Josephine D’Aquino
Paper 2
Modern American History
11/26/2018
How 9/11 Changed America
Before September 11th, 2001, airport security wasn’t as strict as it is today. Today we have to take off our shoes, there are limitations to the sizes of shampoo we can bring on airplanes and we can’t travel without going through security screening at the airport. As a result of 9/11, airport security became a much more serious job and the stereotypes against Muslims only grew worse. This day not only changed our nation, but the entire world itself.
On the day of September 11th, 2001 at 8:46am, Flight 11 hit the North Tower of the World Trade Center, which later on collapsed, killing everyone in the building. At 9:03am Flight 175 hit the South Tower which also collapsed 56 minutes later. At 9:38am Flight 77 hit the pentagon. 2,977 people died on this day, varying from office workers to emergency services. The largest loss in emergency services started with 343 Firefighters. Next were 37 Port Authority police. Then 23 NYPD officers and lastly 8 EMT’s. The death toll is still rising till this day due to illnesses brought on by the attack and sadly not everybody found was identified.
Terrorism wasn’t really a concern in America until this tragic event occurred. The United States tried to control the Al Qaeda (a radical Islamic terrorist group) situation using tactics that were used during the cold war. The tactics proved ineffective as terrorism was and still is a threat to this day. They used whatever the could to try and stop these attacks and they succeeded by finding out who organized these attacks.
Osama bin Laden was found to be the mastermind behind the 9/11 attack. There were 19 hijackers hired to steal the planes. The racism and stereotypes began when the hijackers were found to be of the Muslim faith. The worst stereotype born from this attack is that people began to label all Muslims as terrorists. Which created hate and caused people to blame all muslims for the attacks when in reality they practiced the faith in a radical wa The term for it is better known as Islamophobia.
Islamophobia is the irrational fear of or prejudice against the Islamic faith, especially as a political force. Due to islamophobia, many Americans live in constant fear of a possible terrorist attack. Muslim woman, who are no exception to the fear, often face verbal insults and racial slurs. When a muslim woman wears a hijab, a traditional article of clothing for followers of this faith, it is believed to be a statement of identity. They do not wear it because they have to, they wear it because they want to. There is, sadly, a stereotype that goes around stating that these women are forced to wear them.
According to the huffington post “Women who wear the hijab face constant harassment.” They hear phrases such as “Go back home,” get called “terrorists,” and that they wish “ISIS would gang rape them.”(Salbi, Zainab. “The Headscarf, Fear, And Islamophobia.” The Huffington Post). These statements/threats are just few things muslim woman hear all the time just because they practice the Muslim faith. “The gap between what Islam is and how the vast majority of Muslims practice it, and between stereotypes, projection and fear of the religion from non-Muslims is vast.” The views on the muslim faith changed when the 9/11 attack struck.
When people began to fear this specific race, thinking that they would attack again and again, they began to try and spark a change. They wanted the laws of the whole country to change in order for us to feel safer. Because of the actions of a few people from the same race people grouped the entire society together and labeled them as terrorists. This created fear across America. People can’t travel without being searched before boarding airplanes or attending concerts. Things that were done normally without thought were impacted by the attacks. Any possible way to try and prevent another attack were put into place.
Since the attack, America has heightened there alert and learned how to try and prevent future attacks. With heightened security at large events, promoting reporting suspicious activity, and creating a bomb squad with bomb sniffing dogs. They also heightened airport security majorly. According to farecompare.com these are things that were put in place after 9/11 “…ID must be presented, name must match ticket Most travelers must remove shoes at checkpoints, No liquids allowed through security in containers larger than 3.4 ounces, Most travelers must remove toiletries and laptops from bags Enhanced pat-downs, Only ticketed travelers are now allowed at airline gate areas, Cockpit doors are locked for the pilots safety.” (Seaney , Rick. “9 Ways Airport Security Changed Since 9/11.”). These are all laws that were put into place after the attack by the TSA in an attempt to prevent future attacks.
America changed a lot of laws and opened there eyes to terrorism after 9/11 happened. Not only did America get stricter with traveling laws but they also learned how to try and prevent these attacks. However, 9/11 also caused a lot of racism and hate towards people of the muslim faith. Islamophobia grew after the attacks. Since terrorism wasn’t a concern, we wouldn't have created ways to try and prevent it.
Work Cited
Members, Commission. “The 9/11 Commission Report .” 911 Report ,
www.washingtonpost.com/wpsrv/nation/911report/documents/911ReportExec.pdf?nored
irect=on.
Salbi, Zainab. “The Headscarf, Fear, And Islamophobia.” The Huffington Post, TheHuffingtonPost.com,
14 Nov. 2016,
www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/headscarf-fear-islamophobia_us_5824d314e4b0f616ef301ceb.
Seaney , Rick. “9 Ways Airport Security Changed Since 9/11.” FareCompare, 2017,
www.farecompare.com/travel-advice/9-ways-security-has-changed-since-911/.