American Freedom Is Also for Muslims

Yahoo! is asking Americans how September 11 changed them. Below is an account from a reader.

When I think about the attacks of September 11, my first thoughts are that no true Muslim would have ever committed such a vicious attack on anyone or any nation. In Islam, we are taught that, even in war, we are not to harm a single woman, child or non-fighting person.

We are not even allowed to harm a tree. These towers were filled with innocent “non-fighters” who are deemed by our religion as people who cannot be harmed. The attacks on the twin towers completely go against this tenet of Islam. 9/11 wasn’t just an attack on America; it was an attack on Islam, too.

[Your story: How has September 11 changed you?]

I believe ignorance plays a large role in how Muslims are treated in this post-9/11 society. My own family sees my choice of religion and decision to cover my hair and body – hijab — in direct opposition to the American way of life. They argue that I can be a Muslim; they just don’t want me to look like one. They don’t even want to see me or be seen with me since I look like a terrorist, they say. It’s as if I’d be more accepted by my family if I drank and partied and showed my body off to the world like it wasn’t something special to be protected.

My father served more than 20 years in the military, and I know he feels great pride in America and great hurt over the attacks of 9/11. It’s as if the twin tower attacks were when some terrorist crashed a plane into his own house, a feeling that many of us felt that day, no matter what religion or race or ethnicity.

I was in school when the twin towers were attacked. I remember the teacher turning on the reports and watching the second plane crash into the buildings. It’s like a movie that I can replay at any time in my mind’s eye. The very next thing I did was call my mom to make sure my dad was OK since he was to be flying over New York that very morning. When I think about that morning, I feel the same violation that he feels by these extremist killers.

What people must remember is that when we say America stands for freedom, that means freedom for everyone, including Muslims — not just white, protestant males. The twin towers stood, and fell, for all races, religions and ethnicities.

I asked my father what his opinion was of the mosque built at ground zero. He responded that he believes every mosque building project should be stopped, not just the one at the twin towers memorial. He believes that all the new mosque projects are funded by Saudi Arabia, and since Saudis don’t allow churches to be built in their country, that we shouldn’t allow their mosques to be built here. He sees the Saudi-funded mosques as a foothold for Islamic extremism in America.

I see the mosque at the 9/11 memorial as a great show of peace, not meant to be a slap in the face to America as so many people see it. When the twin towers were attacked, many Muslims also lost their lives that day, and many of the rescuers were Muslim as well. The twin towers are a symbol of American freedom in our hearts, freedom for every American –even if you’re a Muslim.


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