It all started on September 11, 2001 when 4 planes were hijacked. Two crashed into the Twin Towers, one into the Pentagon and one into a field heading toward the White House or Capitol. A total of nineteen Middle Eastern terrorists were involved in this attack, who were part of a terrorist group known as al-Qaeda led by Osama Bin Laden. The killing of nearly 3,000 people and the destruction of some of America's most famous buildings left Americans wounded, scarred and scared. Since September 11, 2001, Muslims have been stereotyped as terrorists daily and especially every September 11th following the attack and while Americans fear Muslims, Muslims fear Americans. When this tragic event happened, I was a 6-year-old girl living in Slovakia. Living with my mother and an older sister, while my father lived in the United States, made us turn on the TV and watch the news. I was only 6 so I didn't really understand what was happening, but I knew my dad was very close to where it happened and that worried me. I was so angry at Muslims because my dream was to go to New York and visit the World Trade Center. Without even wanting to know what other Muslims thought about it and not living near any Muslims at the time, I hated them. At the age of 11 I moved to the United States. This was the first time I had met Muslims and I felt afraid because of what I remember happening on 9/11. I soon realized that I was completely wrong and that my judgment was so cruel. Just because someone was Muslim never...... middle of paper ......ca this way shouldn't reflect on every single Middle Easterner. While Americans are afraid to sit next to Muslims, Muslims are afraid to sit next to Americans. It's been 12 years and they are most likely tired of being judged and discriminated against. It's time for America to end this chapter of hate and move forward. Stereotypes are terrorism. Works Cited Binder, Matt. "Public shame". Tweet by Privilege . Tumblr, 2013. Web. January 2, 2014. Eltahawy, Mona. “The Challenge of Being Muslim in Post-9/11 America.” theguardian. 2014Guardian News and Media Limited, 9 September 2011. Web. 16 January 2014.Patel, Neil and Pragya Kakani. “Do Americans Fear Muslims?” Harvard Political Review.Harvard Political Review, Nov. 4, 2010. Web. Dec. 27, 2013.Syed, Mahjabeen. “How a Muslim Feels About 9/11.” ChicagoNow. News Apps Team, September 11, 2013. Network. December 27 2013.