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| Protestors destroy an American Flag at the US embassy |
September 11th is a day most Americans will associate with the Al-Queda terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center in 2001. However, yesterday, the eleventh anniversary of 9/11, was shared with tragic news. According to News Day, the U.S ambassador of Libya, Chris Stevens, was killed along with "A group of embassy employees [that] went to the consulate to try to evacuate staff as the building came under attack by a mob firing machine-guns and rocket-propelled grenades", To read more click here.
The attacks were provoked by a youtube video that ridiculed the prophet of Islam, Muhammad. The video was produced by a California filmmaker who claims he is both American and Israeli. Libyan rioters went to the embassy and burned it down with outrage over how the video depicted the sacred Muhammad. This was shocking news to the US government because there has not been a US ambassador killed since 1979. Obama has now increased security for diplomatic personal around the world.
The same day, Islamic people in Egypt protested at the US Embassy in Cairo, but nobody was killed. Several Men scaled the walls of the embassy and tore down the American flag with outrage. CNN reporter reflects on the day's events and said, "One such breach of an embassy or consulate's walls or security on any given day would be tremendous news. ... The fact that two of them happened on the same day that is the 9/11 anniversary where Americans are remembering those that we lost, you have to ask yourself, what are American officials trying to understand about this and whether or not these two are related?"
Hannah,
ReplyDeleteYou bring up a very interesting point here because the recent demonstrations in the middle east "coincidentally" started on the anniversary of 9/11. I happen to think that it is no coincidence at all and that the unrest was meant to happen on a day when Americans were thinking about our relationship with the Muslim world. The fact that American embassies were breached was a message to the United States to stop being the policemen of the world. We have embassies in virtually country and most of our troops are in the Middle East. The outrage was a symbol of the hatred that people have for our over-involvement in the lives of Middle Eastern people. While this was a tragedy, I can understand why these demonstrations took place. I really liked this post Hannah! Good work.