In 1941, the United States of America was attacked by an enemy, galvanizing the entire nation to fight against evil. Within less than 4 years, the then-figurehead of the enemy chose to surrender unconditionally. Evil was crushed. Goodwill by the victor won over the vanquished. Peace followed in most Western countries for six decades.
In 2001, the USA was once again attacked – by a different kind of enemy. It has been nearly 14 years since the 9/11 attack, and there is no end in sight.
To most Americans, both attacks came as a complete surprise. As a daughter of the former enemy, I know the historical reason why the Pearl Harbor attack happened. Today, as a naturalized U.S. citizen, I have been trying to understand the fundamental reason why the Twin-Tower attack happened.
Listed, below, are similarities and differences between the two surprise attacks that have been swirling in my head.
| Began | Dec. 7, 1941 | Sep. 11, 2001 |
| Attacker | Japanese | Muslim Extremists |
| Attackers’ national origin | Japan | Muslim-dominated countries |
| Primary target | Military base, Pearl Harbor, Hawaii | Non-military buildings – Twin Towers – New York City, New York |
| Affected areas | Asia and the USA | Worldwide |
| Historical reason behind the attack | 1853: Arrival of American black ships “prying open Japan’s door for trade by force.” | Theocratic belief that all infidels must be eliminated.
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| Use of religion | Hijacked Shinto-ism, a peaceful religion, to justify action. |
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| Attacks in the making | For 70 years since 1871 (when Imperial Japanese Army was created), stemming from black ships’ arrival. | For 1400 years
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| Method | Soldiers trained to fight to the death in the name of the Emperor. (Prior to surrender, women and children were also being trained to fight to the death.) | Terrorists – including women and children – trained to fight to the death in the name of Allah. |
| At stake | Peaceful co-existence of peoples. | Civilization as we have known it. |
| Conflict duration | Less than 4 years. | After 14 years, no end in sight. |
| How it ends | Unconditional surrender. | Yet to be determined. |
A recent article indicates that China is making major moves to ban Islam throughout the country. Having grown up in the East, it would not surprise me if Japan were to follow suit. Both China and Japan have a long history, going back thousands of years before Christ, both much older than that of Islam. It appears that, for the most part, Muslims co-existed peacefully with the rest of the population in China; and likewise with the small population of Muslims in Japan. I sense that, in the whole scheme of things, relatively few bad apples – the violent extremists, who make big news around the world – are about to ruin the lives of the rest of the Muslims as well.
My level of understanding may be premature at this point but I believe one thing is for sure. Regardless of the reason behind their actions, those who commit crimes against humanity by indiscriminately killing innocent civilians must be crushed swiftly and completely – in order for peace to return to the civilized world.
