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On September 11th 2001, one of the most stunning acts of hate in United States history
killed nearly 3,000 innocent people at the World Trade Center and the Pentagon.
Millions of Americans responded immediately with their labor and support, but hate
violence continued to plague innocent Americans.
In the wake of the terrorist attacks, Arab American communities across the country
came under violent assault amid a rising tide of anti-Arab anger. The majority of
the violent backlash occurred in the days immediately following the terrorist
attacks-Amnesty International reported more than 540 attacks on Arab-Americans
in the week following September 11th.
A report by The Council on American Islamic Relations showed the most common
attacks came in the form of hate mail, physical attacks and assault on personal
property. Mosques, Hindu temples and community centers were vandalized and
torched. The report also showed that the civil rights of almost 60,000 Arab
Americans were negatively impacted by government policies instituted following
the terrorist attacks, as hundreds of Arab Americans were detained on immigration charges.
But within this violent climate-in which thousands of Americans found their
human rights and civil liberties threatened-people across the country came
together to show support for Arab Americans. They also sent a strong message
to the rest of the country that racist hate crimes were not welcome in their communities. Here are some of their stories.
The Antiochian Orthodox Church of the Redeemer in Los Altos, California went up
in flames on April 8, 2002. The church, whose congregation is made up of over 200
Palestinian families and other Orthodox Christian Arab Americans, was completely
destroyed, causing over $1 million in damages. Authorities suspected arson, and
the incident was perceived by many as a hate crime against the Arab American community.
But a week after the fire, the Los Altos community came together to say that hate was not
welcome in their town. Hundreds of people from various faiths gathered on the church lawn
for a service. A group of rabbis committed to help rebuild the site, and schoolchildren
from a Jewish day school presented the church's head, Reverend Father Samer Youssef,
with a check.
[Watch the Video 56k | 220k]
On September 15th, Balbir Singh Sodhi, an Indian gas station owner, was murdered in
what authorities called a racially motivated shooting spree in the wake of the September
11th terrorist attacks. Sodhi, a Sikh, had a long beard and wore a turban and may have
been mistaken for an Arab.
The murder outraged the community of Mesa, and 3,000 people of diverse faiths and backgrounds gathered to mourn his death. Sikhs, Jews, Muslims and Christians, among others, offered prayers and sympathy to Sodhi's family. The public outpouring also included more than 10,000 letters and notes of sympathy sent to the victim's family. The community also signed a banner to hang in the door of the Sodhi's gas station.
In the weeks following the September 11th attacks, the Chicago area experienced a
surge of anti Arab-American violence. A Molotov cocktail was thrown through the Arab Educational
School, and Muslim and Arab American institutions received numerous threatening calls.
About 500 to 700 demonstrators gathered near a high school, and several people chanted
"Kill the Arabs."
In response to the growing climate of anti-immigrant racism, Chicago-area youths and adults collaborated on five video Public Service Announcements to send a message of tolerance and unity. The For Whose Freedom videos include "Divided We Fall," in which teens taunt an Arab American student, and "War," which focuses on the impact of war on communities around the world. The project is a joint effort of Video Machete, the Coalition of African, Asian, European, and Latino Immigrants of Illinois, the Indo-American Center, the Arab American Action Network, Generation Y, the Greater Lawn Community Youth Network, and the Chinese Mutual Aid Association's Multicultural Youth Project.
[Watch the Video Clip]
While the world reeled during the aftermath of the September 11th terrorist attacks,
songwriter/producer Nile Rodgers and Tommy Boy Music president Tom Silverman turned
to the healing power of music. On September 22, the two gathered 200 celebrities
together to re- record Nile's hit song "We Are Family" to give a message of hope
and unity during a difficult time. Rodgers and Silverman then formed the We Are
Family Foundation, a non-profit corporation to promote tolerance and a vision of global unity.
In a documentary directed by Danny Schechter for Globalvision TV about the making of the "We Are Family" recording session, celebrities speak out against the Anti-American violence at the time.
[Watch the Video 56k | 220k]
The September 11th terrorist attacks spawned a hostile climate for many Americans of
Arab descent. But some people-of diverse faiths and backgrounds-have found that
comedy may be a good way to deflect some of this hostility. In the weeks following
the attacks, the demand for Arab-American comics surged. Listen to an interview
with comics Ahmed Ahmed and Maz Jobrani, which appeared on NPR's Fresh Air on
June 20, 2002.
[Listen to the Audio 56k | 220k]
The 9/11 People Against Racism group formed in to oppose racism, particularly against Arab-Americans, in the aftermath of September 11th. The group holds weekly community meetings to reconcile some differences over the treatment of Arabs and Muslims, and to foster tolerance and understanding. In an April 2002 meeting, 9/11 People Against Racism screened NOT IN OUR TOWN before an audience of 80 people. The film then sparked dialogue about how to enhance unity within their community.
Interfaith Groups Support Vandalized Muslim Community Center in Herndon, VA
A.D.A.M.S. (All Dulles Area Muslim Society) was a target of vandalism in the days following
the September 11th attacks-someone spray-painted anti-Muslim obscenities in the mosque-but
the community quickly stepped in to help. Neighboring churches volunteered to pay for the
damages, and members of a nearby Jewish congregation gave ADAMS a poster of support.
Community Supports Vandalized Islamic Bookstore in Alexandria, VA
After two bricks were thrown through the window of an Islamic bookstore, 15 bouquets of flowers arrived for store manager Hazim Barakat, along with 50 cards from around the country. A local businessman paid for the window to be repaired, and Christian ministers and a Rabbi stopped by to lend their support.
Candlelight Vigil for Mosque in Falls Church, Virginia
Patricia Morris noticed that the Dar al-Hijrahin mosque in her neighborhood looked closed down. After leafleting her subdivision, 30 people joined her in a candlelight vigil outside the mosque. They were greeted by Muslims attending evening prayers who distributed white roses to the vigil participants.
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