New York Muslims find new voice 25 years after 9/11 backlash
NEW YORK, Sept 10 — Asad Dandia was eight when he watched the September 11, 2001 attacks on television at his Paki...
In the aftermath of the September 11, 2001 attacks, New York's Muslim community faced a wave of Islamophobia and increased harassment. At the age of eight, Asad Dandia witnessed the tragedy on television with his Pakistani immigrant parents. The ensuing years were marked by anger, suspicion, and fear, as Muslims across the country experienced heightened public hostility.
Dandia himself endured a particularly terrifying incident when a police informant posing as a friend infiltrated his family home, part of an intrusive surveillance program. Today, 25 years after the attacks, New York is a transformed city, with its first Muslim mayor, public prayers in Times Square, and new mosques popping up across the boroughs.
Dandia, now a 33-year-old historian, reflects on the progress made, saying, "Twenty-five years after 9/11, we mourn and we grieve what happened, and at the same time, we recognize that I am not responsible for what happened. I don't deserve to be targeted for what happened, and I am as much of a New Yorker as anybody else in that respect."
Written by urgent.news from Malay Mail's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
