Yemeni brave man helps people before he dies on 9/11

By Fares Anam

Source:Yemen Observer

Ten years ago, Yemeni brave man spent his time helping people in 9/11 attacks on the World Trade Center Tower in New York, the attack that change the entire world.

Abdulsalam al-Malahi is considered one of the most well-known Muslims victim in 9/11 and the bravest among 31 other Muslims who died in the bloody and horrible attacks, according to a report published by alarabia.net. 

The Yemeni-American al-Malahi was working as an audio/visual engineer at the Marriott Hotel was based in the north tower of the World Trade Center Tower. In the time that his friends were escaping, he was helping people to get out of the building amid his friends calls to leave without them, but unfortunately the fire got him and he was burned. His body was not found so far.

Al-Malahi was named by the New York Times newspaper and described as the hero of 9/11 who saved many lives. 

Al-Malahi died at the age of 37. He was married to Yemeni woman lives in Yemen and he was a father of two children. Al-Malahi was working to get them visas to live with him in New York.

Al-Malahi was born and raised in Yemen and came to the U.S. to work as many Yemenis around the World. He was known among colleagues as being incredibly polite.

Donn Monroe, one of the 9/11 survivors said about Malahi, “al-Malahi saved my life. Because we were told not to evacuate the hotel by management via the intercom system (before the intercom system was destroyed by the second plane crash), al-Malahi took it upon himself to alert the remaining guests that they must leave.”

“I was waiting in my room when I heard him shouting in the hallway. I opened the door, and he told me I must leave immediately. He escorted me to the stairways before continuing on to save other guests. He is constantly in my thoughts. He is my guardian angel. I love this man whom, I only met once. It is still hard for me to comprehend his sacrifice for strangers. Al-Malahi was a very special man, indeed.”

Yemenis were also greatly affected by 9/11 by having to deal with the growing number of al-Qaeda militants which sparked a war on terror in the country that is still continuing until this day.

In visitors’ book in Flicker website, comments found for people talking about al-Malahi courage and humanity as a young man faced death to save others. However, Yemen or Arab world or USA didn’t even remember him and listed him in the heroes list in the tenth anniversary of the horrible attack.

Muslims killed in the attacks were 6 Pakistanis and 6 Bangladeshis and 4 from Guiana, next to Brazil, and 2 of each: Sri Lanka, Gambia, Ivory Coast, and then one each from Yemen, Iran, Ethiopia, Turkey, Trinidad and Tobago and Burma, Albania, Greece and India. They were representing 1.07% of total killed in Sept. 11, the same percentage of the number of Muslims in the United States, according to more reliable statistics.

28 Muslims has been Killed in Sept. 11 attacks in the twin towers of the World Trade Center, in addition to 3 Muslims were among the passengers on two planes among 4 hijacked, one of which landed with its passengers on Pennsylvania field before it reaches its target. The second hit the building of the U.S. Department of Defense (the Pentagon) with all the passengers.

Al-Malahi risked his own life to help save the lives of others when the towers were attacked. Yemen must be proud of him.