Muslim students discuss post-9/11 atmosphere at IU

As the world watched the Twin Towers collapse on Sept. 11, 2001, the members of Bloomington’s Muslim community lived in fear.

“It was tense at home,” said Zaineb Istrabadi, lecturer of near eastern languages and cultures. “My family and I are Iraqi, Arabic and Muslim. It’s a triple whammy.”

Istrabadi was frightened of how the U.S. government would treat Arab-Americans and Muslims.

“I was afraid they would round up Arab-Americans and put them in detention camps,” Istrabadi said.

One of Istrabadi’s friends was killed in the first tower, but her friends from New York were concerned about her.

“My friends, who were caught in a blizzard of human remains and concrete, called to see if I was alright,” Istrabadi said.

As a Muslim-American, Nancy Anderson, a Bloomington resident and Continuing Studies student, was afraid as well.

Her fear arose from watching the news and seeing students being attacked on the streets of New York. Anderson’s husband was also in Washington working at the State Department and she could not get a hold of him.

Her unease did not disappear.

After the Sept. 11 attacks, the FBI came to her house because her 17-year-old old son had gotten a private pilot’s license.

But both members of the Bloomington community said that there was also an outpour of support from other Bloomington residents.

Community members made certain that the Muslim residents were secure.

Teachers from the Bloomington public school system asked Anderson if her children felt safe at school, and the IU community stepped forward to make sure Muslim or Arabic students wouldn’t have to walk alone, Anderson said.

In spite of the community support, there was an increase in reports of harassment during the time after Sept. 11, said Pamela Freeman, associate dean of students and director of student ethics and anti-harassment programming.

Because of the peaks of incidents during 2002, the Religious Bias Incidents Team formed and has been reporting religious bias since 2004.

The Bloomington Human Rights Commission Hate Incidents Report from July 2002 to June 2003  reports four incidents of harassment against Muslims.

In one incident a man shouted profanities with the statements “Al-Qaida and terrorists” and a fight broke out. One person ended up needing stitches.

In 2005, a firebomb was placed into The Islamic Center of Bloomington, according to an Indiana Daily Student article. A rock and a soda bottle filled with unknown accelerant was thrown through the window. The Quran, Islam’s holiest text, was placed in a paper bag and lit on fire outside.

Many of the religious institutions of Bloomington, including St. Paul’s Catholic Center and Unitarian-Universalist congregation, staged a Walk and Prayer for Peace and Solidarity against the hate crime.

“It made me realize that for every misguided individual there are hundreds and even thousands that are not like that,” Istrabadi said.

Muslim students’ college experiences are not really any different than any student of another race or religion, said senior Farzana Bade, dawah – or outreach – chairwoman for the Muslim Student Union at IU.

Even though IU is an accepting and diverse campus, there are still ignorant individuals, said senior Aasiya Mirza, president of the Muslim Student Union.

“There are times when the words terror, terrorism and radical Islam are thrown around,” Mirza said. “People don’t understand that different people are committing the acts of terrorism and not the whole population of Muslims. Obviously it’s negative and hurtful. But I’ve never experienced actual bigotry.”

Bade said it’s normal for people to stereotype.

“It’s almost natural that when you have a picture of a person in your mind, and you see anyone who represents that race or culture. You will get the jitters,” Bade said. “It’s human nature.”

Since Sept. 11, the IU climate has improved, Freeman said.

“I believe since 9/11 there is more awareness of biases based on religion,” Freeman said. “I think more people are aware of what Islam is and what it means than before 9/11.”