September 11 will surely be a day that none of us ever forget. The collapse of our nation's financial center represented the loss of our generation's innocence and peace of mind. We thought we were untouchable, a strong economic dynamo that no one would dare challenge. Osama bin Laden's mission proved us wrong. His carefully planned suicide missions destroyed our sense of security and transformed the financial capital of the world into a morgue. As time passes, we try to move on but never forget.
More than 3 weeks after that fatal day, I opened the New York Times to note the usual plethora of articles about bin Laden and the investigations that follow. What I didn't expect to see was an article relating to Tufts. There it was, in black and white. Our most prestigious Fletcher School had accepted $300,000 dollars from a relative of bin Laden in the early 1990s. My first reaction was to feel anger and embarrassment. How could Tufts accept money from someone affiliated with such hateful acts?
As I thought more about it, I realized I was being oversensitive, as we all tend to be during a time of crisis. My initial overriding emotions were soon overcome by my logic. Osama bin Laden did not donate any money to Tufts. His half-brother, Abdullah bin Laden, whos denounced any support or relationship with Osama, donated the money. As Professor Hess noted in the Times, "...Osama Bin Laden is not only unwelcome in their family but is engaged in destroying their business opportunities."
Osama bin Laden is an enemy of his own family, an apparent black sheep. They cannot control his actions. He is a hateful, angry man who is relentless in his quest to destroy the West. Abdullah bin Laden, however, is a respected United States resident and a graduate of Harvard Law School.
We should not be too quick to judge people that we know very little about. The United States is built on foundations of acceptance and tolerance. How can we be so quick to judge Abdullah bin Laden simply due to name recognition? The entire bin Laden family has been estranged from Osama for some time, and some of them happen to reside in the Boston area. Does that mean we should kick down their doors and send them back to the Middle East? I think not. They have not given us any reason to doubt their good intentions.
During times of crisis, increased sensitivity tends to be a prevalent theme. Bill Maher was nearly fired for "implying" that the military was cowardly. In fact, he wasn't saying that all. Regardless of his intentions, he was forced to endure scrutiny and apologize publicly numerous times.
The fact is, people are angry, confused, and most of all they feel helpless. This helplessness creates frustration and anger that builds up. People are looking to point the finger at anyone remotely involved with bin Laden in order to vent this frustration and make themselves feel in control of their lives once again. But we need to remember that blaming the wrong people will get us nowhere.
Andrew Hess, a well-respected professor at the Fletcher School, sets this example. What better mentor could we have to make such a decision? Abdullah bin Laden met professor Hess at a conference in Boston and most generously agreed to donate money in order to benefit the Asian and Islamic studies. Abdullah bin Laden donated this money in order to broaden the perspective of the Fletcher students.
Perhaps we should take Abdullah bin Laden's example and remember that although we've been through a most horrendous tragedy, we must remain in control of our decisions and think logically before jumping to conclusions. It's the only way we can remain united as a country through this most trying time in American history.
Amy Goldman is a sophomore majoring in economics.
