 This American protester claims that he is "Islamophobic and proud of it." In general, fear and hatred of Muslims increased in the United States after the 9/11 attacks. |
The reaction to the attacks was most controversial in the Arab world, where most people condemned the violence but a small number approved, for a variety of reasons. As a result of support for the 9/11 attacks among Islamic extremists, tensions between Muslim and non-Muslim communities increased around the world. Even non-Muslim Arabs and South Asians became a focus of violence, discrimination, and harassment because non-Arabs thought they "looked like" Muslims.
In the United States, too, a series of hate crimes against Muslims (and people thought to be Muslims) occurred in the months following the attacks, and general fear of Islam as a religion increased. As you probably know, this is an issue that continued to cause tensions, and sometimes violence, more than a decade later.
For more on the changing perceptions of Islam after 9/11, watch the video:
When a group of people look or act differently from the majority, they sometimes get judged as a group. "Those people are all like that," someone might say.
As a result, individuals may be discriminated against or even attacked because of how they appear. Islam is a good example. In Europe and the United States, Muslims are a minority group. They are often judged as a united "block" when in fact they are individuals just like everyone else.
Though such prejudice is common in all parts of the world, people's beliefs are actually more complicated than the phenomenon suggests. Just as there are many interpretations of Christianity, from casual churchgoers to people who believe that God created the Earth just a few thousand years ago, there are different interpretations of Islam.
To be clear, fear of religious groups in the United States isn't a new phenomenon exclusive to Islam. In the 1960s, some Americans worried that President John F. Kennedy would have more allegiance to the Pope than the United States because he was Catholic. However, Kennedy ended up being one of the less outwardly religious presidents in American history.
But the 9/11 attacks increased general fears about Muslims and their ability to assimilate into other cultures. People wondered if all Muslims were hostile, violent, and unreasonable, and the more extreme elements of Islamic law – like issuing the death penalty to believers who renounce the religion – became an accusation against all followers of Islam.
Most Muslims denounce terrorism and insist that terrorists don't represent their religion. Unfortunately, many Americans seeking an outlet for the shock and anger that followed the 9/11 attacks saw American Muslims as a convenient target.
While it's important to keep an eye out for Americans who might join radical movements and try to harm the United States, it's equally important to avoid jumping to conclusions about all members of a particular group. In the weeks and months that followed 9/11, the subtle difference between watchfulness and paranoia often disappeared.
Answer these questions to review the public reaction to 9/11:
Why would the American people throw their support behind a president after a shocking disaster like 9/11?
What does the harassment of Muslims after 9/11 reveal about the way we respond to disasters like 9/11?
| Your Responses | Sample Answers |
|---|---|
| The scale of the 9/11 attacks was immense, to the point that many onlookers felt helpless. In times like those, people look to their leaders for guidance and an outlet for their anger and desire to act. Americans were afraid after 9/11, and the leadership of the president was reassuring. | |
| American Muslims (and people thought to be Muslims) were harassed because some citizens needed a target for venting their frustrations. After a disaster like 9/11, many people will be angry, and some will look to unleash that anger. |
