9/11 Created Sudden Antagonism Towards Muslim World: American Professor
The 9/11 terrorist attacks were a major turning point in the history of the US and the world, as many experts agree that they marked a new era in global politics.
These attacks were unlike any other terrorist incidents in the US or elsewhere, because of their magnitude, their death toll, and their targets. The attacks had many repercussions around the world. On that day, some 3,000 people lost their lives, and after that, the US launched what it described as a war on terror.
On the other hand, American politicians exploited the nationalist sentiments and the unity that emerged among the American people to fuel Islamophobia and associate many Muslims with terrorism. The media also portrayed a negative image of Islam and Muslims for years in Western societies. This process led to mistrust and prejudice against Islam and Muslims for years and created many debates about the balance between security and civil liberties. The effects of 9/11 are still very evident in the lives and politics of America today.
To further discuss the issue, IQNA has reached out to Michael Rockland, a professor of American studies at Rutgers University.
What follows is the text of the interview:
IQNA: More than 20 years after the September 11 terrorist attacks, it seems that international relations and many issues in this field have been affected by these attacks. What do you think were the biggest global changes after the 9/11 attacks?
Rockland: I'd say the biggest global changes (and changes in the U.S.) concerned the growth of interest in the Muslim world, much ignored in the past. The West had all but ignored Islam before 9/11 but now was interested in studying it, some realizing that there are only a few more Christians (the largest world religious group) than Muslims.
Also, prior to 9/11 was how the West learned such facts that the largest Muslim county in the world, in terms of population, is Indonesia, out in the Pacific, and the second largest is India (where Muslims are a minority). In other words, I'd say that 9/11 caused the West to realize, for example, that not all Muslims are Arabs (a popular misconception). Of course, there was suddenly great fear and antagonism to the Muslim world following 9/11, the most shocking thing that has happened in the United States perhaps of all time. Much of this was unfair, since what a few radicals do is not representative of a people. But it has taken two decades for Americans, in particular, to stop hating and fearing Muslims and to increasingly see the Islamic world as potential allies and friends.
IQNA: Denigrating Muslims as evil and equating Islam with terrorism was a topic that was emphasized by extreme nationalists in the United States and other Western countries after the September 11 terrorist attacks. What do you think was the purpose of these actions?
Rockland: In a sense I've already answered this in response to the first question. I believe we have finally come to a point where we increasingly see Muslim-Americans as like the rest of us in this, the most diverse country in the world. It is tragic that it took 9/11 to slowly awaken our country, founded on the principle of separation of church and state, to realize that Muslim-Americans are part of the variety of the US population, neither better nor worse. But, again, this would have happened a long time ago if not for the horrors of 9/11.
IQNA: What do you think is the biggest lesson that can be learned from the terrorist attacks of September 11?
Rockland: Well, one thing that was learned, and articulated by the 9/11 Commission, was that cooperation between the F.B.I, the C.I.A, and the police were something we lacked, and that the greatest tragedy of 9/11 is that these elements of government had been in competition instead of working together. Also, that had they worked together, 9/11 might have been prevented. So a new cabinet level position was created, Director of Homeland Security, which thenceforth has made sure that those elements of government concerned with security would, when necessary, work closely together.
Interview by Mohammad Hassan Goodarzi
Professor Michael Rockland is a prolific writer and a Professor of American Studies at Rutgers University. Despite the variety of his books and articles, the recurring interests in his writing—whether scholarship, memoir, journalism or fiction—are New Jersey culture and America on the international stage.
The views and opinions expressed in this interview are solely those of the interviewee and do not necessarily reflect the view of International Quran News Agency.
