Mr. Mansoor, do you remember hearing about the September 11, 2001 attacks?

Alexander Juergs

Editor in the Rhein-Main-Zeitung.

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Yes of course. Back then I was working for the social services at Frankfurt Airport. We looked after people in an accommodation who sought asylum in Germany. While your urgent requests were being decided at the airport, we took care of them. I was working the morning shift, was in the lounge when the phone suddenly rang and the service manager asked: How do people react? I didn't even know what he meant. We had not yet heard of the attacks. In the corner of the room, a television was playing silently, but no one had paid any attention to it. A little later, 70 or 80 people were sitting in front of it. Quiet, silent, shocked. We then switched frequently so that everyone could understand something, from CNN and BBC to Arabic-language channels. It wasn't until I got home that I could start talking aboutwhat happened.

How did you perceive this day and these attacks?

I often look at the world like a game of chess.

Each of us, each person, each country, each head of government, has his or her defined position.

But on September 11th, Osama bin Laden came and upset the game.

The attacks were a turning point.

Usually we forget people very quickly, but the attacks are an event that we always remember, that we still talk about a lot even now, not just on the anniversaries.

This day traumatized us, it has become a part of our life.

What has changed in your life after the attacks?

I came to Germany from Pakistan when I was fifteen.

After the attacks, I soon noticed how the mood was turning.

We people from Pakistan and Muslims were suddenly perceived as a threat, all of a sudden we were all lumped together.

If you come from Pakistan, then you will also support Al-Qaida and the Taliban: Sentences like that were used at the time.

I wanted to do something about that.

What have you done?

Before that, I had already started to play theater at the Intercultural Stage.

In 2004 I founded Pakbann, a Pakistani cultural association, with some colleagues.

We wanted to show that the country we came from is more than a haven for terrorists.

We wanted to talk about the beauty of the landscape, the people and the hospitality.

And we have developed our own theater pieces from the experiences we ourselves had in Germany.

Our goal was dialogue.

Did it work?

Yes, there was great interest from the start.

We have made a name for ourselves in the city.

And we became the point of contact, the mediator between cultures.

The city education authorities often approach us when problems arise at a school.

We have also trained police officers on intercultural issues.

When the Taliban retook Afghanistan, you were on vacation in Pakistan.

How did they react there to the events in the neighboring country?

At first, that was not perceived differently there than in Germany.

People worry because they know that many refugees will come now.

Housing and jobs are scarce in Pakistan anyway, and the problems will now only get worse.

How can you help the region?

I don't understand why Germany and the West are delivering weapons to such areas. First you earn money with arms deals, then, when everything is down, you rebuild the countries with a lot of development aid. If we really want to change something, then we have to invest in education. Education and communication are the be-all and end-all for a good coexistence.