The Crucible: The 9/11 Attacks

In 1692, one of the most inhumane tragedies occurred in the small village of Salem, Massachusetts. Now infamously recognized as the “Salem Witch Trials,” the trials were based on faulty accusations that charged others of being witches. These accusations resulted in a considerable amount of people being imprisoned and hanged, and it ended with 20 people being killed. 309 years later, four planes were hijacked by terrorists and were set to crash in four important government centers and buildings. Consequently, these attacks resulted in 2,966 deaths and it was the most severe attack ever on American soil. The terrorists were revealed to be Muslims, and that they supposedly did it in the name of “Allah”, which is the Arabic translation for God.

After these attacks, American Muslims were now looked down upon with distrust and fear. Muslim prejudice after 9/11 is similar to the Salem Witch Trials in many aspects, such as the hysteria and fear the public expressed, the ethnic profiling and stereotypes that society formed, and the people’s need and comfort of pointing a finger at someone.
After the 9/11 attacks, Americans suddenly became afraid of Muslims, believing that every Muslim shared radical beliefs, such as terrorists.

Similar to the Salem Witch Trials, these fears had no proper foundation, but after these brutal attacks, many people didn’t know what else to do, but be afraid. Comparable to “The Crucible,” the public showed great fear and they were very suspicious of the people they believed were suspects or possible perpetrators. People that expressed Islamophobia, which was an “exaggerated fear, hatred, and hostility toward Islam and Muslims” grew in numbers (Gallup). The 9/11 attacks sparked a fear and hysteria against innocent American Muslims, which was very unintelligent, due to the fact that this was not based on the malice or terror of these Muslims, but actually their connection through religion with the

terrorists.
As Islamophobia increased in the public, many stereotypes were formed and American Muslims began to be ethnically profiled based on their appearance and religion.

The media has been known to portray or show many “Muslims” as terrorists, and several times they fail to show the peaceful Muslims. Furthermore, the media affects the perception of many Americans, and when they portray Muslims as scary and dangerous people, this causes many stereotypes to form. This in turn, makes it common for people to accept and believe in the various stereotypes of Muslims. Also, countless Muslims are ethnically profiled based on their religious appearance. To be more specific, numerous Muslims are stereotyped due to their long beards and cultural robes. Stereotypes, such as these, are affected by the descriptions of other notorious terrorists, such as Osama Bin Laden, who was well known for his long beard. Additionally, a number of people have become irrational and unreasonable when it comes to preventing Muslims to affect America, such as many protests “to ban Sharia law in any American court” (Azlan). Sharia is basically the law of an Islamic government, and the protest is illogical, since Sharia law has never been practiced in any American court and there is no indication, that there will be (Azlan). Many of these labels are unfair, and the media unjustly portrays and connects innocent American Muslims to terrorists which is

unreasonable.
In many instances, it has been shown, that people need the comfort of holding someone responsible for something. The hijackers on 9/11 committed suicide when they crashed into the twin towers, so other than Al-Qaeda, the public had no one to blame for these attacks, except for Muslims. This is similar to “The Crucible”, in which after the girls are revealed to be in a coma state, the villagers began to think of possible causes, such as witches bewitching the girls. Numerous Muslims are ethnically profiled and stereotyped, but since the beginning it was made clear that it was “terrorists” who terrorized America, and not specifically Muslims. Also, as Islamophobia increases, it questions the value of the Constitution of the United States, which states in its first law, about the importance of freedom of religion in America. Even though Muslims are able to practice their religion, they are constantly profiled and reminded of their connection to terrorists.
Muslim prejudice after 9/11 is comparable to the Salem Witch Trials, because of the paranoia the public indicated, the labels that society formed, and the people’s necessity of blaming someone. The Salem Witch Trials was a horrible tragedy by itself, but when will people notice the constant profiling of American Muslims based on their religion and appearance? The media continues to present blameless and innocent Muslims, who are also American citizens, as savage-like beings that can be compared to terrorists. In a time where insignificant protests such as “Oscar boycotting,” are brought to light and become viral, when will ending the discrimination against Muslims become a controversial issue raised by people? As this issue doesn’t seem to be getting fixed, when will religion be asked at every airport (Rothschild)? When will every Muslim be suspected to bomb a random public place? Anti Muslim-sentiment and discrimination needs to be stopped, or there will come a time where we don’t know the difference between innocence and evil.