Hakan Yavuz believes the U.S. government continues to contribute to the increase of anti-Americanism throughout the world, especially in Europe.
The Hinckley Institute of Politics hosted a panel discussion, where four U professors from different departments discussed issues of lessons learned from the events and implications of society's response to the attacks.
During the panel discussion, titled "9/11: America a Year After," Yavuz, associate professor of history, said it appears the U.S. Government has not learned the lessons it should have from the attacks.
Philipos Savvides, adjunct instructor of political science, said since the events of Sept. 11, many other issues have been overlooked due to the increased emphasis on the war on terrorism.
"We have other issues in this country such as health care, environment, women's issues and other very important problems that are not being addressed as heavily due to the focus of our so-called war on terrorism," Savvides said.
Savvides also addressed the issue on an international level.
"If we want the rest of the world to support us in this, then we need to begin by assisting countries regarding other global issues such as the environment," he said.
John Francis, political science professor, spoke more in-depth on the topic of worldwide unity.
"Americans have already come together as a nation. We realized early on that the attacks affected every group in our society," Francis said.
He noted the acceptance Americans have shown for Muslims, and he wants that attitude to spread.
"As one of the most diverse societies on the planet, we need to begin to develop the same model of inclusivity internationally," he said.
Although most of the panel agreed the visibility of Muslims in society is growing, some members of the panel said many Muslims have since been wrongly targeted as possible terrorist threats, which has violated their basic human rights.
"The media today has contributed to the dehumanization of the U.S. Muslim community, which has added to views of European anti-Americanism," Yavuz said. "Even our attorney general, John Ashcroft, said 'Christianity sends their men to die, Islam sends their men to kill us.' With that overall mentality, Washington, D.C. has shown America how some government officials view Muslims."
Savvides spoke briefly on the topic of patriotic censorship in the media by the government, which has not yet disappeared.
"Negative things said against the government and president after Sept. 11 were censored as much as possible. A year later we can still see traces of that censorship," Savvides said.
Dan Levin, assistant professor of political science, agreed with Yavuz on the topic of violation of human rights.
"We have people being held for immigration violations, much of it is closed to the press, so the general public is not aware. There is also less authority needed for search warrants and court decisions are not questioned as much," Levin said.
Some speakers suggested possible ways to approach the problem of terrorism, beginning with a debate on U.S. and Saudi Arabian relations.
"It's important to look at our relationship with Saudi Arabia, because 16 of the 18 terrorists involved in the attacks were from that country," Yavuz said.
He also emphasized the need for communication throughout society about future military actions against all countries.
"We also need to initiate a bigger debate about Iraq—if we do decide to attack them, it will not solve anything. What will happen after Saddam Hussein is killed?"
The Hinckley Institute will host another panel discussion today, "Surviving 9/11: Where Do We Go From Here," at noon. Speakers include a survivor from Sept. 11 and an Olympic security coordinator.
czhang@chronicle.utah.edu
