9/11 Sparks Mistreatment
Civil Liberties Curtailed
Background
These attacks were a series of coordinated attacks by 19 militants associated with the Islamic extremist group Al-Qaeda, the terrorist group lead by Osama bin Laden. The men carried out these attacks against the United States because Al-Qaeda disliked "America's support of Israel, its involvement in the Persian Gulf War, and its continued military presence in the Middle East" ("9/11 Attacks").
Al-Qaeda's goal was to spread fear throughout the United States: "Al-Qaeda hoped that, by attacking these symbols of American power, they would spread widespread fear throughout the country and severely weaken the United States' standing in the world community, ultimately supporting their political and religious goals in the Middle East and Muslim World" ("FAQ about 9/11").
Picture: ("Islam Was Not Behind 911").
Thesis
The Mistreatment of Americans of Middle Eastern Descent
After the events of September 11, 2001, the discrimination against Muslim Americans, those who practice the same religion as Al-Qaeda, increased drastically, and the blame of 9/11 was put on the Muslims in the United States (Friedersdorf). They were faced with negative attitudes and stereotypes. Also, the FBI reported a 1,700% increase of hate crimes against Muslim Americans from 2000 to 2001 (Mussarat Khan). More injustices against Muslim Americans came from law enforcement where innocent Muslims were harassed and solely prosecuted based on his or her ethnicity. Also, suspected terrorists would be tortured. This strong discrimination against people of Middle Eastern descent is still going on today. Overall, the Middle Easterners were accused by many Americans for the attacks; consequently, many Americans began to oppress the Middle Easterners. Picture above: ("The Impact of 9/11 on the Mental Health of Muslims: 10 Years Later"). Picture below: ("Heartbreaking Posts by Muslim Americans...").
The Themes in The Crucible and Their Relation to 9/11
The Crucible by Arthur Miller has themes that are parallel to the attacks on 9/11. The theme developed in The Crucible was that in times of fear and crisis, people sometimes do unreasonable things that they would not normally do. In these times, people tend to completely ignore all facts and resort to scapegoating a certain group. This is seen in both post-9/11 America and The Crucible. Post-9/11, Muslims Americans were the victim of prejudice and even hate crimes as many Americans blamed them for the attacks without the backing of any evidence at all. Similarly, in The Crucible, many community members of Salem were hanged without any logical evidence against them because of the widespread fear of witchcraft throughout the community.
Works Cited
Khan, Mussarat. "Journal Of Muslim Mental Health." Attitudes Toward Muslim Americans Post-9/11. Np., n.d. Web. 06 Dec. 2014. <http://quod.lib.umich.edu/j/jmmh/10381607.0007.101/--attitudes-toward-Muslim-Americans-post-911?rgn=main;view=fulltext>
Friedersdorf, Conor. "Was There Really a Post-9/11 Backlash against Muslims?" The Atlantic. Atlantic Media Company, 04 May 2012. Web. 06 Dec. 2014.
"FAQ about 9/11." 9/11 Memorial National September 11 Memorial & Museum, n.d. Web. 06 Dec. 2014.
"9/11 Attacks." History.com. A&E Television Networks, 2010. Web. 06 Dec. 2014.
"The Impact of 9/11 on the Mental Health of Muslims: 10 Years Later."MentalHealth4Muslims. N.p., n.d. Web. 09 Dec. 2014. <http://mentalhealth4muslims.com/2011/09/27/the-impact-of-911-on-the-mental-health-of-muslims-10-years-later/#&panel1-1>.
"The Hate I Will Never Forget: A Decade After 9/11." Muslim Reverie. N.p., n.d. Web. 09 Dec. 2014. <http://muslimreverie.wordpress.com/2011/09/11/the-hate-i-will-never-forget-a-decade-after-911/>.
"Heartbreaking Posts by Muslim Americans Show Another Side of 9/11 We Must Never Forget." Mic. N.p., n.d. Web. 09 Dec. 2014. <http://mic.com/articles/98674/heartbreaking-posts-by-muslim-americans-show-another-side-of-9-11-we-must-never-forget>.
"Islam Was Not Behind 911." Islam Was Not Behind 911. N.p., n.d. Web. 09 Dec. 2014. <http://www.jesus-is-savior.com/Evils%20in%20Government/911%20Cover-up/islam_not_to_blame.htm>.
- Miller, Arthur. The Crucible. The Language of Literature. Ed. Arthur N. Applebee. Evanston: McDougal Littell, 2000. 166-240.