No Date Fixed to Reopen the Earth
By Mohammad Yacoob
Los Angeles, CA
The emergence of a new strain of a virus called Coronavirus – COVID-19, in China in October/November 2019 has now launched humanity into a new scary world where towns after towns have become ghost towns across the earth. Communities after communities have fallen silent adding to eerie and strange silence that has fallen on each town.
The medical authorities conceded the new disease caused by a novel and a new coronavirus, not previously seen in humans, would spread by human-to-human transmission. The World Health Organization (WHO) watched helplessly the alarming levels of inaction by developed countries and the frightening levels of spread and severity of the coronavirus disease. On March 11, 2020, WHO officially declared the worldwide coronavirus outbreak a pandemic. Then hell broke loose in developed countries and as a result the total shutdown and lockdown of the world got underway and still the lockdown is in progress in some parts of the world.
The lockdown of the world conjures up the images of New York City in 1962. I had taken the BOAC (British Overseas Airlines Co.) plane from London and arrived in New York on Labor Day, Monday, 3 September 1962. The thrill of landing at the la Guardia Airport disappeared when the ride in a fast moving taxi to the Continental Trailways bus depot in downtown New York scared the day light out of me. The whole city of New York was deserted. The taxi driver provided an explanation about New York and US Labor Day holiday. At that time, it reminded me of the movie War of the Worlds which I had seen in Hyderabad, my hometown in south India, in 1954/55. It became a very popular movie because the large bill boards in the town had a picture of the Taj Mahal with a big hole in its dome, and alien ships hovering over it with large font wordings – War of the Worlds . I kept on thinking about the movie, the Taj Mahal and spooky scenes from the movie and the desolated New York. That reality is now being replicated thousands of times now in March 2020 across the globe causing lockdown and fear from coronavirus.
And exactly 39 years later on September 11, 2001, the same scene was played at a smaller scale throughout the world. On that day, the work stopped at the Aerospace Company located near the Los Angeles International Airport, when we, the employees glued to radios were trying to make sense out of the word of mouth information and tabloid-style utterances. The emotional, trembling and quivering reporting by the newscasters added more chaos and confusion to the already charged atmosphere. The next news item on the radio sent shivers through the minds of everybody at the office. The news item and the commentary were about the terrorists’ next move and their intention to attack the Los Angeles International Airport.
I called home to get more information. We started to worry about our doctor son, who was in Kansas City. An announcement came over the public address system at work, appealing to everyone to remain calm and saying that the Vice President and Plant Manager were going to make an announcement soon. Everyone was saying, “Los Angles is the next target, and we are right in the middle of it.” Later, the Vice President talked on the Public Announcement System about the chaotic situation in the US and particularly in Los Angeles and ordered everyone to leave quietly and go home.
I rushed home. Finally, we received a phone call from our son confirming he was fine. In Kansas City, the Medical Conference proceedings abruptly ended and the doctors and other participants were asked to return to their respective cities. A bus company in Kansas City had demanded $9,000.00 to transport 14 doctors from Kansas City to Los Angeles International Airport. Finally, these fourteen doctors got two small vans and paid less to arrive in Los Angeles.
My family was in constant touch with our son via cell phone for the next thirty hours. At midnight, on the twelfth, he called us after they had left the Burbank Airport, located approximately 30 miles from Los Angeles International Airport, where some doctors had disembarked. He said they were on their way to Los Angeles International Airport and added that he would be at the car rental place, near the airport, in about half an hour. My family heaved a sigh of relief. I immediately got ready to go to the car rental place near the Airport to pick him up. It was early morning, September 13, 2001.
I came out of the house and opened the garage. It was a very eerie feeling amid the stunning silence and stillness. Two days of watching TV and seeing the entire world in turmoil filled with chaos and now this stillness seemed unreal, bizarre and surreal.
I got into the car and after a mile or so turned on Aviation Boulevard that takes you directly to Century Blvd. When you take a left turn on Century Blvd, you would head straight into the Los Angeles International Airport. I continued on Aviation Blvd. For a mile before Century Blvd the space on both sides of Aviation Blvd. is empty ground. On the left, Westside, the runways and on the right, Eastside, mechanical structures equipped with high powered blinking lights for guiding the airplanes to land.
Los Angeles is a very busy airport. If you look towards the guiding light structures usually you see four or five airplanes’ flickering lights any time of the night. It has been said many times that the fifth airplane will land on the runway in five minutes, meaning, every minute an airplane is landing at the Los Angeles Airport. For the first time I saw lights dark, not lit or blinking on those structures. They looked like dark devils and evil spirits waiting to make their next sinister move. There were no airplanes on the horizon. I looked towards the west; only one helicopter was circling over all runways of the airport. It was a very frightening, terrifying and fear-provoking sight. Suddenly, the feelings of having a fast-beating, fluttering or pounding heart scared me because of the thoughts and concern that came to my mind.
“What is a Muslim man doing near the Los Angeles Airport at 12:30am, when America had presumed that the next target of the terrorist attack might be Los Angeles Airport?” I started reciting verses from the Qur’an in an audible tone. Then I started praying, “O Allah, let me go safely towards Century Blvd. O Allah, don’t let any policeman stop me until I reach the car rental place. O Allah, protect me!”
My mind started churning up new thoughts. If the police stopped me, they would ask, ‘What was I doing at 1:00 am, early morning hour of 13 September near the Los Angeles Airport? What is my name? Do I have any identity on me?’ My first name is Mohammad – a Muslim, who fits the profile of a Middle Eastern man. The officers would beat me. An image popped into my mind of an American citizen, Rodney King, who was beaten up by police officers almost ten years ago – in 1991 – in Los Angeles. One year later in 1992 the jury acquitted three white police officers and one Hispanic officer. This triggered a violent reaction and thousands of people rioted for six days following the verdict. I started thinking, if the police officers beat me, continue to beat me and keep on beating me, only Allah will save me or I will die a very violent death.
I continued to recite the verses from the Qur’ān. Finally, I took a left turn on Century Blvd and after passing through other streets arrived at the car rental place. The employee at the counter inside the car rental building informed me that no car, van or bus had arrived there in the last one hour. I did not know what to do. A few minutes later, I found myself walking in the parking lot of the car rental business. I said to myself, “What are you doing here, get back into the building.” I virtually ran back into the building. Five minutes later, a minibus stopped at the front door and I saw our son get out of the bus along with other passengers. I embraced my son Dr Sajjad with a grin and a smile.
I had experienced and seen the preview of the virtual lockdown of the whole earth. Since 2001, in my supplications and prayers, I would additionally say the following words, “O! Almighty God, save us - the humanity, from Man-Made Disasters and Natural Disasters.”
It is time to show to the world that viruses do not target specific religions, racial or ethnic groups. This time a virus has turned the whole world into a battle zone. Squabbling, blaming and spreading conspiracy theory, and bungling on the appropriate response to the pandemic has resulted in a threat to health and way of life of billions of people around the world. There are millions and millions of people who don’t eat and can’t provide food for their families if they don’t work.
In early 1950’s, Professor Mohammad Ali, a retired Professor of Arabic, teaching me Arabic in the evenings four days a week once said, “We must work for the betterment and improvement of mankind”, and inspired me to become a better Muslim and a better human being.
May Allah Mighty God help humanity survive this pandemic. The time has come to cooperate with one another since everyone is facing the same danger. Allah Mighty God, please help humanity reduce the alarming levels of spread and severity of this pandemic. Fill our hearts with Your love; there will be no place for the darkness of fear or panic to live in our hearts. Help us communicate and connect with loved ones, forgive each other, help each other and help the needy. O! Allah, allow us not to diminish our commitment to humanity. Give us strength to help humanity at every level. O! Allah, give us the strength to rise up and work for the betterment and improvement of mankind.
O! Allah Mighty God, please help us and give Your command to reopen this Earth for human activities.
[Mohammad Yacoob is a retired Industrial Engineer and Engineering Proposals Analyst who lives in Los Angeles, California.]
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