Soon after the 9/11 attacks, a US Marine who practised the Muslim faith began to face racism and hostility even from his fellow Marines. Here's how things changed for him
Many people somehow may remember where they were, what they were doing, and how they felt when 19 Al Qaeda-affiliated terrorists crashed into the Twin Towers with their hijacked planes on September 11, 2001.
After the attacks, Shams promptly decided to use the qualities that distinguish him as a Muslim Marine for the sake of his country. "I think it [has largely] to do with lack of information, education and lots of misinformation. 9 out of 10, we read history with an anti-Muslim sentiment. There are words like Muslim terrorist and radical Islam. Things reinforced in a very negative narrative regarding the Islamic faith. And the population of 3 hundred million people are largely uneducated. Their only understanding of Islam is those 19 hijackers.
"For some people, that hashtag means never forget Muslims and never forget the people that look like me. So they reinforce this negative mindset. I would be curious to know what that never forget hashtag would mean to people. Because I'm telling for some people it means Muslims, not those victims who died during the 9/11 attacks," Shams said.
Malaysia Latest News, Malaysia Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
'The Longest Shadow': 9/11 leads to the militarization of US police departmentsFrom aerial surveillance in Baltimore to national terrorist watch lists, local police departments experimented with novel approaches to securing their streets following 9/11. Watch '9/11 Twenty Years Later—The Longest Shadow' on ABCNewsLive and hulu.
Read more »
US honors 9/11 dead on 20th anniversary of attacksAmerica marks the 20th anniversary of 9/11 Saturday with solemn ceremonies given added poignancy by the recent chaotic withdrawal of troops from Afghanistan and return to power of the Taliban.
Read more »
US Muslims reflect on how 9/11 changed their livesMany Muslims in the United States point to September 11, 2001 as the day their relationship with the country changed. Every Muslim in America has a story to tell. Here are some of them.
Read more »
20 years after 9/11, the ‘War on Terror’ has brought the US only defeatThe “War on Terror” achieved nothing but abject defeat for its main sponsor, the United States, and led it into global retreat and growing irrelevance Opinion | DrTalAbdulrazaq
Read more »
U.S. deficit hawks in exile 20 years after 9/11U.S. deficit hawks have become a relic since Sept. 11, 2001. Over the last 20 years, federal debt held by the public grew by nearly seven times to more than $22 trillion. Stimulus spending during several crises was needed, but financial discipline didn’t follow. A race to please voters ensures that trend will continue.
Read more »