Europe remembers

As the United States remembers the events of 10 years ago in New York, Washington and a field in rural Pennsylvania, Europeans also held commemorations in several cities, mourning those lost a decade ago and calling for new efforts toward peaceful co-existence.

In Berlin, members of the German government attended a morning interfaith service, one of several memorials held in the capital. In Paris, 25-meter replicas of the twin towers of the World Trade Center were erected near to the Eifel Tower by a group calling itself "The French will never forget."

In London families of British victims of the terrorist attacks were among 2,000 people gathered at St. Paul's Cathedral to commemorate the anniversary.

Church service

German President Christian Wulff and Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle attended a morning ecumenical service at the American Church in Berlin where Christian, Jewish, Muslim and Orthodox ministers each delivered prayers and invocations amid "paper cranes for peace" that had been hung around the church.

With Gerhard Schröder, who was chancellor at the time of the attacks, also attending, the US ambassador to Germany, Philip D. Murphy, spoke of the need for continued resilience in the face of terrorism.

"The greatest honor we can pay all those we have lost at the hands of terrorists, whether 10 years ago in New York City, or Washington DC, or Shanksville, Pennsylvania, or more recently in Bali, in Belfast, in Mumbai, Manila, Lahore and London is not to give in to hatred and prejudice or suspicion and mistrust," he said.

"That resilience is our greatest strength," he added.

While seven Germans died in the course of the September 11 attacks, the church's pastor, Stephan Kienberger, said that citizens from 90 different nations were victims of 9/11.

Interfaith remembrance

At an afternoon memorial at the Berlin's city hall, the message was one of religious unity. Reverend Scott Corwin of the International Baptist Church Berlin said that people of different religions must present a unified face 10 years after 9/11.

"That's why today people of all faiths must speak. That's why it's important today we pause to hear the one voice of true religion," he said.

His remarks were made in an introduction to the reading of sacred texts by young followers of different religions from Islam to Christianity, Hindu, Judaism and Baha'i.

"Maybe even today these texts will take root in the lives of these young people and millions of people of faith around the world," Corwin said. "And this day will mark the beginning of a movement … marked by an insurgency of divine peace."

Wearing t-shirts reading "Nein Eleven," a choir of young Germans from diverse faiths sang the song "Sweet Co-existence," which they composed especially for the event.

US Ambassador Murphy, who also at the city hall ceremony, said that Berlin and New York had been through similar struggles, and that commemoration was equally important for both cities.

"Here the Wall was torn down for the love of liberty over the love of tyranny. As we cannot let memories of the Berlin Wall fade into the history books, we cannot let the memory of September 11 fade," he said.

At 2:46 pm participants observed the global minute of silence.

A nation hit hard

London Mayor Boris Johnson unveiled a memorial sculpted from World Trade Center steel on Monday in London's Battersea Park. Britain suffered more losses in the 9/11 attacks than any other country apart from the United States.

"They were launching an attack, not just on America, but I believe on this country as well," Johnson said.

Indeed, in a recent poll conducted by Britain's New Statesman magazine, over 45 percent of British respondents said 9/11 marked the "biggest news event of their life."

Relatives of British victims joined the American ambassador, Louis Susman, at a ceremony at St. Paul's Cathedral in London. About 30 of the bereaved British families attended the remembrance ceremony, where the names of the victims were read out and a white rose laid for each one.

9/11 aftermath in Europe

While the attacks might have taken in the United States, they have left deep marks on this side of the Atlantic.

Both Britain and Germany have been deeply involved in the wars waged in Iraq and Afghanistan that came in the wake of 9/11.

According to Matthew Goodwin of the London-based think tank Chapham House, a "new security agenda" emerged in Europe as a result of 9/11, which also brought rising public anxiety about Muslim integration and immigration in Europe. Those anxieties can be seen today in many European countries.

Writer and commentator Tariq Ali, who presented a paper titled "9/11 – Ten Years After" at the Amerika Haus in Cologne on Sunday, was highly critical of Europe's reaction to the attacks and especially of its role in the wars fought in the years since.

"It's been a decade of perpetual war and all of them decided by the United States. European countries are permanent junior allies of the US and are yet again displaying their loyalty,” he told Deutsche Welle. "It's time European countries like Germany began to think for themselves."

Ali's criticism of the use of torture and rendition to fight terrorism has been echoed by many in Europe and at times, European disapproval of American tactics led to deep trans-Atlantic rifts.

Berlin Mayor Klaus Wowereit, who read the welcome address at Berlin city hall on Sunday, stressed that individual freedoms and rights should not be compromised in the fight against terrorism.

"How can we effectively act against terrorist aggression without sacrificing important civil liberties?" he asked in an interview with Deutsche Welle.

"How do we want to shape the future in such a world, the coexistence of different cultures and religions peacefully? These are questions that, especially for cities like Berlin, are of the utmost importance."

Author: Stuart Braun
Editor: Kyle James