TALLAHASSEE, Fla. ⎯ Florida State University’s nationally regarded experts in grief, religion and media and culture are available to answer media questions and provide comment and analysis on the ramifications of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks.

GRIEF

•Sally Karioth, professor of nursing and certified traumatologist: (850) 644-6845; [email protected]

Karioth, a nationally recognized expert on grief, trauma, stress and compassion fatigue who counseled the survivors of the terrorist attack on the Pentagon and children who lost parents in the World Trade Center, can address the ways in which the nation grieved in the aftermath of the terrorist attacks:

“As horrific as 9/11 was, it accomplished one important thing,” Karioth said. “It united us as Americans, as Pearl Harbor did the generation before us. Yet, it was also a wake-up call to remind us that, in that great crisis, the nation lost the labels of Democrat and Republican, and it united us all in a common response. In this election year, it would be worthy of us all to remember that Americans who feel differently than we aren’t our enemies. Our enemies are those on foreign soil who are trying to destroy this country. So 11 years later, we should take the opportunity to look inward and contemplate how we should interact with our neighbors as well as how we should interact with the rest of the world. Anniversaries remind us of what we have lost, of how far we have come, what we have in common — and sometimes how far we still have to go.”

RELIGION

•John Kelsay, Distinguished Research Professor of Religion and chair of the Department of Religion: (850) 645-8828; [email protected]

Kelsay’s expertise is in the area of Muslim political and religious thought, including the law of war. He is the author of “Arguing the Just War in Islam” (Harvard, 2007), which provides a systematic account of the claims advanced by Osama bin Laden and others in relation to the tactics of al-Qaida, as well as an examination of Muslim response to those claims:

“Eleven years after 9/11, the death of Osama bin Laden and the events of the Arab Spring raise important questions about the future of al-Qaida and its program of armed resistance," Kelsay said. "While the situation is uncertain, and the group is liable to take on new forms, I think it will remain a force for the foreseeable future.”

MEDIA AND CULTURE

•Jeanette Castillo, assistant professor of digital media: (850) 644-8773 or (812) 272-3307; [email protected]

Castillo researches the Internet and democracy and will be following the online activities of Americans who are commemorating the Sept. 11 anniversary, particularly on Twitter. She can discuss the role of social media in reflecting on the anniversary and helping to shape the nation’s moods and opinions. She also can discuss the role of comedy in sharing news via social media:

“There is an interesting phenomenon in which we use humor to help heal our collective sorrows in difficult times, and the nature of the jokes we make and accept about such events help form our collective narratives and understanding of them," Castillo said. "The Onion, Jon Stewart and others provided a barometer of our stages of grief immediately after the Sept. 11 attacks.”

MEDIA CONTACT
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