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UPDATE-2 | 911 Decade: MuslimMatters Bloggers in AlJazeera, WaPo, Houston Chronicle & Galv Daily

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Remembering 9/11 as a Muslim American

by Amad Shaikh in AlJazeera
While most Americans blamed the attacks on al-Qaeda, not Muslims in general, some commentators stoked Islamophobia.

September 11, 2001. As a young engineer at an oil refinery in Texas, I remember being glued to the 14” TV screen, sitting at the corner of the department secretary’s office. Live, grainy footage beamed live from New York City. As the towers collapsed, my heart sank. I also felt strangely uncomfortable – a gut feeling perhaps of what to come my way as an American Muslim. I suddenly remembered to call my wife, a veiled and obvious Muslim. She was out shopping at the Krogers grocery store, but knew something was wrong due to angry looks she was already getting.

In the days following the attack, I saw the best and worst of America, right there at that oil refinery.  The “good” included a steady stream of visitors, sharing their sentiments, seeing me as one of them, not as the “other”. It also included all levels of my “white, Southern” management, each tier assuring me of its support; that they would not stand for any form of hate directed at me.

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September 11th – It is a Memorial not an “Anniversary”

By Iesa Galloway in Houston Chronicle blogs

These days, few things disturb me as much as hearing people call the upcoming September 11th memorial events an “anniversary.” I couldn’t place why this bothered me so much until I went to the mosque today for Friday prayers.

I know that I have a fixation with semantics. And yes, it did bother me that a word known for joyous occasions would be used when “memorial” has a similar meaning with a lot more reverence.

However, deep inside I knew the issue was more than just semantics.

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What Americans still don’t know about Islam

By Yasir Qadhi in the Washington Post

This weekend will mark the tenth anniversary of the horrific attacks of 9/11. It’s hard to believe that those tragic events, so fresh in our collective memories, occurred ten years ago. So much has happened, good and bad, since that eventful day a decade ago.

Here’s a list of five facts that most Americans have learned about Islam during that decade, and five misunderstandings that we as American Muslims still have to grapple with.

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Life after 9/11 for a Muslim American

By Amad Shaikh in the Houston Chronicle

As a young engineer at an oil refinery in Texas City, I remember being glued to the 14-inch TV screen sitting at the corner of the department secretary’s office on Sept. 11, 2001. Live, grainy footage beamed live from New York City. As the towers of the World Trade Center collapsed, my heart sank. I also felt strangely uncomfortable – a gut feeling perhaps of what was to come my way as an American Muslim.

In the days following the attack, I saw the best and worst of America, right there at that oil refinery. The good included a steady stream of visitors, sharing their sentiments, seeing me as one of them, not as the “other.” It also included all levels of management assuring me that they would not stand for any form of hate directed at me.

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US Muslim recalls Sept. 11

By Amad Shaikh in the Galveston County Daily News

Sept. 11, 2001 — As a young engineer at an oil refinery in Texas City, I remember being glued to the 14-inch TV screen, sitting at the corner of the department secretary’s office.

Grainy footage beamed live from New York City. As the towers collapsed, my heart sank. I also felt strangely uncomfortable — a gut feeling perhaps of what to come my way as an American Muslim

[Continue Reading]

1 Comment

1 Comment

  1. Sabeen Mansoori

    September 9, 2011 at 9:13 PM

    The smoke still lingers
    In our souls
    The fear still lurks
    In “their” eyes
    Throats parched
    From repenting of a sin
    We never comitted
    Seeking acceptance
    Without assimilation
    An ‘alien’ idea
    In this land
    That we so love.

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