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Please note: The above video contains graphic images from the World Trade Center attack on September 11th, 2001.

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I will never forget the shock I felt on 9/11/01. I was about to walk out the door for the office when the CBS morning show cut into footage from a burning World Trade Center. I instinctively reacted with - terrorists have flown a plane into the building. Bryant Gumble tried to downplay the importance of what was happening by referring to the crash as coming from a small private aircraft. But I knew better, I knew it was a commercial aircraft and I knew what kind of person was responsible.

Immediately I called my family in New York to warn them they were under attack. The second plane had not hit yet, but as I said, I instinctively knew there was more to come. Soon three other jets crashed; one into the South tower at the WTC, one into the Pentagon and a fourth into a field in Pennsylvania.

As a frequent traveler, I could empathize with the fear the passengers felt as they realized they were being flown into buildings. Visualizing what it must have been like still causes me to shake. I can see how it was possible for terrorists to take control of the planes. I often sat in first class, so I knew upon take off the curtain between the first class cabin and the main cabin was drawn shut to block the view and give the first class passengers privacy. Many times the cockpit door was left open until the very moment the wheels lifted off the ground. And at that time of day, first class would have been nearly empty. If a terrorist sliced a flight attendants throat open in view of any passengers in first class, those passengers would most likely have gone into shock upon seeing blood spurt with every heart beat, possibly right at them, and pink frothy bubbles gurgling out of the victims open throat as they gasped for their last breath.

As the day wore on, the phones went down in New York. I felt blind and panicky; but, not hopeless. I cursed at the people who did this. And wondered: Where is our President? The only source of communication was what I could read on the Internet, hear on the radio or watch on TV.

A week later I drove from Florida to New York to celebrate the Jewish New Year with my family. It was a somber holiday to say the least. Much of my route went through rural areas; so there weren’t many radio stations. It seemed as though the only broadcasts I could get were from National Public Radio. For 1,000 miles my husband and I listened to people calling into NPR from all over the country, reaffirming their support for the people in New York, Washington DC and Pennsylvania. As I drove up and down the road, so did my emotions; roller coasting from overwhelming sadness to utter rage.

Truthfully, I cried most of the way. When I arrived in New York, I saw the memorials in front of every firehouse. An outpouring of candles, flowers, cards, stuffed bears, photographs…oh the photographs of the lost and missing…I can’t recall ever feeling such deep sadness over such unnecessary loss of life.

All regular programming had been preempted by the tragedy of 9/11 throughout the week. We were shown brave images of rescue workers searching the rubble for survivors and of family members searching the streets, hospitals, and morgues, hoping to find their loved ones – dead or alive – just to find something.

I will never forget the sympathy from around the world as nearly every nation poured out their grief and support for America. Messages from people on the street and world leaders being shown on TV from England, France, Germany, Russia, China, Australia, Japan – nation after nation speaking out against the scum that carried out this horrific mission.

With a single resounding voice, we all asked: How could such a tragedy possibly occur? Everyone but…

News footage, as shown above from the West Bank, was far from sympathetic. Instead, it disgusted me. Palestinian’s were shown cheering and passing around candy after hearing the WTC collapsed under the force of gravity after being struck by two commercial aircraft which compromised its structure. CHEERING! Men, women, children – young children – were all cheering and praising Allah…all were filled with joy upon hearing and seeing of the attack. On one video a Palestinian remarked, “This is a sweet from Osama bin Laden.”

I will never forget the attacks on September 11th, 2001. Or the sight of people jumping from the WTC and the sound their bodies made as they exploded from hitting the ground. But I also, will never forget those cheers. Cheers I was sure would make the world wake up to the understanding of what separates Islam from humanity.

Unfortunately, few listened and fewer remember…