9/11 and The War on Muslims

September 15, 2024

This week was the anniversary of the 23rd year on the war of terror on Muslims across the globe.

The West commemorate it as 9/11. But Muslims acknowledge it as the date when every Muslim became a target no matter where you lived, what you looked like, or even if you weren’t born yet.

This target assigned on our backs has followed each of us as we have travelled through our lives.

Losing Identities

The dehumanisation of Muslims, browns and blacks across the globe is why we are in the corrupt system today. From Sudan to Gaza – Afghanistan to Iraq we have been taught to not care about the followers of the religion that “attacked” America on its own soil.

Visible Muslims became invisible overnight. Hijabs turned to caps and beards were cut as we went undercover to protect us from harm. This sudden fear that had come to the forefront of our lives wrecked havoc with our identities.

Bard Campus Poster-Portrayal of Muslims in the Media

Anyone who remotely even looked Muslim was attacked on the streets, arrested or detained. Sikhs became victims of racists who believed the world would be better without anyone wearing a turban or beard.

This hate that was perpetrated across our television screens and print media produced a rhetoric that still hasn’t ended today.

The Villain

From films, dramas, games to even books. We see the same looking villain – accent, dress, name, nationality. The Middle Eastern / Muslim villain has been a favourite for years. But after 9/11 there was a sudden shift that only they could be the bad guys. These can be ranged from honor killing style story lines to a recent film I stumbled upon, ‘The Union’ [2024]. Here the Iranians wanted a device that held all of Americas security details – from names to records. Therefore a group of British interceptors worked together with the CIA to stop the deadly transaction.

Even with the current climate and how mind frames have begun to change with the genocide and reality of Gaza and Palestinians. Hollywood, Bollywood and its many arms of media are still pushing the agenda that anyone associated with Islam is out to control and destroy the world and Western “democracy” as well as threatening the safety of its inhabitants.

The notion of all followers of Islam restricting women’s freedom, killing innocent people, dictatorships, countries run by a religion that is archaic is something the average person should be afraid of.

This constant stream of subconscious fear spread. For years the public has been fed a bias that has allowed the Western Governments to carry out persecutions and attacks across the globe without being held accountable for their actions.

Repercussions

When we look at how this day is recognised we see the Western media talk about how much destruction was caused on the day. We hear the name Bin Laden and Al-Qaeda. We see replays of the footage and images of the planes going into the Twin Towers. The speeches given by then President Bush and backed by then Prime Minister Tony Blair.

However, do we hear how much destruction this one day caused in the days and years following? Do we hear about the millions of lives lost, homes destroyed, economies collapsed, families separated. How many people became refugees from the on going wars and genocides happening in their homelands. This one day gave the green light the West was looking for to wage its war on Muslims and Islam.

It allowed them to then use those wars and occupations on foreign soil to rape the land. Stealing resources like gas, oil and more further pushing it to a point where it would take decades to recover.

America and its accomplices set up military bases in these countries. As well as notorious prisons and detention centres under the guise of national security.

Guantanamo Bay

Is one such prison. Here over 300 innocent men and boys the youngest being 14 when he was arrested were detained without trial. They were held, tortured and even killed [some covered up as Suicides] for their colour, race and religion. Taken in the shadows of the night or kidnapped off the streets these men and boys would be subjected to immense brutality and illegal torture mechanisms until they “admitted” that they were part of the plot for 9/11 or had some intel on Al-Qaeda.

These men came from around the world. They were even British and American citizens who were then abandoned by their countries for crimes they had no connection to. As of July this year there are still 30 innocent detainees in Guantanamo Bay.

Continued Misconceptions

An image went viral this week by The Slow Factory.

The wording on this image is very problematic. But it’s not new. Many people associate the Middle East or even Muslims to just be Arab. They do not recognise that Muslims come from various backgrounds but also the inhabitants of the Middle East are not solely Muslims. Therefore the rhetoric of Arabs just being Muslims or the Middle east being the only affected area is incorrect.

For example; Afghanistan was occupied for over 20 years by the USA and British military after 2001. Afghanistan is in Asia not the Middle East. The inhabitants are Asians not Arabs. Yet they are forgotten in this conversation of the aftermath of 9/11 by a majority of people and organisations. Arab is placed as a collective name for all in the East. Even-though there is a diverse multicultural and multi ethnic set of people that have all been affected in various ways. Acknowledging the ignorance and greed of the West and its ongoing dehumanisation of anyone who comes from foreign lands.

This is just the beginning

There are many things you can talk about when it comes to the aftermath of 9/11. Anyone associated with Islam, or Muslims within the Western hemisphere or the Eastern has been greatly affected. The above is just a snapshot of some of the conversations however there is so much more that needs to be talked about.

As a writer I have never been publicly vocal about 9/11 – due to the fear instilled in us from the moment it happened. This is the power that they have held over each of us.

But times are changing and have changed. The truth needs to be spoken and the silenced voices need to be given the space to tell the stories and lives we have had to live till today.