The movie Divided We Fall: America in the Aftermath pretty much made me sick. September 11th was a horrific event for all Americans and it’s sad how quickly people began to target those with turbans and beards. I remember constant news coverage of ground zero in the days, weeks, and months after 9/11, but I don’t remember hearing anything about the hate crimes due to racial profiling. Valarie made a great point when she noted that the media decides what stories are told. I can only imagine how terrified Sikhs must have been during this time because they not only feared future terrorist attacks, but had to fear other Americans as well. Americans were so angry, hurt, and confused by 9/11 that suddenly Sikhs, Muslims, Arabs, etc were becoming victims of misplaced revenge.
I couldn’t believe the story of the man who was a surgeon who rushed to ground zero to provide care for any survivors. When he tried to develop some pictures, the store clerk was extremely rude, and clearly just because the man was wearing a turban and had a beard. It broke my heart to hear the tragic story of the gas station owner that was shot 5 times in the back and killed just hours after he had donated to the victims in NY and had made a few phone calls to friends asking if they’d bring him some American flags to hang up at his gas station.
It’s evident that our country tries to withhold an image of freedom for all, yet in the wake of an event such as 9/11, this concept completely goes out the door and suddenly individuals are singled out just by their appearance. It’s so sad that the media basically encouraged racial profiling and those with beards and turbans felt forced to alter their appearance for the sake of keeping their jobs and/or out of fear regarding their safety.
We also have to remember that it was not only the media that portrait this, but our own government when they decided to interrogate anyone who resembled a terrorist.
ReplyDeleteIt does seem that after 9/11 there is so much Islamophobia going around that it's sick. I can't even remember hearing about the Middle East before 9/11, but nowadays that is all you hear/read about. There are those signs that say "all I ever needed to know about Islam I learned on 9/11", treating women in hijab as inferior than everyone else, targeting Arabs or Muslims when they didn't do anything wrong that furthers the hatred....it is just ridiculous!
ReplyDeleteI know about this center called the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) that tries to educate Americans about Islam and what Islam truly is about because there is a lot of bullshit about it going around. I really commend this organization because it challenges people to really look into Islam and stop buying into the stereotypes.
Here's the website for the organization: http://www.cair.com/
Hey eed24- you're definitely right that our government had a huge influence on increased racial profiling post 9/11 by interrogating those who "looked suspicious," and when broadcast, caused additional fear and paranoia leading to racial profiling among Americans.
ReplyDeleteHeather- I agree that there is so much misinformation regarding Islam as a result of 9/11. I didn't know about CAIR, and will definitely check out the website because I would like to be more knowledgeable about Islam so I can hopefully help change the views of those I know who are misinformed. Thanks so much for sharing it with me!