 
9/11 victims who had gathered to remember the passing of their loved 
ones.
The main focus of the protestors was the ongoing debate over the 
building of The Cordoba House, a proposed Islamic center and mosque
blocks away from the former site of the World Trade Center.  A sign
reading “No Victory Mosque at Ground Zero” summarized the most vocal 
faction of those who took to the street. However, almost as many people showed up to protest the protestors. Their views were represented by signs, which stated “The attack on Islam is
racism” and “Real Americans Don’t Burn Qurans.”
Protesting is a right of every American as established by the First 
Amendment. However, September 11 is not the day to exercise this 
right; there are 364 days out of the year that are better suited. It is arrogant and foolhardy for people to think that their viewpoints are so intrinsically correct that they justify staging an even on 9/11 to cram that opinion down someone else’s throat.
There is a way to remember what was lost and what we still have while 
showing gratitude to the men and women of our Armed Forces without 
trying to find someone else to blame.
Fortunately, back in the Bay Area, there were a large number of people 
who found a more unifying, dignified way to mark the anniversary.  The 
Grace Presbyterian Church in Walnut Creek held a “Day of Unity and 
Healing” in which Muslims and Christians gathered together to mark the 
anniversary.  The multi-faith speaking panel included Atif Mian, 
president of the Oakland chapter of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community, who said that “As a Muslim-American, I see the September 11 terrorist 
attack as a direct attack on my faith.”
Possibly the most important message of the day came from Alyson Low, 
the sister of a flight attendant who died on 9/11, who told the New 
York Times that “Today is about loss.”  It seems both timely and 
disturbing that September 11 is used as a platform for people to voice 
their political opinions.  It was President George W. Bush who said in 
an address given on September 11, 2001 that, “This is a day when all 
Americans, from every walk of life, unite in our resolve for justice and 
peace.”
One must ask whether, after nine years, Americans “from every walk of 
life” are indeed standing together.  Or, are we just petty and spiteful, forgetting what it truly means to honor the memory of the 
3,497 people who died as a result of the events of 9/11?