Dawn author recalls impact of 9/11 attacks on Muslims in the US
In the United States, 25 years after the September 11, 2001 attacks, the author of a Dawn column described how these events changed the sense of security and attitudes toward Muslims in the country. That day, the World Trade Center in New York was destroyed, the Pentagon was struck, and nearly 3,000 people were killed.
The author was in Washington when an editor at the American news agency where he worked informed him about the attacks. According to his recollections, armored vehicles stood at intersections and strategic sites throughout the city, and people in uniform were everywhere.
Suspicion because of clothing
Near the White House, a man on a bicycle pointed at the author's wife, who was wearing shalwar kameez, and shouted that she was a terrorist. The columnist considers this episode an early manifestation of sentiments that intensified after the attacks: ordinary clothing associated with culture and identity began to be perceived by some as a sign of something threatening.
Later, the author got as close to the Pentagon as was possible. Smoke was still rising above the building, and he spoke with people who had witnessed the plane strike. According to him, despite the fear, Washington did not descend into chaos: government institutions continued to operate, while residents tried to understand what had happened and what to expect next.
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Fear in everyday life
In the author's view, after September 11, US authorities created new security institutions, tightened controls at airports and borders, expanded intelligence gathering, and launched wars that lasted for decades. At the same time, privacy was increasingly set against security, while immigration was linked to issues of national security.
According to the columnist's observation, American Muslims felt the changes particularly painfully. They were not involved in the attackers' crimes, yet some people became suspicious of them because of their name, beard, hijab, language, or origin.
The author also recalled a train journey from Queens to Manhattan shortly after the attacks. He tried to hide behind an Urdu newspaper, but realized that Arabic script could single him out as one of the “others.” In his view, after September 11 even the anonymity of a large city no longer seemed like reliable protection, and the country was searching for a boundary between freedom and security.
