Fifteen years ago, the United States wasn’t officially engaged in any wars. Few of us had ever heard of Al-Qaeda or Osama bin Laden. Until September 11, 2001. The United States was attacked in a way that it had never experienced in its history. There were 4 coordinated terrorist attacks by the Islamic terrorist group Al-Qaeda. 2,996 American people were killed and over 6,000 were injured. This single event changed the country tremendously. Not only did this day change Americans but it also impacted Muslim Americans and Muslims throughout the world.
While dozens of Muslims died in the World Trade Center, the heroic death of Mohammad Salman Hamdani highlights the troubles of Muslims. He was a young Muslim medic who rushed to help and died under the collapsing towers but he was publicly suspected of being a terrorist until five months later, when he was finally honored as a hero. Muslims were the suspects across America. Over 18,000 Muslims have been deported. More than 15,000 Muslims have been detained or arrested.
This made me understand why the United States has increased its security. An example of that is people didn’t have to take their shoes off and wait in long lines at airports to get through TSA security before 9/11/2001. I believe that day harmed many Americans but also made them stronger. We learned how to persevere as a country. Patriotism in the face of terror made us even closer and in some ways helped us to unify in our growing differences.
I remember September 11th, 2006 like was yesterday. It was 5 years after the attack and I was in the 5th grade. This day was one of the first times I saw the video on what happened on September 11, 2001. I didn’t understand why somebody would do such a thing, I even asked my teacher and she said she didn’t know neither. That only made me more angry while I was watching the video. It made me want to know more on who were the people that attacked us and why.
While the video kept playing they said there were 19 hijackers and they were organized by numerous Al-Qaeda members. Their leader was a man born in Saudi Arabia but living in Afghanistan. His name was Osama bin Laden. While I learned all this it made me cherish life. I was astonished by the courage of the NYC fire department. Their courage and bravery to do their best to try to save people who were trapped in the World Trade center was inspiring. While many lost their lives in the attempt to save others it was an example of courageous and sacrificial love instead of hate.
That day made me relive the day in the summer of 2006 that my mother had surgery. It was an emotional roller coaster. I was sad and scared for her as I thought she would die. I could only imagine what family members of the people that were on airplanes that day or people who had family members or friends working in the World Trade Center. That day was a tragic day but also a day to learn from. I now know that anything can happen in life so therefore to never take life for granted.