It was on the floor in my Kindergarten classroom where I witnessed the events of September 11, 2001. I don't remember what subject we were studying, just that my teacher turned on the television right after the first plane hit. I was four and didn't understand what was happening. It was only as I got older and began to understand that what happened on that day was an injustice against the defenseless people in the two towers and within the Pentagon. I also started to understand that it marked the day where the social prejudice against a certain religion and race increased tenfold.
I am white, I am American, and I was afraid.
There used to be a time after the Twin Towers collapsed when I saw a dark man with a turban in the plane, and I got scared. And that was okay. I was seven and uninformed. I didn't understand at that point that not all Muslims were going to bring a plane down, or try and attack a group of defenseless people. And I wasn't the only one. Many non-Muslim American families grew wary whenever they saw a man in his ghutra or a woman in a hijab or borkha. And for the adults, that wasn't okay, because they never took the time to understand that the actions of a few should never define the many. For the kids, it was time for them to learn.
I am white, I am American, and I began to understand.
I once read this blog post by a Muslim man on his account of what happened to him after the attacks on the towers.
"Just as I was thinking about how horrible the attacks on the Twin Towers were, I felt attacked with racism."
I was hit with the realization that there were two targets on that fateful day: the American security system and the worldview on Islam. Within my personal relationships with Muslims—Americans and other—I started to hear their experiences and the prejudice they faced after the attacks, more so on part of those who lived in the States. People they once called friends turned their backs and made the decision that they too were guilty of something they had no part in. Businesses run by Muslims were tarnished and vandalized just because their owner wore a turban or had dark skin and a beard. Among the most uninformed, Indian Sikhs were mistaken for Muslims due to their beard and turban and were assaulted. Thousands of Muslim men within the country and in nations such as Pakistan and Iran were jailed for unjustified reasons. All of this was due to the actions of the few who had a sadly mistaken understanding of their own religion; that to a religion which is actually meant to be peaceful.
I am white, I am American, and I am against prejudice.
The prejudice happening again with ISIS demanding control of the Middle East. Uninformed Americans are blaming the entire Muslim community for actions that they had no say in. Yes, what's happening is terrible, but it's not anyone's fault except those who support and participate in the acts of ISIS. Assumptions are simply assumptions, and they need to stop. They only lead to hurt and prejudice and further retaliation. What happened on 9/11 wasn't the fault of a religion, it was the fault of a few within a certain demographic who chose to retaliate on the injustice they had faced in a way that harmed them even more. I am white, I am American, and I am a friend to Islam. I am someone who chooses to look past to actions of a few to see the actual person and not what religion or race they are a part of. Now, the real question is, are you willing to do the same?
