Islamophobia US
‘A Little Target On My Back’: SMU Student Shares Experience Growing Up Muslim Post 9/11
By Elizabeth Myong
Despite not being old enough to have seen the Twin Towers fall, Dallas native Razan Bayan says the event shaped her upbringing.
(KERA NEWS) When 9/11 happened, Razan Bayan wasn’t even born yet.
Bayan first learned about the event when she was about 4 years old. She recalls watching a TV show with her mother, curious to know what it was about.
“She told me, ‘A few years ago, there were some really bad people who crashed these planes into a building and killed a lot of people,’” she said. “‘And because they were Muslim, everyone blames us for it now.’”
Like other young American Muslims, Bayan’s had to learn about 9/11 through her family, community and school. Starting from a young age, she’s been warned about the prejudice and discrimination she’d face.