in my beloved country this week from South Africa, which I have come to call home, has forced me to reflect on these catastrophic events in a way that is probably different from most of my fellow citizens living back home.
While on the one hand millions of people around the world are horrified by what has befallen the United States, at the same time there are people around the world who are elated by what has happened.
The US is undoubtedly the most powerful country on earth, created around the highest ideals of freedom, justice and equality. Unfortunately there are very many people around the world who do not aspire to these ideals, or else may not feel that the US represents them as fully as it so often claims.
As a guest in South Africa I have tried to keep my patriotism under wraps for the more than 20 years I have lived here. Today, however, I believe that Americans across the globe must first and foremost rally behind their flag, as our government acts to protect what our country holds dear.
At the same time, I hope Americans at home will take time to fully examine the issues that have caused so much hatred to grow.
We need to understand why so many people on this planet find it hard to agree with the positions and actions the country takes.
Whether it may be the appearance of ducking the legacy of slavery or the fact that we’re backing an unpopular cause in the Middle East, the simple fact is that it is no longer possible for Americans to feel safe on a planet where so many of the world’s people feel nothing but hostility towards us.
Every generation of Americans living in the past century faced some enormous challenge. The reduction of hatred across this planet offers this latest generation of American children, coming of age in the 21st century, one of the greatest challenges ever. Mary R Tomlinson, Johannesburg
The attacks on the United States should come as no surprise. The Islamic Jihad has been at work at this for more than nine years.
America can blame only herself for 15 years of complacency, and 10 years of tolerating Middle Eastern Arab inhumanity.
I only hope that the US will “Remember the Alamo” and “Remember Pearl Harbour” and visit justice and retribution to those whom we know deserve it. Moreno Franco, via e-mail
It is not surprising that the foremost question in everyone’s mind is who is responsible for this carnage.
We are concerned that the old mantra by Israeli propagandists which equate terrorism with Islam may be used by the media to speculate.
This is extremely dangerous for it has the potential to fuel Islamophobia and incite anti-Muslim hate crimes.
We remind the media, as well as political commentators and government officials, not to rush to judgement as had happened during the Oklahoma City bombing.
We call on all news agencies to display a sense of responsibility by interrogating information for accuracy and facts.
We are especially perturbed by the fact that since the Muslim terrorist image has been made the basis of American foreign policy, uncritical acceptance of FBI reports likely to blame Muslims may undermine media integrity.
We share the grief of the families of the victims. Iqbal Jassat and Firoz Osman, Media Review Network