Area ceremonies will commemorate 9-11

~ Events will be at held at fire station No. 1 and the Islamic Center in Cape Girardeau.

Americans across Southeast Missouri -- Muslim and otherwise -- will mark Monday's fifth anniversary of the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, with heartfelt prayer, sorrowful events and somber reflection.

Emergency personnel and the public will gather at 8:30 a.m. Monday at Cape Girardeau's fire station No. 1 on Sprigg Street for a brief ceremony.

The 15-minute event will include a prayer from the Rev. David Dissen, remarks from Mayor Jay Knudtson, police chief Carl Kinnison, fire chief Rick Ennis and a bell-ringing ceremony.

"The attack in New York was an attack on our entire country," Kinnison said. "From New York to Los Angeles, the shock was the same. It's something we have to remember, and I think it's important to memorialize the event."

Four hundred and seventy-nine rescue workers died helping people evacuate the World Trade Center.

On Saturday, the Islamic Center will hold a special meal that will include a prayer service, said Manal Wandi, a center member. The event is for Muslims only, she said.

"We are Americans before we are Muslim," Wandi said. "We feel we are a part of this community. Whatever happens here affects us all. We want to pray for the victims, too."

Wandi, who is originally from Palestine, said she was sad to note that Muslims are still treated differently.

"I wish no, that this was not happening," she said. "But I'm afraid it is. Some view us as a separate entity, and it shouldn't be this way. True Muslims don't support terrorism. Islam is a religion of peace and mercy. Whatever is happening is not related to Islam."

Wandi herself has not been a victim of racism, but she knows friends in bigger cities where it happens. She feels lucky to be in Cape Girardeau.

"People here are more open-minded," she said. "I've never had a bad experience here, and I've been here six years."

Still, she recalls that day five years ago with dread.

"It was terrible," she said. "I was scared, frightened. I cried. You can't tell your feelings in words. You keep crying once you see the victims. They were all innocent."

Ennis said such events are important so that the sacrifices aren't forgotten.

"What was the motto? 'We shall never forget,'" he said. "We lost a lot of good people."

People can listen in to a similar event in New York City, where KZIM radio reporters Faune Riggin and Keith Bixby will broadcast live from Ground Zero. Only 30 ABC affiliates had the opportunity and KZIM was selected, said Mississippi River Radio general manager Steve Stephenson.

"This is a once-in-a-lifetime thing," Stephenson said. "It will be something listeners will remember and tell their grandkids about."

Riggin and Bixby will broadcast from 7 a.m. until noon Monday, with access to survivors and others who will participate in the event in New York, Stephenson said.

There will be other noticeable events taking place in the area. The Veterans of Foreign Wars 3838 is putting up more than 200 American flags, and church leaders said they have no doubt churches across the area will be making special prayers into their sermons this weekend.

For Dissen, who is chaplain for the Cape Girardeau police and fire departments, it's at least partly about honoring the sacrifices of emergency responders who died that day.

"To me, it shows the heroism, it shows the valor of our firemen and policemen," Dissen said. "It also is a reminder for us not to take these blessings for granted."

smoyers@semissourian.com

335-6611, extension 137