Did Bangladesh Remember Its Own Dead In the 9/11 Attack of 2001?

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The Twin Towers of the World Trade Centre
in New York under plane attack on September 11, 2001
Photo courtesy: www.bnp.org.uk/

I didn’t see news of any remembrance or even a public message of the Government of Bangladesh on the tenth anniversary of the deadly plane attacks on the soil of the U.S.A. I even didn’t see any news of Bangladesh paying tribute to its own citizens killed in the same attack on the World Trade Centre in New York on that day. If Bangladesh missed this opportunity to remember its own dead or to speak against terrorism, it speaks volumes about its thoughtfulness and seriousness of its intention for fighting terrorism.

A number of countries around the world officially remembered the dead in New York and paid tribute to them, including their own citizens who had fallen victim to the dastardly plane attack on common people in the twin towers.

Pope Benedict XVI, while in Ancona, Italy, prayed for the 9/11 victims and their families. He also said: “I invite the leaders of nations and men of goodwill to reject violence always as a solution to problems, to resist the temptation to hate and to work within society based on the principles of solidarity, justice and peace.”

In the four plane terrorist attacks on that day, a total of 2,996 people were dead – among them 2,977 were the victims and 19 were jihadist terrorists influenced by Osama bin Laden, the founder-leader of the Al-Qaeda. Citizens of about 80 countries, including the U.S.A., were among the victims. No one is sure about the exact number of Bangladeshis and Bangladeshi-Americans who were killed in the attacks.

Why Bangladesh Should Remember Its Own Dead

• September 11 of every year is a good occasion to pay tribute to the dead, including Bangladeshis.

• It is an occasion to remind the country men and women about the viciousness of terrorism in whatever form it may come.

• It’s a time to express solidarity with the world in fighting terrorism in its own soil.