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Monday, September 12, 2011
Generation 9/11
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or Generation 9/11, there was a time Before everything changed. Then there was the time After. There exists that dividing line in our lives.
For the most part, it’s a line that marks the end of a protected childhood and the tougher, scarier territory that comes from growing up. And it’s not a coincidence it was drawn in the blue skies above lower Manhattan, on a Tuesday morning 10 years and one day ago. The next generation will not have a Before. It will have only lived in the After. It won’t remember life without the fear
Lack of reflection troubles vet
that flooded our society after the attacks; it will not have images of falling towers so indelibly sealed in its mind; it will not have known a time of American invincibility that could never crumble into dust. In a few years, new students at this university will have lived through that day of terror, but may not know the line it became. Our generation was made by it.
Who we are as a people is defined by the difference between Before and After. With that in mind, we present this collection of stories from members of Generation 9/11, one forged in burning jet fuel above Manhattan, cooled by FDNY hoses and discovered beneath the rubble of two towers and a nation. These are our stories. This is Generation 9/11.
Muslim life in post-9/11 America
By Alex DiTullio
By Alison Bauter
The daily cardinal
The Daily Cardinal
When al-Qaida attacked the United States on Sept. 11 Stephen Lee felt numb, like the rest of America. But for him, it was not until his boots hit the dry Afghan dirt that reality set in. While serving as a human intelligence collector in Iraq and Afghanistan for the next nine years, Lee witnessed changing attitudes toward the war in his fellow soldiers and himself. Lee, who expects to graduate from UW-Madison in May, joined the army in 2000, hoping to give structure to his otherwise chaotic life. He trained alongside fellow soldiers, most under the age of 20, with
Ten years ago, Zeeshan Al Haq’s fifth grade class ended early. A teacher turned on the news and told students, “History is in the making.” But for Al Haq, like many young American Muslims, the history made on Sept. 11, 2001, was complex, forcing tough questions about the implications of practicing Islam in post-9/11 America. “It really creates a dichotomy for us as Muslims,” says Al Haq, now a UW-Madison senior and president of the Muslim Students Association. Some, says Al Haq, are “scared to be Muslim” in a country that often fears and vilifies the religion in the aftermath of 9/11.
“We don’t reflect these ideologies. The radicalization, that absolute extremism—that doesn’t apply to American Muslims.”
“I look around and you wouldn’t know that we had soldiers out there risking their lives.”
Zeeshan Al Haq president Muslim Student Association
no real expectation of fighting in a foreign country. After 9/11, Lee said a surge of patriotism changed everything the military had previously known. “All of the sudden you start seeing old [recruits] coming in,” recalled Lee. “People that put down their regular jobs [to fight].” And it was not just the age and occupation of those in the military that changed. According to Lee, he saw people from all walks of life enlist. “I’ve not seen a more accurate representation of our country than the military,” said Lee. “There’s a lot more diversity of thought than the military gets credit for.” According to Lee, this diversity of thought led to heated conversation in the barracks and tents of Iraq, as soldiers debated the validity of the U.S. presence in a second war. Today, Lee is working toward a degree in political science. Ten years after 9/11, it pains him to look around and see the average citizen remain seemingly detached toward the ongoing wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. “I look around and you wouldn’t know that we had soldiers out there risking their lives,” said Lee. “You wouldn’t know that August was the deadliest month for American forces in Afghanistan since late 2001. We need to create that dialogue.” As part of the organization Vets for Vets,
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Grace Liu/the daily cardinal
Stephen Lee U.S. Army veteran UW-Madison student
The day of the attack, Al Haq says his own parents had to temporarily close their restaurant when a group of local teenagers started throwing rocks at businesses owned by people of Middle Eastern-descent. Former MSA president Rashid Dar says he’s been called a terrorist and listed in blogs and on websites as a Muslim extremist. “It’s sometimes a great burden,” Dar admits. Yet both Dar and Al Haq say the public spotlight 9/11 put on Islam strengthened many Muslims’ faith. “On a deeper level, it causes you to question whether what you’re defending is worth defending,” said Dar. Dar says he started to “care less and less about being on the defensive” and, instead, “whole-heartedly believe” in Islam. In defending his faith, Al Haq says he must frequently dispel the misconception that Muslims condone terrorist actions. “We don’t reflect these ideologies,” he said. “The radicalization, that absolute extremism—that doesn’t apply to American Muslims.” Similarly, Al Haq must confront beliefs that Muslims are less patriotic than their fellow Americans. “We identify with being Muslim and American,” he said, adding that he believes many Muslims “value their patriotism more than most Americans,” perhaps because it is so frequently challenged. For Dar, the events of 9/11 shaped his decision to study politics, leading him to pursue a career
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“…the great state University of Wisconsin should ever encourage that continual and fearless sifting and winnowing by which alone the truth can be found.”