On Sept. 11, 2025, Arab media outlets marked the 24th anniversary of the attacks on the United States with a mixture of commemoration, analysis and political framing. From Gulf dailies focusing on memorial rituals in New York to critical commentary warning of entrenched bias against Muslims, coverage revealed how the memory of 9/11 is refracted through differing editorial lenses nearly a quarter-century on.
In the Gulf press, remembrance was foregrounded. On Sept. 11, 2025, Asharq Al-Awsat ran a feature titled “أبناء وأحفاد قتلى هجمات 11 سبتمبر يُحيون الذكرى في نيويورك” (“Children and grandchildren of 9/11 victims commemorate in New York”). Reporting from the memorial plaza, the paper described how rituals have been passed down through generations:
«سيتناوب أقارب الضحايا على ترتيل أسماء مَن رحلوا… إنهم أبناء وأحفاد الذين فُقِدوا في الهجمات… ليؤدوا رسالة الوفاء نفسها.»
(“Relatives of the victims will take turns reading the names of those who died … They are the children and grandchildren of those lost in the attacks … carrying out the same message of fidelity.”)
The article noted the six official moments of silence, from 8:46 a.m., when the first plane struck the North Tower, to 10:28 a.m., when it collapsed, framing the ceremony as a globalized ritual of grief.
Just two days earlier, on Sept. 9, 2025, Asharq Al-Awsat carried another perspective in “بعد 24 عاماً من هجمات سبتمبر… خالد شيخ محمد وآخرون ينتظرون المحاكمة” (“After 24 years of the September attacks … Khalid Sheikh Mohammed and others await trial”), written by Hiba Al-Qudsi from Washington.
The piece highlighted that the trials of the alleged masterminds remain stalled, with conspiracy theories still circulating. As the paper put it:
«في الذكرى الـ24… فإن نظريات المؤامرة لا تزال مشتعلة، والتساؤلات لا تزال منتشرة حول هذا الحادث.»
(“On the 24th anniversary … conspiracy theories are still ignited, and questions remain widespread about this incident.”)
The emphasis here was not on memory but on unfinished accountability—a reminder that the legal story remains unresolved.
Al Arabiya placed 9/11 within a larger sweep of history. On Sept. 11, 2025, its opinion section carried a piece titled “أحداث الحادي عشر من سبتمبر” (“The Events of September 11”), which declared:
«…دخل العالم الآن في مرحلة كسر…»
(“…the world has now entered a phase of fracture…”)
The day before, in “على مشارف ذكرى 11 سبتمبر” (“On the Verge of the 9/11 Anniversary”), the site reminded readers:
«نوشك أن نطوي ربع قرن على «غزوة مانهاتن».»
(“We are about to fold a quarter-century since the ‘Manhattan raid.’”)
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Together, these essays framed the anniversary as a civilizational rupture—less about ceremony, more about the global order that followed.
Anniversary coverage also highlighted the overlap between remembrance and contemporary U.S. politics. On Sept. 11, 2025, the UAE’s Al Khaleej reported on Donald Trump’s announcement, made “خلال احتفال في البنتاغون لإحياء ذكرى هجمات 11 أيلول/سبتمبر” (“during a Pentagon ceremony marking the 9/11 attacks”), that he would posthumously award conservative activist Charlie Kirk the Presidential Medal of Freedom.
Meanwhile, the pan-Arab daily Rai al-Youm headlined its coverage: “نيويورك تحيي ذكرى 11 أيلول/سبتمبر وسط حملة انتخابية” (“New York marks the 9/11 anniversary amid an election campaign”).
Together, they reflected an Arab perception that even solemn rituals in the US are now colored by partisan conflict.
Beyond the Arabic-language press, sharper critiques emerged. On Sept. 11, 2025, a Yemeni writer and former Guantanamo detainee, Mansur Ahmad Saad al-Dayfi, published an op-ed in Al Jazeera English titled “9/11 Was Avenged on Us. On Its Anniversary, I Refuse to Forgive.”
Adayfi argued: “What began as a fight against terrorism turned into a war on us—on our communities, our families, our faith.”
Middle East Monitor echoed this sentiment. On Sept. 11, 2025, Brazilian researcher Sayid Marcos Tenorio wrote “Every Day Is 11 September in Gaza.” He contended that:
“The 9/11 attacks in New York became a pretext for a new era of persecution, with entire communities being monitored, criminalized, and treated as suspects… [It] legitimizes wars, occupations, and human rights violations today.”
These critiques present 9/11 less as a day of grief than as the starting point of a hostile climate Muslims say they still endure.
Strikingly, outlets close to Hezbollah—such as Al-Manar and Al-Mayadeen—gave the date no editorial space, focusing instead on Gaza, Lebanon, and the reported strike in Doha. Their silence emphasized an editorial decision to prioritize current conflicts over retrospective coverage.
Taken together, Arab coverage shows a fragmented picture of Sept. 11. For Gulf dailies like Asharq Al-Awsat and Al Arabiya, the day is tied to ritual remembrance and global fractures. For Rai al-Youm and Al Khaleej, it becomes a window onto US polarization. For Al Jazeera English and MEMO, it is testimony to Muslim victimization in the post-9/11 era. And for resistance-aligned outlets, it is overshadowed by ongoing wars.
Twenty-four years on, Sept. 11 remains a day of mourning in America. But in Arab media, it is remembered, politicized or sometimes ignored—reflecting each outlet’s editorial priorities and its audience’s lived realities.