American Response To 9/11 Essay

The events of September 11, 2001, had a profound impact on the United States of America. Nearly 3,000 people were killed in the deadliest terrorist attack in human history. A global war on terror ensued, a war that continues to this day. Seemingly trivial activities, such as pre-flight screening, became stressful and significant. But the legacy of the attacks extended far beyond politics and governance. The existence of people of color in America, especially Arab-Americans, became materially different overnight. Hate crimes dramatically increased, personal biases intensified, and life changed. Most important, however, was the framing of who or what was “American.” The concept of belonging became difficult to understand for Arab-Americans (even

Yet scholars must separate statements and rhetoric from policy and initiatives. In the immediate aftermath of 9/11, the administration of President George W. Bush used inclusive language when talking about Islam and Muslims. On September 17th, six days after the attacks, President Bush visited the Islamic Center in Washington. He spoke at length about Islam as a religion and the accomplishments of Muslim-Americans. The leader of the free world speaking so glowingly about a community at an inflection point in its nascent existence in the United States was a tremendous show of support. This is especially true due to multiple incidents of racially-motivated murders across the country, which were condemned and prosecuted by the appropriate governmental authorities. This compassionate approach, however, contrasted starkly with the post-9/11 legislation and policy enacted by the federal government. Various laws, and the decision to militarize in response to the attacks, were heavily controversial. The authors of Backlash 9/11 write that “Immediately following the terrorist attacks, the government initiatives, a component of the ‘War on Terror,’ set the standard for the treatment, or rather the mistreatment, of Middle Eastern and Muslim Americans” (Bakalian and Bozorgmehr 4). Most notably, the USA PATRIOT Act was passed, dramatically expanding surveillance capabilities in the name of national security. Arab-Americans, Middle Eastern-Americans, Muslim-Americans, and even Sikh-Americans, were made out to be potential enemies of the state. Finding space to belong thus became even more