Opinion: We can mourn 9/11 and value Muslim-American voices

The United States’ fear of a foreign attack on American soil was realized 15 years ago this September.

On Sept. 11th, 2001, the world watched as the twin towers, staples of American economic power, were leveled to the ground.

Without a doubt, 9/11 was a traumatic event that will forever stain history. While Americans rightfully take the time to commemorate the lives lost and the families who suffered, thinking about those who are often underrepresented in the discussion — Muslim Americans ­— is equally important.

The narrative of 9/11 can be viewed from various angles. The more prevalent perspective tends to focus on the idea that the United States is under attack and that enhanced security is the answer.

The moment to give attention to other narratives is past due.

Everyone was affected by 9/11. When we talk about that day, we remember the way we felt watching the towers fall.

We remember that lengthy second when we finally realized what was happening.

We remember the fear of what could happen next.

Over time, that fear was not handled — it was intensified, even exploited, in order to serve a national agenda. It had grave repercussions.

While the U.S. government passed legislation permitting the surveillance of families and the tapping of phones, they passed off this obstruction of justice as a necessity to preserve American safety.

The phenomenon of correlating American safety with the restriction of Muslim rights was cemented.

For Muslim Americans, this meant holding their breath when mass violence occurred in the U.S. for fear of the perpetrator being a Muslim.

It meant having to explain that there are good Muslims, then wondering why you had to defend that claim in the first place.

Finally, it meant becoming a walking threat. It’s scary to have suspicions attached to your body.

Still, Muslim Americans have systematically been excluded from the conversation.

Instead they’ve had to fight for the right to raise their voice and fight against an intensified wave of prejudice.

Today, with such outstanding evidence of Islamophobia, it is pertinent to give attention to Muslim-American voices.

Listening would create a more united and educated community.

9/11 was a historic event — if not for the violence and grief it created, then for the paranoia.

When thinking critically about that day, one could argue that it affected Muslim Americans more than other social groups.

That statement is clearly incendiary, but when the facts are laid out, it makes a lot of sense.

All Americans deal with the paranoia of another terrorist attack, whereas Muslim Americans are subjected to an anxiety that is two-fold. They worry about being harassed, discriminated and bullied in their everyday lives, on top of a fear of terror attacks.

This year, Eid al-Adha, a holy day for Muslims, falls on September 12th, only a day after the anniversary of the tragedy.

The proximity of the anniversary and holy day means now is an especially good time to foster critical conversations about what has happened in the United States in the past 15 years, and how far we have yet to go.