The discrimination after 9/11 typecasted Muslims. Post-9/11 America was a new and strange place, seething with a sense of unity; a unity rooted in separatism, the composition of America held together by a prejudice of its parts, it was a oneness based on inward-facing intolerance, brimming with blind patriotism. America had come together against a common enemy and since no knew who that enemy was, Americans became the enemy of America.

Immediately following 9/11, there was such a combined ignorance and vilification of Muslims, that American angst, that should have been reserved for terrorist individuals, reached a feverish pitch and spilled over as a blind and blanketing animosity toward the greater Middle East region and beyond. There was, and is, such an ignorance of Islam that to this day Sikhs, a completely different religion, are persecuted.

Before 9/11, observers of Islam, despite being one of the largest religious populations in the world, went largely unnoticed in America. Muslims were seen as just another part of the colorful backdrop of America.

However, after a decade to correct our col- lective misconceptions, America is still largely ignorant of Islam. Worst yet, our continued ignorance toward Muslims remains, and Ameri- can sentiments toward Islam has become polar- ized. Out of that polarization came the rise of Islamophobia, a new class of religious prejudice otherwise unrivaled in American history.

911 stands testament to foolish to trade world for country and that it is dangerous to forego mankind for patriotism. A country’ s commitment to nationalism shouldn’t overshadow a country’s commitment to humanity. It is important to remember the warning of Shakespeare: “Patriotism is indeed a double-edged sword. It both emboldens the blood, just as it narrows the mind.”