OnIslam.net

CAIRO – Growing up in post 9/11 America, young Muslim generations in the United States are worried of falling prey to stigmatization over incidents that occurred before their birth.

"They have never lived in a world where Muslims were not considered terrorists," Johari Abdul-Malik, an imam and director of community outreach for the Dar Al-Hijrah Islamic Center, told Arizona Daily Star on Sunday, May 8.

Sitting in their kindergarten at an Islamic school in suburban Washington, where an American flag hangs in the lobby and pupils' Earth Day posters decorate the hallways, the children were taught their first words.

Though they were born in the US, students were labeled in the media as the Muslim ‘other’, defined by terrorist attacks their fathers condemned.

The United States has accused Bin Laden's Al-Qaeda group of being behind the 9/11 attacks, when hijackers rammed planes into the World Trade Towers in 2001, killing at least 3,000 people.

The attacks prompted Washington to launch its so-called “war on terror” under which two Muslim countries; Afghanistan and Iraq were invaded.

Though bin Laden was killed last week in a US raid on his mansion in Pakistan, the death of Al-Qaeda leader could not fully turn back the clock.

On the day US President Barack Obama declared the killing of bin Laden, Muslim leaders shared the Americans their joy, condemning Al-Qaeda leader.

Yet, they were faced by vandals who spray-painted the words "Osama today, Islam tomorow" (sic) on a mosque in Portland, Maine, giving stark evidence that Muslim next door remain a polarizing image in some circles.

Two Muslim men were also pulled off a plane heading to North Carolina for wearing traditional Islamic garb after the pilot refused to fly with them.

Since the 9/11 attacks on the United States, US Muslims, estimated by 7-8 million, have complained of facing discrimination and stereotypes in the society because of their Islamic attires or identities.

A US survey has revealed that the majority of Americans know very little about Muslims and their faith.

Struggle

Hoping to end the painful chapter of teasing and taunting Muslims, new incidents targeting Muslims were still worrisome for many.

“They have to struggle to redefine what it means to be American and to be Muslim."

The growing anti-Muslim frenzy developed widely over past months.

Plans to build a mosque near the site of the 9/11 attacks in New York, resulted in attacks on Muslims and their property.

A Republican Senator stirred uproar last March over holding a probe into what he called “radicalization” of American Muslims.

Peter King, the chairman of the US House of Representatives’ Homeland Security Committee, claimed that US Muslims are being radicalized by Al-Qaeda operatives, accusing Muslim leaders of not cooperating with law enforcement authorities in fighting terrorism.

Worse still, lawmakers in at least 13 states have introduced proposals to ban Shari`ah, introducing new terms against ‘Shari`ah’ and the scary ‘other’.

Coming from different backgrounds, either African Americans or immigrants, the reaction of US Muslims to repeated harassments differed.

"It depends on the level of comfort," Tayyibah Taylor, the editor and publisher of Azizah Magazine, an Atlanta-based publication that focuses on American Muslim women, said.

Taylor noted that the Muslim reaction to the speedy pace of actions differed according to their cultural backgrounds.

"For African-American Muslims, who have already dealt with some social injustices and know how to maneuver that road already, it's something that you just do,” she said.

“For many of the immigrants, some of whom were flying under the cultural radar, all of a sudden they realized they were the 'other' and it was a surprise."