Oral+History+-+Interview

**Oral History Topic:** Muslim Americans before and after 911

**Interview Subject:** Ahmed Numaan (Aleena's Father)

**What was life like before the attack on the world trade center?**

Life was normal. Being a Muslim American was no problem to anyone. You never heard racist jokes or comments, no terrorist comments. It was just normal.

**What were you doing at the time of the attack?**

I was retrieving my car from the tow lot. Our car had recently been towed. There was a man watching television. As he was signing our papers he suddenly looked astonished. He had thought that he was watching a movie. He switched the channel and then back again. He looked up and noticed that it was real. I watched the news for a while before leaving for work. I walked into the class and no one knew what had happened. I was the one to inform my residency class fellows of the tragic event. My teacher arrived to tell us that the first tower was down. He was shaking. I was scared.

**How were you informed about the attack?**

I saw it on a mans television. I heard him gasp, which is what got my attention.

**What was your reaction to the attack?**

Disbelief. It seemed unreal, like watching a movie. When I first looked at the news I thought that it WAS a movie. I then realized that it had actually happened.

**How did you feel afterwards? How did people around you feel?**

It felt very unrealistic. I wasn’t very scared though. In the inpatient unit in the hospital we had been watching it. I work with mentally ill patients. As they watched they continued to look up at me, with frightened looks on their faces, as if I was a terrorist. They were definitely scared. I could somehow sense it everywhere that I went.

**How did 9/11 have an impact on the society around you?**

There were many more security precautions. There were delay lines and invasions of your personal space. No more water bottles, sharp objects, nothing.

**How did 9/11 have an impact on you personally? Can you include past experiences that would not have happened if there was no attack?**

I was travelling in an airplane from Kansas City to Chicago. I was sitting next to a young lady with a child. The plane was delayed for over an hour. The lady then left and soon a large man, looking like an air Marshall came and sat next to me. It was as if he was called specifically to sit next to me. He sat with me for the remainder of the flight. To watch over me. On another flight a man requested not to sit next to me. He then switched seats. Ten years later I was flying from Little Rock to Milwaukee and I was stopped, searched, and held for a long amount of time. Even after I was searched I was told to sit. I watched as the other passengers of the same flight walked past me. I sat and sat until I finally missed my flight. I was furious.

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 110%;">**Did you notice a difference in how you were treated?**

<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman',Times,serif; font-size: 110%;">Somewhat. It was almost obvious. People did not treat me differently directly, you could just feel or sense that they were scared of you, or that they didn’t like you. When I would walk somewhere I would get glares.