Muslim Americans upset over new 9/11-related film
FREMONT — At the United Muslim American symposium in Newark, Muslim-American leaders discussed the rhetoric regarding Iran, the war in Iraq, and the image of the United States in Islamic countries. But some also expressed concern that “United 93,” a new film about the last moments of the last hijacked plane to crash on Sept. 11, 2001, could stir up anti-Islamic sentiments.
Safaa Ibrahim, executive director of the Council on American Islamic Relations, took her staff of four women wearing a hijab, the traditional Muslim head scarves, to a Thursday matinee.
As a civil rights advocate, Ibrahim said, she wanted to see the movie after reports that several young Muslim-American women in Arizona were verbally assaulted by two people who said they had seen the movie recently.
Ibrahim said she knew the movie would stir up emotions, but she did not expect that all of the members in her group would walk out of the theater in tears.
“We thought it was important to see the movie to find out how it comes across,” Ibrahim said. “But it dredged up a lot of emotions. We were watching it — as Americans and as Muslims — and it hurts us to see our fellow Americans hurt, and see people hurt others, acting in the name of Islam.”
At the April 29 symposium, Suhail Khan, associate director for congressional affairs at the Department of Transportation and a former White House aide under President George W. Bush, recalled his experience working at the White House on Sept. 11, 2001.
Today, Khan said he still remembers that day “moment by moment,” adding that the movie touches a raw nerve. He said he had not made up his mind about whether it is too soon to produce such a film.
“Five short years after 9/11, we’re seeing a movie produced that purports to relive the horrific moments of 9/11 and Flight 93,” Khan said. “I haven’t made up my mind about that issue honestly. I do feel, obviously, that it will stir up anti-Muslim sentiments. But, I mean, it’s hard to make the situation worse.”
Ibrahim said the opening scene of the movie, where hijackers are reading the Quran, “sent chills up my spine.”
“It only reinforced my hatred and resentment toward Osama bin Laden and al-Qaida and reminded me of how much they’ve hurt Muslims and scarred our faith,” Ibrahim said. “I have so much anger toward these guys. The movie only reinforced that. I understand why it makes others angry. It doesn’t feel good to watch what happened and see innocent families die. It’s senseless.”
But Ibrahim added that the movie also reinforced how much has changed since the events of Sept. 11.
“On 9/11, I was working at a high-tech firm and I wasn’t wearing a hijab,” Ibrahim said. “Now I’m wearing a hijab and dedicating myself to preventing people from trying to ruin the name of my faith. That day helped us grow and made us more civic-conscious.”
Khan agreed: “My sense is that the opportunity is still there to educate non-Muslims. Just as we had hate crimes after 9/11, we also had an outpouring of brotherhood and friendship with non-Muslims who stood by the Muslim community and stood by their neighbors and friends. … I think you need to look at the positives and educate friends about the realities of Islam.”
Wild Thing’s comment……
Time for you all to be a LOT less Muslim and a bit more AMERICAN! If reminding Americans of the truth stirs up anti-Islamic sentiments, so be it. Where were they right after 9/11? They weren’t upset then!
Khan agreed: “My sense is that the opportunity is still there to educate non-Muslims.
Tell that to the family of that muslim woman reporter who was tortured as she had her head sawed off. That will go a long way in educating the non-muslim masses to your true intent.
08
May
Even today, Americans are forgetting the horror of what happened on 9/11. Oh we remember the date, people mention the numbers 9/11, and everyone puts cute little magnetic ribbons on their car that say “Remember 9/11” but nobody wants to remember the sheer horror of what happened and who caused it. Nobody wants to think about the men and women who jumped off the buildings rather than be burned alive. Nobody wants to imagine those people sitting in their offices as an airliner crashed into their building, sending them into eternity. Imagine the sheer terror is sitting in one of those airliners, realizing that your about to crash into a building and there isn’t anything, anyone on earth that can be done to prevent you from dying. Nobody cares about the people who were trapped in the buildings as they came crushing down upon them. To think about these things would cause us to visit retribution upon those responsible for what happened.
That’s the problem with Americans, we forget real fast. In some ways, it’s too bad were not like some of the Eastern Europeans who will hold a grudge for decades.
This movie should have come out three years ago. More factual movies of what took place on 9/11 need to be made. We must never forget who danced in the streets when the twin towers came down.
I agree Bob, I hope and wish they would make more movies of what happened. I wish they would make one of Rick Rescorla also. And I also wish they would make positive movies of our troops like they did back in WW11.
Until so called “peaceful and moderate” Muslims decide to kick out the radical Mullahs and seperate their religion from government and quit trying to force their religion on the world I will continue to believe that Islam is a religion of hatred of all not Islam rather than a religion of peace. The fact is that the teachings of Islam is not compatable with freedom of religion nor much freedom of any kind as we Americans understand freedom.
One thing that the left wing of the world cannot seem to understand is that the current war is not just a war on radical Islam..it is a war between ideas of what the future should be. Islam–and I say all Islam–wants a world that bows to their god. A lot of us that are fighting Islam want a world of freedom where we can worship as we please or not at all if that is what pleases us. We want the freedom of opporunity which implies the opporunity to succeed in our endeavors as well as the opportunity to fail. we want the freedom of speech which allows us to condemn those who we want to condemn and curse those we want to curse. We want as little government as possible and still have government and we want no–NONE- control over our lives by religion unless we want that control. Islam and the left wing are not compatable either. But the left is too gotdam ignorant to understand that.
This film should be shown throughout the moslem world. It won’t. Tyranny and cults hate debates or opposition.
Damn I wish we would quit letting moslems immigrate to America. We need to oversee the ones already here, and I bet we find plenty of them qualifying for deportation. Bush’s legacy is sure not going to be what he wants it to be. He will be known as the “sell-out” president.
Recently a photo entitled just “The Falling Man” was given a personal identity. A man in white shirt, black pants, leaping from the Tower in resignation and immeasurable courage to his death below.
His family had known for some time that it was the father and husband. An African-American from New Jersey, whose name escapes me. Someday, someday, this man will be avenged when we send that MF-ing piece of Islamist garbage Bin Laden to hell. Al Qaeda must die, each and every one, and anyone who gets in the way.
GUY I agree, thank you for commenting. The left does not get it and I doubt they ever will.
Yesss Tom, we need to shut down the Saudi schools in our country. Stop calling it the religion of peace and stop kissing up to every whim of what Muslims want. They didn’t like Winnie the Pooh, so what we should have said, bite me if you don’t like it and put your whine where the sun does not shine.
Rhod I got chills from head to toe reading what you wrote about “The Falling Man”. I agree, so much with all you wrote.
Well Monday PM and I’m messing around on this
blog,but I had to post on this!!! F.T. American
Muslims!!! Basicly the truth hurts and they
can’t stand the truth!!!They have been very
lucky so far “BUT” if the crap hits the fan
again, they had best be sleeping with 1 eye open
for they will find out just what and armed camp
this country of America is, we will take that
book of theirs and put it where the sun don’t
shine with out lubracation!!!!
One more thing, I was up in Idaho this last week
on friday I was behind a Chevy 4×4 and saw a
very large bumper sticker on the rear window, it
was the American flag with these words,LOVE IT,
HONOR IT OR “GET THE HELL OUT”!!! as Howard
Cosell woud have said “JUST TELLING LIKE IT IS”
Tincan Sailor I LOVE your two posts and I love you my friend! Thank you and well said!!!!
I would love a bumper sticker that said that. That is so perfect!!