Zaid Fawzi, a 29-year-old Syrian-American comedian, recalls how at a family picnic in Ohio, a man told his mother, who wore a hijab, "I will never forget the 9/11 attacks. I will never forget what you did." These words led to a verbal altercation with his father, and Zaid and his older brother watched the scene in horror.
One year after the September 2001 attacks that killed nearly 3,000 people, the lives of Muslims in America changed significantly. Zaid says, "Growing up in the post-9/11 era made me very protective of my identity. I always wore this identity like a badge of honor." Now, a quarter of a century after those attacks, American Muslims and Arabs say that the discrimination and suspicion they have endured have strengthened their resolve to carve out their place in American society.
Challenges and Resolve Against Discrimination
In these years, American Muslims have responded to challenges of injustice and discrimination. They have confronted bigotry, protested against unnecessary surveillance, and responded to accusations that they are not American enough. FBI statistics show that after the attacks, hate crimes against Muslims surged dramatically. One of the first victims of this hatred was Balbir Singh Sodhi, a Sikh American who was murdered in Arizona just days after the attacks.
Zaid and his peers are forced to educate others about their religion and defend their identity. Yusuf Choudhury, a professor at Christopher Newport University, says, "You were practically forced to be an ambassador of Islam, which compelled you to learn more about it and articulate more clearly what Islam says about issues." According to him, this experience has shaped a new generation that is more aware of its identity and more confident in pursuing it.
The Government and Its Consequences
After the September 11 attacks, the U.S. government quickly expanded its security and surveillance powers. Just 45 days after the attacks, Congress passed the Patriot Act, which significantly increased the government's powers in national security and terrorism investigations. Although some key provisions of this law expired in March 2020, human rights groups believe that its impacts on American Muslims continue to this day.
Sumaiya Waheed, a senior policy advisor at the Muslim Advocates organization, says, "The choices made at that time created a framework that is now being applied in response to protests against the war in Gaza as well."
The Israel-Gaza war in 2023 led to a major movement on campuses where protesters called for an end to U.S. military support for Israel. However, under the Biden administration, lawmakers and universities responded harshly to these protests, and dozens of students were arrested.
