story1014.xml

story1014.xml

born-digital

story

yes

no

2002-08-14

It's been nearly a year past and I haven't gone to my Quran tutoring lessons. I was supposed to go to class on the morning of Sept. 11, but then my teacher called and told me to stay home. She told me of frightening stories about Muslims working in Washington D.C. being harassed. After the phone call, I immediately turned on the TV and gaped at the horrifying scene like many other Americans. Later that day, my dad came home early and said that he heard the explosion at the Pentagon while he was in his class at the National Defense University, just across the Potomac River from the Pentagon.

For several weeks, my dad, who's in the U.S. Air Force, warned my mom and I not to go anywhere. He especially warned us not to go to commissary at Fort Belvoir. The servicemen there wouldn't be happy to see two women wearing hijab shopping alongside them.

I felt helpless staying at home. Like many others, I wanted to reach out and help. So a couple of months later, I organized a blood drive in my neighborhood to honor the victims of 9/11.