REMEMBRANCES OF 9/11 AND MOVING AHEAD

posted by Michael Chihak

Contemporary generations of Americans will remember Sept. 11, 2001 in the same way our oldest living generation recalls Dec. 6, 1941.

9/11, another "day that will live in infamy," is still fresh in mind and heart. Several Arizonans whose lives were intertwined with the events of that day and their aftermath, talked with us about how life has changed for them, about tolerance and about the uncertainty in our world.

Rana Singh Sodhi, a Mesa restaurateur whose brother Balbir was murdered at his Mesa gasoline station four days after 9/11 when he was mistaken for being Muslim, says he lives the memory of his brother by working to educate others about different religions and people.

And Singh Sodhi says he doesn't want to live in fear because his Sikh religion requires that he wear a turban and a beard. The United States affords religious freedom, and that is why he is here.

"I take off my turban for a little while -- I'm safe? No," Sodhi says. "The other side: There are hate crime victims who do not have a turban. But their skin color: How do you change your skin color?"

Also on the program will be John Kavanagh, an elected member of the Arizona House of Representatives who is a retired New York-New Jersey Port Authority police detective. Port Authority officers involved in the rescue efforts at the World Trade Center were his colleagues, and he knew many who died.

Maqsood Ahmad, chair of the Board of Trustees of the Islamic Center of Tucson, and Samuel Cohon, senior rabbi at Tucson's Temple Emanu-El, appear together, discussing their efforts to unite the community and maintain peace in the days after 9/11.

Watch at 8:30 p.m. MST PBS-HD-6 or online at azweek.com.