The Staggers

The New Statesman’s rolling politics blog

A 9/11 reader

Ten of the best articles on the tenth anniversary of the attack.

By Helen Lewis Published 11 September 2011 9:50

In the morning of September 11, 2001, 19 hijackers took control of four commercial airliners, piloting two in to the World Trade Center in Manhattan, and another into the Pentagon in Washington. The final plane, United 93, was brought down by passengers in Pennsylvania.

Some 2,977 people died as a result, as well as the 19 hijackers. To commemorate the tenth anniversary of the attacks, here are ten articles - old and new - giving a range of perspectives on those events.

1. Where were you on 9/11?

For its 9/11 special issue, the NS asked politicians, writers and other leading figures for their memories of the day. From Rory Stewart in Nepal to Stephen Evans in the World Trade Center, they provide a fascinating insight into the day that defined a generation.

2. Ten Years On: Your Memories

In recent days, The Guardian has tried a unique crowd-sourcing project, inviting readers to submit their own remembrances of the day. The result is a far more international perspective on the attacks than many other media outlets have managed.

3. Simply Evil

Christopher Hitchens's thinking was profoundly affected by the events of September 11 (more here). This is his response to the anniversary.

4. How the fear of being criminalised has forced Muslims into silence

Mehdi Hasan on the demonisation of Muslims. . .

5. "You no longer have rights"

. . . and three incredible stories of discrimination, collected by McSweeneys.

6. The Falling Man

One of the most acclaimed pieces of journalism to follow the attacks, this piece tried to trace the identity of the man pictured falling from the burning Towers.

7. Perpetual warfare

John Gray puts the attacks in a wider historical conflict, exploring the decade of conflict which began in 2001.

8. How to write a horror film and How did Hollywood handle the tragedy?

Two film critics assess the cinematic response.

9. The Twins of the Twin Towers

Of the 3,000 who died in the towers, 46 were twins. In the Daily Mail, the survivors tell their story.

10. The day that changed my city

In a moving piece, the Independent's David Usborne relives the day in Manhattan, and explores why he dreads its anniversary so much.

More from Helen Lewis

View the discussion thread.

7 comments

Mon, 2011-09-12 10:41 — swatantra

I can understand where pm is coming from. I studiously avoided listening to the news yesterday, which incidently passed by without any major incident despite the unjustified claim that it was the increased security that did it.
Yes 9/11 was a tragedy for many families, but Americans have to learn and put it behind them and move on.

Sun, 2011-09-11 17:58 — oximoron (not verified)

OMG!
why????
read this, pls!

http://smilimano.blogspot.com/2008/09/sharon-in-english.html

Thu, 2011-09-15 10:52 — Drakula

Oh yes Jim a lot of people are asking the 'whys'as well as the wherefore's.

Is it normal for humans to attack the Twin Towers, the Pentagon and the White House for no reason at all?

There is an interesting article on David Icke's site about it that raises more questions than answers.

I didn't know that the lease of the Twin Towers had changed hands only a few weeks before the attacks.

It changed from the New York Port Authority to - - - -guess who????

Tue, 2011-09-13 01:18 — Jim McFarlane (not verified)

10 years on and still nobody asks the question,"Why did it happen? Until this is properly resolved acts of terrorism are likely to happen again.

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Mon, 2011-09-12 00:33 — pm (not verified)

Seriously who the fuck cares about 9/11? Sick of seeing it absolutely everywhere.

American's die and it's supposed to be some sort of global tragedy...

Millions of Somalians die and nobody gives a fuck...

I refuse to mourn.

Tue, 2011-09-13 12:01 — Julia Harris (not verified)

17,710 Deadly terror attacks committed by Muslims in the name of Islam worldwide since 9-11 - should we ignore this figure????

Should we expect home grown Muslims to not follow in this trend???

What about Fort hood? The Shoe Bomber? The times square bomber? The muslim bomb plotters in nyc synagogue attack: “i hate jews,” “i want to kill them”

Since 1948, almost 10 million Muslims have died at the hands of fellow Muslims.....Where is the outrage over that?

As the Israeli envoy Dan Gillerman said in 2008: "When Christians kill Muslims, it's the Crusades. When Jews kill Muslims it's murder, and when Muslims kill Muslims, it's like talking about the weather. Nobody really cares about it."

And as the late Samuel P. Huntington observed: "Wherever one looks along the perimeter of Islam, Muslims have problems living peaceably with their neighbors. The question naturally rises as to whether this pattern of the late 20th century conflict between Muslim and non-Muslim groups is equally true of relations between groups from other civilizations. In fact, it is not. Muslims make up 1/5 of the world's population but in the 1990s they have been far more involved in intergroup violence than the people of any other civilization....Islam's borders are bloody, and so are its innards."