September 11 2011 Sunday
9/11: Looking to the west from the east...
I remember this very clear.
I was a new graduate from the university. I had some problems in my military service records and I were trying to fix it. In Bursa (my home city near Istanbul), I were in Military Service Office and dealing with the bureaucratic procedures to correct my records.
The office was running really slow that day. They sent a fax to the other office that holds my records and we were waiting the response for hours.
It was around 4pm and instantly, there were an activity in the office. Soldier officers were running around, making phone calls, doors were closing and one came in and finalized all of the paper work in the queue in 15 minutes. I was very surprized at the moment.
Then I got back to the car and as I started the radio, first thing I heard was "Incredible! the second plane crashed on the skyscraper!". At the short moment, I just thought this may be a joke. As a country living the terror for decades, we don't even imagine that kind of attack into the heart of economics, corporation and the globalization. I was shocked and unable to drive for a couple of minutes. I canceled my plans to return home and gone to my parents' home to see what's going on in Newyork. Minutes later, I realized my parents were in Glascow and worried about their return.
The aftershock was the restlesness about the future. We are a modern secular country but misknown as an Islamic republic. Now many western countries will position Turkish people as a terrorist, or one of THEM. The world will split the people as WE's and 'THEY's.
It happens, I feel it. I have to prove that I am a rich, independent businessman to go to any western countries in the world, called 'VISA'... Every officers in the borderline asking me silly questions to find a reason to search over my baggage, in case there is an hidden bomb inside my laptop case.
Killers are not born as killers. From the far-east to far-west, politicians, governments and corporates created those killers. And part of our votes, incapability of reaction and selfishness is responsible...
All victims of all kinds of terror will be remembered with deep sadness...
I was a new graduate from the university. I had some problems in my military service records and I were trying to fix it. In Bursa (my home city near Istanbul), I were in Military Service Office and dealing with the bureaucratic procedures to correct my records.
The office was running really slow that day. They sent a fax to the other office that holds my records and we were waiting the response for hours.
It was around 4pm and instantly, there were an activity in the office. Soldier officers were running around, making phone calls, doors were closing and one came in and finalized all of the paper work in the queue in 15 minutes. I was very surprized at the moment.
Then I got back to the car and as I started the radio, first thing I heard was "Incredible! the second plane crashed on the skyscraper!". At the short moment, I just thought this may be a joke. As a country living the terror for decades, we don't even imagine that kind of attack into the heart of economics, corporation and the globalization. I was shocked and unable to drive for a couple of minutes. I canceled my plans to return home and gone to my parents' home to see what's going on in Newyork. Minutes later, I realized my parents were in Glascow and worried about their return.
The aftershock was the restlesness about the future. We are a modern secular country but misknown as an Islamic republic. Now many western countries will position Turkish people as a terrorist, or one of THEM. The world will split the people as WE's and 'THEY's.
It happens, I feel it. I have to prove that I am a rich, independent businessman to go to any western countries in the world, called 'VISA'... Every officers in the borderline asking me silly questions to find a reason to search over my baggage, in case there is an hidden bomb inside my laptop case.
Killers are not born as killers. From the far-east to far-west, politicians, governments and corporates created those killers. And part of our votes, incapability of reaction and selfishness is responsible...
All victims of all kinds of terror will be remembered with deep sadness...
