After the 9/11 terrorist attacks, outward racism and discrimination towards Muslims and people from the middle east began to arise. This led many of these individual’s experiencing it to have negative views about America. A few weeks after the attacks, two young girls were walking in Brooklyn, NY when a car passed by them, rolled down their window, and yelled “terrorist!” at them. Twenty years later the little girl at the time, Sahana Hanif, still recalls how she felt when it happened. She was confused, afraid and most of all upset by this (Mariam 1). This is just one example of the many instances of racism and discrimination that has happened among Muslims since the attacks. Discrimination happens in a multitude of ways and can vary from verbal assault to physical brutality, or even hate stares (Byng 664).
Another outcome of the 9/11 attacks was an increase in American patriotism, which left many Muslims feeling excluded. Many felt as if they were not allowed to join in on the country’s unity because they wouldn’t be accepted as an American. Although patriotism is not derived from xenophobia, there is a relationship between the two in which xenophobia can be the result of patriotism, for example, phrases like “if you don’t like America, go back to where you came from” (Salaita 10). This is something that is more challenging to define as discrimination because America’s patriotism as a concept is not racist or discriminatory per say, but it can lead to people feeling left out and segregated.
Similarly, in The Reluctant Fundamentalist, Changez faces discrimination and racism after the attacks in which he ends up supporting anti-American theories as an outcome. He also feels increasingly unpopular at his place of work and disliked by his community throughout the book. Many others can relate to the type of discrimination Changez faced in America after 9/11 which can end up having lasting effects on an individual.
Works Cited:
Byng, Michelle D. “Complex Inequalities: The Case of Muslim Americans After 9/11.” American Behavioral Scientist, vol. 51, no. 5, Jan. 2008, pp. 659–674, doi:10.1177/0002764207307746.
Mariam Fam, Deepti Hajela. “Two Decades after 9/11, Muslim Americans Still Fighting Bias.” AP NEWS, Associated Press, 7 Sept. 2021, https://apnews.com/article/September-11-Muslim-Americans-93f97dd9219c25371428f4268a2b33b4.
Salaita, Steven. “Ethnic Identity and Imperative Patriotism: Arab Americans Before and After 9/11.” College Literature, vol. 32, no. 2, Spring 2005, pp. 146–168. EBSCOhost, doi:10.1353/lit.2005.0033.
You bring up a very relatable example between Muslims and the treatment of them after 9/11. It is so sad to think that so many people made an assumption about a whole ethnicity after one incidence. It was really impactful to hear how this event affected Sahana. It’s important as Americans to realize and recognize that there is not just one “look” for Americans and that Americans are a diverse group of people with no typical race or ethinicy. What I think is the most important thing to remember is that we are all humans and that together we make up the human race. We are all the same and we all deserve the same respect and acceptance in this world.
The discussion of patriotism and how it can be detrimental to muslims after 9/11 was a very interesting point that I had never before thought of. My parents had always described and unity and togetherness that was present in America following the aftermath of 9/11. Those who came from a muslim background and could have lived their whole lives in this country were made to feel isolated and separate from the rest of the country. This has opened my eyes to how racism and discrimination can stem from possibly good intentions.
The aftermath of 9/11 certainly left the world more prone to fall for their prejudices and racism, especially toward Muslims. The polarization of the angry local crowd was directed toward the minority muslim population to the point their safety was in in danger. Events like these often see a spike in hate crime and race based crime.
I enjoyed you blog post. It’s interesting you brought up how ‘patriotism’ was increased after 9/11. It would be interesting to see how patriotism and nationalism increasing relates to hate crimes within the US.
This is a very important issue to bring awareness to. The discrimination towards the Muslim community has only worsened since 9/11. Even with all of the facts and information have now regarding this peace centered community, I think a lot of people find it difficult to separate Muslim from extremists. In my opinion, it all comes back to lack of education and the lack of personal exposer to this community that makes bias grow and turn into discrimination. I want to highlight your statement that “although patriotism is not derived from xenophobia, there is a relationship between the two in which xenophobia can be the result of patriotism”. Thank you for pointing this out, it is very true and scary as we have seen this idea of patriotism publicly effect not only the Muslim community, but the Hispanic and Asian community heavily throughout the past few years as well.
i think the idea of patriotism as the reason for xenophobia to be interesting. Your blog post did a great job explaining how a growing bond within the country pushed others out of a place of comfort. The idea of discriminating should go against the idea of America being a melting pot, but discrimination has always played a key role in the way the country functions.
I think that the racism and discrimination seen in this instance bring continued tensions today between Muslims and Americans. The idea of patriotism indeed joins people together based on location but can be an extreme form of representing oneself. At the end of the day, we are all humans and should not be treated so harshly based on other people’s actions. The novel has a way of uniquely presenting some effects between cultures.
This is an interesting post because I like how you included a specific story from a Muslim-American individual who got harassed as a young kid by someone who was inherently racist. The idea of patriotism really did not take full form until the events of 9/11, which in turn, made the country more divided in a sense. It is sad that those who are Muslim living in America cannot feel included in their own country because of people’s prejudices. The novel really exemplifies people’s attitudes towards Muslim-Americans by what Changez goes through after 9/11.
I completely agree that patriotism can lead to xenophobia. Even today, there are still people who are accosted for speaking a language other than English in public, even to their own families. Even outside of outright xenophobia, patriotism can lead to some people feeling left out or being classified as an other to the patriotic self.
Patriotism is used to hide the xenophobia and the discrimination, that have come from the 9/11 attacks, which patriotism became something that led to hatred towards others. This extreme form has divided and have made others feel excluded because of it and it’s heartbreaking to see.
Thank you for sharing. It’s very sad how a sense of patriotism can alienate certain ethnic groups who aren’t American. This can target certain groups and they can become subjects of “random” searches and uneasiness from others onboard an airplane.
Great post! You are spot on, it’s clear that as nationalism and patriotism for America increased and was fueled by the events of 9/11, so did Islamophobia; fear, hatred, and intolerance for Arabs and Muslims. I’ve been able to relate to personally, as I grew up in a post-9/11 America. It felt like it was a hassle to be an Arab in the United States. Growing up, it was clear to me that what my family identified as was not welcome in the United States. Americans had intense patriotism that seemed to be defense against the fear of Arabs.
The topic of racism after 9/11 is really important and I don’t think it is talked about enough. While there was a rise in patriotism of our country, there was also a rise in Islamophobia. Many Americans felt that they were all responsible for the events that happened. It’s horrible that many Arabs and Muslims had to live in fear in their own homes of being harassed and attacked.