The American Muslim community has felt the effects of the 9/11 attacks for the past 15 years, according to Hanif Mohebi, executive director of the Council on American-Islamic Relations chapter in San Diego.
“As human beings, we’re all affected in negative way, but I think what hurts the Muslim community more is that fingers are pointed at us as if we’re part of the problem,” Mohebi said.
He said he’s frustrated that he continues to be asked to answer for criminals that don’t reflect him, his community or his religion.
Two 9/11 hijackers attended prayers in several local mosques, and, according to the 9/11 commission report, met an imam in San Diego named Anwar Aulaqi who later moved to Virginia before ultimately moving to Yemen to join Al Qaeda. Aulaqi was killed by a U.S. drone in 2011.
“We have been saying for years now that our community is against all forms of violence,” Mohebi said. “No community should be blamed for the act of a few criminals. Extremism and terrorism have no religion.”
He said the Muslim community gets held to a different standard, that churches, for example are not asked to account for someone who prays there who commits a violent act. He noted that if a violent act is committed by a Muslim, the word “terrorist” is quickly thrown around by the media and politicians.
“How do you define terrorism? We’ve been talking about it for 15 years, but we haven’t defined it,” Mohebi said.
Mohebi talked about the threats and actual attacks that American Muslims have dealt with since 9/11, and he said the situation has grown worse over the past 15 years instead of better. He recounted incidents like the beating of a taxi driver while he was praying praying, a man who drove from San Diego to Michigan to bomb a mosque and kids getting bullied at school for their religion.
According to a 2014 survey conducted by CAIR in California, 55 percent of American Muslim students reported being bullied because of their religion. Twenty-seven percent of hijab-wearing students also reported discrimination from their teachers.
“Unfortunately, there is fear that is being put in the hearts of people,” Mohebi said. “I hope there will be a time when we can get together as a community and talk about whatever it is that is making them fear us.”