story11018.xml

story11018.xml

born-digital

story

yes

no

2004-09-13

As I sat in my 5th period class, it was not even near the end of the day. One by one my friends, classmates, were leaving. Our class was wondering that why everyone had been leaving. No one was telling us what was happening, not even the teacher. At the time my mother had been working in the same school and later I was dismissed to leave to her. I was still confused and not knowing what had happened I asked my mother, ?Why is everyone leaving so early?? ?They hit the Pentagon!? I was so shocked; I didn?t know what to say. Although I didn?t know what she meant when she said ?they?.
I went to a room which had the news on n all over was the pentagon burning and the twin towers falling. I couldn?t believe it. Every school in the county was to leave school and head straight home, for they didn?t know if the attacks were over.
All the other schools had been off for a week and my school also. Since our school was an Islamic School we took an extra week of, just for safety (since they claimed that a Muslim had been responsible for this attack).
Through those weeks I felt more of a stranger than I had ever felt since I started wearing a scarf. At the stores people would look at me and talk underneath their breath or to the person near them. They were either very scared or had hatred within them. I felt as if I could not be trusted. I remember even one time that I was standing in line at the convenient store waiting for my items to be rung up. Not even a smile as most people give. As the cashier scanned the items she then threw them in the bag and handed the bag to be as if I were an animal. I thought she was just having a bad day, but as I waited for the person behind me to get her stuff, the cashier had a sudden change of personality, ?Hi, how are you?Have a nice day?. I didn?t want to make the situation worst so I just left.
Situations like that don?t happen anymore, since it?s been 3 years now. But of course no one has forgotten about that day. A couple months after the attacks, the news had been focusing on the religion of the Muslims: Islam. I?m sure that a lot of people had learned a lot for this religion means no harm and only wants peace. I felt that a lot of people are more interested in this religion and I had heard that many have converted. I just hope, as everyone else does, that we never have to go through a situation like this again.