By Maysoon Khatib
Age (when it happened): 27
Location (when it happened): Dearborn, Mich.
Memory: I remember getting ready for work when it came on the news. My first reaction was to go pull my daughter, who was in the first grade, out of school because I literally thought our country was being attacked.
At the time, I was the managing editor for an Arab American newspaper. Dearborn was the focus of a lot of hate crimes and threats almost immediately after it happened.
As a journalist, I found myself spending a majority of time covering stories based on discrimination or community town hall meetings. It was during that time that I was approached by someone working for the Michigan Department of Civil Rights asking me to come join them in fighting against discrimination as an investigator.
Islamophobia is real and my children are part of this new generation that has been born into a climate where defending their faith is a common way of life.
I went from writing about Arab American issues, like relationships and politics, to making sure our rights, as well as the rights of all citizens, were not violated.
How it lives with you today: The experience taught me about inclusivity and advocacy. I learned about pluralism and how the word “tolerant” is inherently arrogant. I learned that if I want the rights of my community to be respected and given, I have to want that right for all groups as well.
Prior to 9/11, I was a “one-issue” woman. Today, advocating for fairness, balance, inclusiveness, and justice, is not only practiced and preached by me — but it is something every member of my household fights for, from my 22-year-old daughter down to my three sons who were born after 2001.
9/11 changed the trajectory of Muslims in America. Islamophobia is real and my children are part of this new generation that has been born into a climate where defending their faith is a common way of life. That — should never be normal — and we should never be apologetic or defensive.