The terrible situation of Muslims in the United States after the 9/11 attacks

The terrible situation of Muslims in the United States after the 9/11 attacks — let history remain After the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks in the United States, Muslims in America faced a different kind of dire situation There has been a rise in hate incidents against them across the country and attacks on them at various places. Even their loyalty to America was questioned. According to the FBI, hate crimes against Muslims and Arabs rose 1,700 percent that year. After the September 11 attacks, Muslims living in the United States were subjected to various forms of harassment. Incidents like driving a car at high speed and driving it over the mosque have also happened. Then the Muslims of many states closed their shops and businesses in fear of their lives. After the attacks known as 9/11, Muslims living in the United States suddenly found themselves having to prove that they were also patriotic. Kevin James said, “The Muslim community has to be told that we are Americans too. It’s a terrible situation. They have to be told that this attack has nothing to do with our religion.”

9/11 attacks, United States Kevin James is a Muslim. In 2001, he worked for the New York Fire Department. Firefighters were the first to rush to the scene after the attack. They are also referred to as the heroes of Nine/Eleven. “The mentality of firemen is you run to the danger, you run to the fire, run and get inside the building. That’s the training they’re given,” he said. Kevin was a fire marshal. He accepted Islam in 1977. He was then about 20 years old. Kevin was also the president of the Islamic Society, made up of Muslim members of the fire service. He was on holiday on the day of the attack. “In New York, primaries were being held that day. I was working to get a Muslim candidate elected to the city council. So there was no day off from work. Otherwise, I might have worked the night before and done my work on 9/11,” he said. .” “If it wasn’t for the vacation, I might have been working there when the planes hit,” Kevin said. At 8:46 a.m., an American Airlines Flight Eleven crashed into the North Tower of the World Trade Centre. At 9:30 a.m., another hijacked airliner, United Airlines Flight 175, crashed into the South Tower. There was a big explosion. 56 minutes later, the South Tower collapsed, sending a plume of smoke across the city. Kevin rushed to his workplace immediately after receiving the news of the attack. He began his journey towards the site that later became known as Ground Zero. “We left our base. We got on an elevated highway called the Gowanes Expressway. The road was completely empty. Not a single car. We were going 80 to 90 miles an hour to get there very quickly.” “When we got there, there was debris everywhere. People were completely shocked. We had 10/20 ton trucks with us to put out the fire. But they looked like toys in the debris.” “We had some masks with us. We put them on to protect ourselves from the ash. If we weren’t careful, I would have passed out. I saw an African-American fellow with his face completely white — head to toe — covered in dust,” said Kevin. . Kevin’s team realized the devastation was so dire that there was nothing they could do. They did not have such equipment. 343 of Kevin’s colleagues were killed that day. This number is more than ten percent of the total number of people who lost their lives in the attack. Soon after the attack, the Islamist terrorist group al-Qaeda was blamed. What was Kevin’s reaction after learning this news? “It was both physical and mental. I sank into the chair,” he said. “At the time I was working on American-Muslim relations in New York. We were starting to change the perception of the Muslim community. There were eight Muslim candidates running for city council. One was running for council president. We were on our way to winning the election. We had one. A political voice was about to be created. My stomach twisted when I heard this news on such a day.” After this incident, people started asking Kevin various questions about his religion. “One of my colleagues was very respectful of me. He was very angry about the loss of his colleagues’ lives. He was so upset and angry that he started saying — Is this in the Koran? Is this acceptable? I told him no, in the Koran life is very sacred. “Killing one person is killing mankind. The Koran never condones such an act,” said Kevin James. Hate crimes against Muslims, even those who look like Muslims, increased dramatically across America after 9/11. People started quarreling with those who wear hijab, and those with beards. Retaliatory attacks became a common occurrence in some places. “Anyone who seemed to be Middle Eastern or South Asian, whether Muslim or non-Muslim, was targeted for attack. But you could be a Hindu, a Sikh, you might not have anything to do with Islam, you could still be attacked,” Kevin said. can be a victim.” At various places, Sikhs were also attacked on suspicion of being Muslims. On September eleventh Muslims living in the United States were subjected to various types of harassment after the attack in Mabar. In such situations, many people fly the American flag in their homes and shops to show their patriotism. They consider it as a life preserver. Has firefighter Kevin James been discriminated against or attacked because of his religion? “Personally, I have never been attacked. My facial beard was always clean-shaven. Those who saw me could identify me as a Muslim, I had nothing like that,” he said. But Kevin says many of his acquaintances have been victims of such attacks. “If you’re in uniform, you’re a lot safer. There’s a lot of protection from the union. But that’s not the case with a civilian. We had a number of civilian Muslim women workers in our organization, and for Nine/Eleven, many didn’t want to mix with them. . Later they were transferred to other organizations. Due to which their salary also decreased.” President George W. Bush gave a speech at the Islamic Center of Washington on September 17 to prevent such violence against Muslims. In his speech, he made clear the difference between Muslim Americans and the terrorist attackers. President Bush said, “No Muslim friend, citizen, taxpayer, Muslim in any other country could believe what we saw on the television screen. They were shocked. This kind of act, and violence against innocent people, is a violation of the fundamental beliefs of Islam. American citizens For this is very important to understand.” Kevin thinks the President’s speech was a good decision. “I wasn’t a fan of President Bush. I didn’t even vote for him. But I think he took this step at the need of the hour that needed to be conveyed in his speech. These words coming from the president were very important and powerful,” he said. A few days later, the Bush administration introduced the Patriot Act. This law gives the government the power to monitor Americans. The New York police force formed a team to monitor the Muslim community. Kevin believes the initiative has long-term damage to law enforcement’s relationship with Muslim Americans. He said, “Security forces were active in keeping an eye on a large South Asian Muslim population. There are many South Asians, including Pakistanis, living in the center of Brooklyn. There are also many Middle Easterners. There are also many mosques. Police officers have arrested a lot of people there.” Kevin James quit the fire service almost a year after 9/11. He then studied law at Columbia University in New York. Worked to protect people’s constitutional and civil rights after 9/11. He feels that the Muslim community in the United States has been made a scapegoat. “Talks are needed to solve problems. But 9-Eleven blocked that road,” he said.