Thread by @Astropartigirl

On 9/11 Arabs and anyone who looked Muslim realized how alone were. We couldn't come together with you and just mourn because the world turned against us and forced us to explain ourselves for something we didn't even understand. That's what 9/11 was like for us thanks for asking

And the worst part is that talking about our experience is always something frightening because we fear that you will turn to us and tell us we're ignorant and insensitive, so we keep it in.

But the truth is that as an Arab, as a person who looks like they're Middle Eastern or anything remotely close, we lost the same sense of security everyone did and mourned for the deaths of so many innocent people, but we also lost something else on 9/11: our identity.

Simply for being, or even LOOKING Arab or Muslim, we became untrusted. We became something people feared, loathed, were disgusted by, attacked and interrogated in places we were supposed to feel safe. Our world was turned over on 9/11. And we're not even allowed to talk about it.

So please forgive us when we're reminded of 9/11 and can't simply focus on the lives that were lost. We wanted to, but the world didn't let us. Our world was turned over. 9/11 means something more to us because the world transformed us into beasts simply for being born who we are

For example here's the response we receive when we open up about our 9/11 experience. You backed us into a corner, denied us from grieving the way you were able to, blamed us (and many of us were young then), and then want us to SHUT THE FUCK UP ABOUT IT.

https://twitter.com/FateofB/status/1171759724884299777?s=19

It's fucking exhausting to be an Arab or Arab-looking POC after 9/11. We carry our experiences in the shadows, remember the loneliness imposed on us by our comrades, our educators, our friends.
We deeply mourn the loss of innocent lives that day. Let us speak of what we lost, too

I honestly knew the hole I was digging up when I started this thread, but I didn't realize how much support it would receive, and how much it would resonate with so many. Thank you all 💖

Please don't make the mistake of calling the 9/11 terrorists Muslims. They were not. They carried a Quran and twisted Islam into something ugly, something it isn't, tarnished a peaceful religion in the process. They were not Muslims. They do not share the faith of Muslims.

Request from me: *please* don't erase my identity. I'm born to Jewish and Muslim parents, embrace both religions and will stand with them. But please don't erase my Jewish side. I want you to respect that they're both important parts of who I am, don't separate me. I'm one person

I say this because I got several comments from people who immediately assumed I was Muslim (in a negative way, no less) after writing this thread. If you don't know, please don't assume. Or ask me! But don't erase part of who I am. Thank you.

That's right, 9/11 ISN'T about me, or the Muslims and Arabs Brown people who look Muslim that got attacked as we did because of it. Guess who made it about us? PEOPLE LIKE THIS PERSON RIGHT HERE DID. 👇

https://twitter.com/leighmorrow1976/status/1171824054287949827?s=19

And those @'ing me w/complaints about @IlhanMN's tweet, which was *nothing but* extending sympathies for lives lost: THAT'S WHAT YOU DO TO US. YOU SHIT ON US FOR MOURNING, SHIT ON US FOR TALKING ABOUT OUR EXPERIENCE. YOU'RE NEVER HAPPY BECAUSE YOU HATE US.

https://twitter.com/IlhanMN/status/1171785865519075333?s=19

Thank you for sharing your stories of being racially profiled after 9/11. It took courage to do that on that day, and it meant a lot to us who suffered the same to know we're not alone. And those who came in support and shared what you witnessed, thank you. It means everything.

There was some backlash and resistance, but honestly far less than I'd expected. The support and solidarity this thread initiated by far outweighed the negativity. Thank you. 💖

And there's more

https://twitter.com/_SJPeace_/status/1172001362185506818?s=19