On September 11, 2001, the two towers of the World Trade Center in New York were attacked by planes carrying terrorists. The towers completely collapsed, killing nearly 3,000 people. It was the largest act of international organized terrorism in history, after which politics and security around the world changed forever.

The Scale of the Tragedy

The September 11 attack claimed about 3,000 lives. Ordinary people worked in the towers — office employees from various firms and companies, not soldiers, not intelligence agents, not politicians. These were ordinary citizens going about their daily work.

The collapse of the skyscrapers made an enormous impression on the entire world. Footage of the towers falling was broadcast on every news channel and left a deep mark on the memory of millions of people.

Consequences for Politics and Security

After September 11, 2001, the world changed completely. The United States began actively pursuing those involved in the attack, opened the Guantanamo prison, launched an enormous number of military operations, and hunted down everyone even indirectly connected to the assault.

This single attack affected the lives of billions of people. Loud, striking acts of terrorism can change countries and politics not for years, but for centuries.

The Role of Fanaticism and Its Consequences

The people who carried out this attack were fanatics. Their actions placed an enormous stigma on all Muslims and on people of certain nations and religions. These people apparently thought that after the attack, America would surrender, submit, or begin to respect them. However, the result was exactly the opposite.

The attack achieved no political goals. Instead, it led to the persecution and discrimination of entire groups of people who had nothing to do with terrorism.

Why Violence Is Ineffective

Terrorists shouting about jihad and appealing to religious principles will never be taken seriously after such acts. Proving one’s rightness and one’s ideas must be done in a legal, normal arena — by showing one’s political system, order, and explaining why life according to the principles they propose would be better.

If people want everyone to live by their rules — whether religious commandments or a political system — they must demonstrate that it is fair, that it is not barbaric, that it does not violate human rights, and that a person living by such rules would only benefit. Instead, violence proves the opposite.

The Legacy of the Tragedy

A small group of people changed the lives of billions. Those who carried out the attack, and people who are perceived as representatives of the same religion or nation, now suffer the most. This is the heaviest price for the actions of extremists.

The September 11 attack is a horrific tragedy that truly changed the world and showed how destructive the actions of fanatics are for everyone involved with them or associated with them.