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OSAMA BIN LADEN: NEVER FORGET?

 

An editorial on the controversey surrounding the 9/11 Memorial Musuem.

Osama Bin Laden and the 19 hijackers involved in the 9/11 terrorist attacks: to forget or not to forget?  That is the question posed when considering whether or not to include the faces of these terrorists in the soon-to-be-completed National September 11 Memorial Museum.  Though many believe making these images a part of the museum would “demean” the memories of those lost, it is my firm belief that they must be shown.

 

Whether or not you can personally relate to these attacks, we are all somehow connected to this infamous day.  This tragedy holds itself not only on a personal level, but also on a national, and even global level.  According to CBS New York, as of December 29th, 2011, more than one million visitors of all backgrounds have paid homage to the Ground Zero memorial that currently resides where the mighty Twin Towers once stood.  While controversial, in my opinion the faces of these criminals must be included in order to tell the whole story of what really happened on that unforgettable day. 

 

In reference to Lesley Stahl’s 60 Minutes segment on the memorial museum, “the most powerful things on display won’t be physical artifacts.”  Indeed, this museum is unique in that it will be an artifact in itself.  Along with tangible relics like “the survival staircase,” artifacts such as voicemails left by passengers from the hijacked planes and pictures of victims jumping from the Twin Towers will also

by Genni Abilock

be shown.  However, due to the emotional impact the items may have on its viewers, these components of the museum are to be set-aside in an alcove, in order to make them easily avoidable, if need be.  In regards to this, why then, couldn’t the images of the terrorists be placed within this alcove, or a similar area?  This way, if people did not want to see the faces of these men, they would not have to.  Similarly, if people are so affected by this event that they are unable to view these images, should they even be going into the museum in the first place?  Should these visitors solely remain at the above ground memorial?  These are the questions that must be asked when finalizing this memorial museum.

 

Like so many other families and individuals affected by this horrific tragedy, I strongly believe that this event must be remembered, no matter how terrible the memories surrounding it may be.  Though the memory of September 11th still remains a festering wound for millions, unfortunately as the years continue to pass this trauma will eventually become a faint scar, soon to be nothing more than bland text in a chapter of a boring American history textbook.  How can we possibly keep the memory alive?  Through the pictures of the murderers who took the lives of over 3,000 innocent men, women, and children on that tragic day.  In order to keep the emotions strong, you must know the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth, regardless of how bad it may be.  

 

According to 60 Minutes’ Lesley Stahl “by the time the museum opens it doors next year, virtually no one under the age of 17 will have a firsthand memory of 9/11…for almost a quart-

-er of the population, 9/11 will not be a searing memory, it will be something to learn about in a museum.” We must not let this happen.  This museum should serve not only serve as a means of reflection, but should also provide knowledge and bring emotion to future generations, generations who will one day have no memory of 9/11.  Though controversial, I believe in the end putting pictures of Osama Bin Laden and the other terrorists will help keep the morale strong and the memory alive.  Never forget.

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