Just about anyone who was old enough to comprehend the September 11 attacks remembers where they were when they heard the news. The gravity of the event began to sink in as people released the pivotal moment in history they were living.
Truly, 9/11 was a global event with global repercussions. Not just Americans have vivid memories of the Twin Towers falling to the ground, but many Arabs either witnessed the attacks on television or have first-hand felt the repercussions of the “War on Terror” in the past 15 years.
To commemorate the 15 year anniversary of the deadly attacks, some Twitter users in the Middle East tweeted under the hashtag ” #كيف_عرفت_بهجمات_١١_سبتمبر” (“How did you learn of the September 11th attacks?”) to share memories - and observations - about the attacks in New York.
Many Arabic-speaking tweeters commented on the political ramifications of the conflict, noting how it forever changed the world and the Middle East.
ليس مهماً كيف عرفنا بها .. بل ماذا عرفنا بعدها ؟ تحول العالم الى ساحة مقامرة .. دم الانسان هو العملة الارخص فيها! #كيف_عرفت_بهجمات_١١_سبتمبر
— ايمان الحمود (@imankais1) September 11, 2016
It’s not important how we learned about it, but what we learned afterwards. The world transformed into a game to be gambled on, with blood being the cheapest currency!
One user brought up Saudi Arabia, who despite being a strong ally of the US, has come under fire for its possible role in the 9/11 attacks.
#كيف_عرفت_بهجمات_١١_سبتمبر هجمات سبتمبر دفع ثمنها ...سوريا والعراق .والجاني السعودية تنعم بحصانة امريكية
— El buen árbol (@buen_arbol) September 11, 2016
The price has been paid for the September 11th attacks… Syria and Iraq. And the perpetrator, Saudi Arabia, enjoys immunity from the Americans.
A large number of Twitter users shared their memories of the attacks and how the scenes of chaos stuck with them.
#كيف_عرفت_بهجمات_١١_سبتمبر بالرغم اني كنت طفلة لكن مشهد سقوط البرج في الأخبار مازال عالق في ذهني وسؤالي لامي حينها بكل براءة "ليش صدموه؟"
— نَـيّرة (@p_n101) September 11, 2016
Even though I was a kid, the scene of the towers falling is still stuck in my memory. Along with the question I innocently asked my mom: “Why did they [the planes] hit it?”
#كيف_عرفت_بهجمات_١١_سبتمبر اول مافتحت التلفزيون وكان قبل اصطدام الطائرة الثانية بلحظات
— Ⓜoon (@m00200n2) September 11, 2016
حسيت انه حلم ،مو من الصدمة
إني شهدت حدث قوي في حياتي
I turned on the TV just before the second plane hit, I felt like it was a dream. Not from shock, but that I witnessed a massive event in my lifetime.
اسوء شي حدث في ذالك اليوم وهو سقوط البرج على رجال الدفاع المدني ..
— عبدالله بن السواح (@2fl6l6) September 11, 2016
#كيف_عرفت_بهجمات_١١_سبتمبر pic.twitter.com/sfuxiOXUYd
The worst thing that happened was when the tower fell on the firefighters...
There were also a fair share of “truthers”, or those who claim that the US government or Israel conspired to take down the World Trade Center and blame it on Muslims.
#كيف_عرفت_بهجمات_١١_سبتمبر
— عبدالله فرحات (@AbdullahFarahat) September 11, 2016
قصدكم الفيلم الأمريكي ؟
طبعاً معروف كل الأفلام يتم عرضها عن طريق التلفاز بس هذي المرة عالهوا مباشرة
You mean the American movie? Of course it’s known that movies are shown on TV, but this film was shown on air and live.
Some tweets were puzzling, like those that shared a video clip from American cartoon “Johnny Bravo” and claimed it held some sort of cryptic message about the upcoming attacks.
عرضت في الرسوم المتحركة قبل وقوعها
— شَاَكِر فَرّاَنْ ™ (@ShakerFarran) September 11, 2016
ف #لا_ننخدع
#كيف_عرفت_بهجمات_١١_سبتمبر pic.twitter.com/OeyyWLOK8C
It was shown in cartoons before it happened, #we_aren’t_deceived.
Fifteen years later and memories of the September 11 attacks are still fresh in the US, the Middle East and beyond.
