Ten years ago, Zeeshan Haq's fifth grade class ended early. A teacher turned on the news and told students, ""History is in the making.""
But for Haq, like many young American Muslims, the history made on Sept. 11, 2001, was complex, forcing tough questions about the implications of practicing Islam in post-9/11 America.
""It really creates a dichotomy for us as Muslims,"" says Haq, now a UW-Madison senior and president of the Muslim Students Association.
Some, says Haq, are ""scared to be Muslim"" in a country that often fears and vilifies the religion in the aftermath of 9/11.
The day of the attack, Haq says his own parents had to temporarily close their restaurant when a group of local teenagers started throwing rocks at businesses owned by people of Middle Eastern-descent.
Former MSA president Rashid Dar says he's been called a terrorist and listed in blogs and on websites as a Muslim extremist.
""It's sometimes a great burden,"" Dar admits.
Yet both Dar and Haq say the public spotlight 9/11 put on Islam strengthened many Muslims' faith.
""On a deeper level, it causes you to question whether what you're defending is worth defending,"" said Dar.
Dar says he started to ""care less and less about being on the defensive"" and, instead, ""whole-heartedly believe"" in Islam.
In defending his faith, Haq says he must frequently dispel the misconception that Muslims condone terrorist actions.
""We don't reflect these ideologies,"" he said. ""The radicalization, that absolute extremism—that doesn't apply to American Muslims.""
Similarly, Haq must confront beliefs that Muslims are less patriotic than their fellow Americans.
""We identify with being Muslim and American,"" he said, adding that he believes many Muslims ""value their patriotism more than most Americans,"" perhaps because it is so frequently challenged.
For Dar, the events of 9/11 shaped his decision to study politics, leading him to pursue a career in law and to study intricacies of Classical Arabic and Islamic Law.
""It's part of who I am, in a way,"" he said.
But despite how being part of the 9/11 generation shaped him, Dar says the obstacles American Muslims face were frightening a decade ago, and still disheartening today.
""I hope in the next 10 years we can be in a better position,"" Dar said. ""I believe we have it in us as Americans, and as humans. … We can do that.""
