9/11's Effects on Different People | Teen Ink

9/11's Effects on Different People

August 18, 2013
By Chmira SILVER, Sanford, North Carolina
Chmira SILVER, Sanford, North Carolina
6 articles 0 photos 0 comments

Favorite Quote:
You miss 100% of the shots you never take
-Wayne Gretzky


Muslim discrimination still goes on in the world, 11 years after the 9/11 attack. The Muslims that had nothing to do with the 9/11 plane crash, felt that they should not be judged for the actions of those who were involved. Recently, Hidayah Jaka, a young Muslim girl, and her mother were loading groceries into their car when a group of men pulled up, and shouted “go back to your country,” and drove away (Kaleem, "Muslims After 9/11: Children Cope With A Tragedy They Never Knew."). “Some people are scared of Muslims,” her mother reminded the girl, “and because of what 19 men did a decade ago on 9/11, some people even hate them,” Hidayah’s mother said (Kaleem). Times of increasing tension including Muslims in the US, a number of Muslim workers are reporting employee discrimination, from being called “terrorist” to “Osama”, and excluding them for wearing head scarfs and for taking prayer breaks (Stravato, "Muslims Report Rising Discrimination at Work."). “There’s a level of hatred and animosity that is shocking,” said Mary Jo O’Neill, regional attorney of the E.E.O.C.’s (Equal Employment Opportunity Commission) Phoenix office, “I’ve been doing this for 31 years, and I’ve never seen such antipathy toward Muslim workers (Stravato).” History has reminded us over and over that demonizing a whole population/religion based on what a few of the participants have done, or the danger of their ideas is wrong and could turn fatal (“Discrimination Against Muslims and Arabs is Rising in the US”). “250% increase in the number of religion-based discrimination charges involving Muslims,” The EEOC further reports that, “between 9/11/2001 and 3/11/2012, 1,040 charges were filed that were related to the attacks by an individual who is – or is perceived to be – Muslim, Sikh, Arab, Middle Eastern or South Asian (“Discrimination Against Muslims and Arabs is Rising in the US”).” Discrimination, even though it is illegal, still goes on against the Muslim race; it’s like the US has made an exception but only for the Muslim race. So now some Muslims have to pay the ultimate price, death, for something they had nothing to do with because America can’t not hold grudges against enemies of the United States.

The many but few survivors of 9/11 outlook on life and its value will be forever changed. When Sujo John and his wife, survivors of 9/11 look back on 9/11, they see a new beginning. The John’s have gone from World Trade Center workers to Missionaries of Jesus Christ (Israel, "Sept. 11 Survivor: 'My Life Has Totally Changed'"). "I felt the Lord was saying, 'Where are these people that are huddled with you going?' And I started crying out 'Jesus!'" John recalled. "I wasn't sure what I was to expect... Almost immediately these people started [to call] upon the name of the Lord (Israel)." The most common change after 9/11, since the safety of all Americans had been threated, was a call to serve this country in battle (Crowther, “The Day That Changed Their Lives). “Motivated by the despair of riding his bike around New York City, posting flyers, checking in with hospitals, and, finally, accepting that Adam was dead, Means,” according to Linnea Crowther, author at Legacy.com,” set out to change the world by quitting his telecommunications job and joining the Army (Crowther).” 9/11 was a total 360 for a lot of people. Since this was such a life-changing event, people will always remember 9/11 is the reason they are, where they are today.


Works Cited
Crowther, Linnea. "The Day That Changed Their Lives." Legacy, Web. 17 Aug. 2013.

Israel, Charlene. "Sept. 11 Survivor: 'My Life Has Totally Changed'" CBN News, Web. 14 Aug.
2013.

Kaleem, Jaweed. "Muslims After 9/11: Children Cope With A Tragedy They Never Knew." The
Huffington Post, Web. 14 Aug. 2013.

Khan, Mussarat, and Kathryn Ecklund. "Attitudes toward Muslim Americans Post-9/11." Journal
Of Muslim Mental Health, Web. 16 Aug. 2013

Stravato, Michael. "Muslims Report Rising Discrimination at Work." The New York Times,
Web. 16 Aug. 2013.

"Discrimination Against Muslims and Arabs Is Rising in the US." The DCS Blog, Web. 17
Aug. 2013.



Similar Articles

JOIN THE DISCUSSION

This article has 0 comments.