Did the US stage a lie on 9/11?

[Mark Gobell]

Comment: Did the US stage a lie on 9/11?

10 Sep 2006
Dzulkifli Razak

http://www.nst.com.my/Current_News/nst/Sunday/Columns/20060910072644/A rticle/index_html

Questions are still being raised over 9/11 and what actually transpired then. The so-called ‘war on terror’ and detention of hundreds of people have caused worldwide anger.

FIVE years after the 9/11 tragedy, some "cracks" are beginning to appear. The collapse of the World Trade Center was not as straight forward as it has been made out to be.

For one, it has spawned even more cruelty and abuse, with wide-ranging forms of punishment meted out to just anyone who qualifies under the vague label of "enemy combatants", including those who happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time.

New monuments of injustice stand out with the Abu Ghraib prison and Guantanamo detention camp as their epitome. Not to mention secret prisons where even the International Red Cross has no access.

At least two nations, Iraq and Afghanistan, have fallen victim, and are fast becoming the breeding grounds of even more terror, a clear sign of the failed wars against terrorism.

What is "terror" and "terrorism" are being blurred by the "oppressors" and "oppressed".

Senseless killings based on revenge and mere suspicions are becoming prevalent, dragging new participants and countries into the ballooning conflict. The Economist (Sept 2) dubbed it as "America’s longest war". It is already said to be the most divisive since Vietnam, with no end in sight!

Understandably, many are now getting tired of the situation, not least the Americans themselves. What started as strong support following the aftermath of the attack is now taking a reverse trend, worsening in recent times.

Arguments used to support the war have lost credibility. These are not selling any more, not only in the Muslim world but also in the West as well. The claim about hidden weapons of mass destruction turning to be one of mass deception is a case in point. It has boomeranged right back as just a pretext to pursue some hidden agenda in the Middle East, especially the supply of oil.

Since then, more "deceptions" have been uncovered, creating strain and distrust even among traditional allies.

Earlier doubts associating the 9/11 incident with a handful of youngsters bent on blowing themselves up are beginning to resurface. Only this time, it was backed by even more convincing evidence and better storylines as to why 9/11 actually took place. New voices are adding to the discontent and providing alternative slants to the event.

The recent issue of OIC Today (Volume prominently makes this the subject of its cover story entitled: "Did 9/11 really happen?"

It noted that the "shroud of lies has fallen one by one" since Sept 11 five years ago. In fact, a different picture is emerging given "too many people who have spoken against the evidence laid by the government".

Petitions are being filed to re-open the case and pressure is mounting on the US to "let the truth out". This is backed by many other parties, including the 911 Omission Commission. The scepticism raised in the cover story was whether the World Trade Center collapse was due to "jet fuel". Or was it bombed from inside, the same way useless buildings are brought down in the US? Another: Did the US stage a lie that has helped only Washington in the entire process of waging a war against Islam which it called the war against terror?

An organisation called Judicial Watch (http://www.judicialwatch.org) is taking it further by calling for the immediate release of the full Pentagon surveillance tapes, of which only five frames have been released thus far, noted the cover story. The Watch is also demanding the release of the video tape seized by FBI agents minutes after the Pentagon was hit. So too are thousands of photographs and video footage taken by private photographers and now held by the authorities.

In a blockbuster DVD entitled 911 in Plane Site — The Director’s Cut (2004), more questions were posed. For example, in the aftermath of 9/11, it was reported that a giant crater had been made in the front lawn of the Pentagon as the result of a powerful airliner crash. Allegedly, however, photographic evidence taken only a few moments after the event shows no wreckage on the lawn of the Pentagon. Where is the plane? Why no skid marks? No crater?

More interestingly, the DVD inquired as to why there were numerous reports of explosions going off in and around the WTC before any building had collapsed.

Why were the reports of bombs found at the WTC not made public? There are also reports of a bright flash seen on the right side of the plane just before impact on both the North Tower and the South Tower, as captured on video by at least five cameras, including those belonging to renowned news agencies. What are these?

In short, until there are satisfactory and credible explanations to these "new" queries, the level of scepticism will be more widespread as the loss of innocent lives continues.

Hundreds and thousands have been rounded up and subjected to de-humanising treatment. If the intention is to avenge the lives of those wasted on that fateful day, we have far surpassed the required number many times.

If the intention is to put a stop to any new terrorist attacks, the current chaos tells us that there must be a fundamental shift on how the issue is handled.

What 9/11 is beginning to look like today is that there is a "terrorist plot" built on so-called hatred for the US. The ensuing war on terror too is more than just a forward strategy for freedom and democracy, as we have been made to believe all along.

As the saying goes, you cannot fool all the people all the time. We urgently need to stop fooling around with the lives of the innocents so that this can be halted altogether soon. But all the same, we must offer condolences to those who have lost their loved ones due to the follies of some people. May they find truth and peace, as we struggle to do the same in this world.

The writer is vice-chancellor of Universiti Sains Malaysia. He can be contacted at vc@usm.com.my.