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PENTAGON ATTACK
We all remember that fateful day, but few of us know what really happened when Flight 77 slammed into the Pentagon, forcing ordinary men and women into the most extraordinary circumstances of their lives.
Through eyewitness accounts, track the 757 as it descended to within 3,000 feet of the White House, banked over the Potomac River, made a sharp turn and headed straight for the Pentagon, knocking down lamp poles and street signs as it flew. Nearly 200 people lost their lives that day, and hundreds more were injured. Yet amidst the shock and sorrow, the triumph of the human spirit shone through. Hear from a worker in the Army’s Accounting Office, whose unplanned meeting on another floor took her away from her normal workspace – and saved her life. Meet Lt. Col. Marilyn Wills, who wrung precious drops of water from her sweater – drenched by the building’s sprinklers – into the mouths of gasping victims as she crawled from the rubble. And follow the men and women of the Fairfax County Urban Search & Rescue team, who – when reports came in that a second aircraft was headed for the Pentagon – were torn between saving their own lives and continuing their search efforts. From the testimonies of survivors, rescuers and those who lost loved ones, discover the untold stories of heroism – and tragedy – behind the attack on the Pentagon.
Searching for the Roots of 9/11
Join three-time Pulitzer Prize-winning New York Times columnist Thomas L. Friedman as he tries to answer two of the most puzzling questions to come out of 9/11: What drove 19 young, middle-class Muslim men to give up their lives to murder almost 3,000 people? And – perhaps more important – why does their violent act elicit so much support from millions of ordinary Muslims throughout the world?
The answers lie deep in the Middle East, where the contradictory feelings of so many Muslims are laid bare: deep admiration for America’s freedom and standard of living, combined with profound anger at what they see as our arrogant behavior in that part of the world. Travel to Indonesia and Qatar where Muslim students bristle at the notion of increased U.S. support for Israeli violence against Palestinians, and yet gleefully express their eagerness to enroll in American universities. Watch as Friedman – who boasts 25 years of experience reporting on the Muslim world – debates a radical Palestinian on Al Jazeera television, then takes viewers on a grim walk through the streets of the very same Cairo neighborhood that produced Mohammad Atta – the leader of the September 11 attacks.
And, yet, change is afoot. Journey to the tiny Arab nation of Bahrain where a free, parliamentary election is underway – complete with women candidates – and meet the editors of an independent newspaper that’s free from government censorship. Friedman’s investigative work reveals that there is a true and undeniable yearning for freedom in the Muslim world. Could it be that the most profound effects of 9/11 will be felt – not in America – but in the Middle East, where the shock waves released since those two towers went down have jump started an urgent conversation about reconciling Islam with democracy?
TERROR’S CHILDREN
In recent years, hundreds of thousands of Afghan refugees have crossed the border into Pakistan – most of them children – fleeing the war on terror that still bristles in their homeland. But growing up in refugee camps, crushed by poverty in a foreign country, their lives are yet filled with violence, hate and terror.
Join filmmaker Sharmeen Obaid – a young Pakistani woman educated in the U.S. – as she returns to Karachi, Pakistan with camera in tow and follow the troubled lives of seven displaced Afghani children who fled to Karachi after September 11. With unprecedented access to camps, markets and Islamic religious schools (madrassas) where few Westerners are welcome, discover young boys and girls forced to bear the responsibilities of grown men and women – but who are, at heart, still just kids.
Set on the frenetic, unforgiving streets of Pakistan’s most congested city, Obaid’s tale presents poignant stories of the aftermath of war, the division of loyalties and the hardening of the spirit – and raises questions about whether the harsh conditions in Pakistan may be a breeding ground for a new generation of terrorists. Says Obaid, “The world should know that while the war on terrorism continues, there is an entire generation of Afghani children growing up in refugee camps and madrassas in Pakistan who are desperate and frustrated. In 10 to 20 years, if they fall into bad company, these will be the next generation of terrorists.”