There have been any number of post 9/11 documentaries and news specials that have attempted to provide insight into the American Muslim perspective on the tragedies of that day. To date, however, few of these have given as honest a view of American Muslim sentiment as Islam in America After 9/11.

The documentary, produced by Steven D. Martin and Dr. Michael Pinner for Vitual Visuals (www.vitalvisuals.com), uses interviews with a range of American Muslims to provide a complete picture of the impact 9/11 has had on Muslims and their communities.

It is through these interviews that the unique nature of Islam in America After 9/11 comes to the fore; because in so few other instances has there been careful consideration of the fears and apprehensions 9/11 engendered in the Muslim community.

The film begins with candid interviews with Muslims discussing their initial reactions to the attacks on the World Trade Center and Pentagon. In each case, it is a sense of shock and horror that marks these reactions, reactions that are not dissimilar to those of Muslims all over the country. And thanks to the film’s narration, viewers for the first time understand how traumatic it was for Muslims, who had enjoyed a decade of unprecedented integration into American society, to see so many of their hopes crumble within the span of a few hours.

“My breath stopped; I stopped breathing for a moment. My knees got weak,” says Zeenat Khan, a resident of Toledo, OH where much of the film was shot.

“I was immediately shocked and felt actually sick,” says Hamza Yusuf, a noted American Muslim imam.

“I felt that at that moment – and I had never felt this in my whole life – that me being a Muslim, that me covering or wearing Hijab would actually be something that people would be looking at me wondering if I had anything to do with it,” Dr. Deena Solaiman, also a Toledo resident.

From there the film examines feelings of outrage that Islam, as a religion had been “hijacked” by terrorists. But just when it seems as if the sentiments being expressed will mirror those seen throughout the mainstream media – shock at the savagery of the attacks, concern over “hijacking’ of the religion, sorrow for the loss of life, etc. – the documentary sets itself apart by unveiling a wide range of other sentiments that American Muslims have not been able to adequately and candidly express elsewhere.

For instance, Noure Alo, of Toledo, OH notes, “I really despise having to defend my religion or even myself for something that I have completely, absolutely nothing to do with. Neither does my religion, by the way.”

In a climate often dominated by patriotic fervor and often jingoistic commentary, expressing such an opinion has been deemed by some as out of bounds. In fact, in the current environment some might consider Mr. Alo unpatriotic for expressing himself in such a fashion. But what Alo conveys is a sense of frustration amongst many Muslims, that Islam has been unfairly targeted.

But Alo does not stop with his concern over the targeting of Islam. He goes on to register his disapproval of American policy post 9/11 and defends his positions saying: “What happened to dissent? That’s my question. Or questioning your government.”

Zeenat Khan is equally strong in her feelings on the post 9/11 climate. Says Khan, “As an American I don’t agree with what happened after September 11^th. We should be waging a war on poverty, not terrorism.”

There is also the question of why 9/11 happened. It has been rare to hear Muslims speaking openly about their views on what led to the tragedy. Amina Ahmed, another interviewee notes, “This is not an event that has fallen out of the sky. This is an event that you have to examine in the context of history.”

It’s been a long time since ordinary Muslims have been given the forum to express such sentiments. This is what makes Islam in America After 9/11 such a unique film. It not only shows the true regret that the overwhelming majority of American Muslims felt in the wake of the attacks, but also the true and valid concerns they have over the War on Terror, the changes in domestic policy and the changes in the general atmosphere that now impact the fastest growing faith community in America.

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