I remember...

In middle school, my best friend, and indeed the only person who bothered to befriend me, was Islamic. Her family had immigrated from Pakistan, and her mother and father still had pretty thick accents. She was all American though. A bit of a weirdness to her accent because of being around such thick ones, but obviously born and raised in the US.

By 2001, when I was in high school, I had lost touch with my friend. I was in boarding school that year. First year of boarding school. Our principal was retired Air Force, and there was a base not that far from campus. There was even a rumor that they used the Girl's Dorm for dry targeting runs, it being the highest point for miles. The rules for phone were rather strict- we were allowed two days a week, which we chose at the start of every quarter. Mine were Wednesday and Sunday, and I was required to call my parents.

We were called to the auditorium during first period. As they were telling us what happened, we heard planes over head, which kinda scared a lot of us. My first thought was of my friend. Not much work was done in any of the classes that day. Many teachers let the classes go to the library to watch the news. Third period did that for me.That night, the phones were given to those who had relatives in NY. Even third floor, where there were no dorm parents and the students had full control over the phones, let other students have the phone to call loved ones. Considering most of the students were there for having gotten in trouble with the law...

When my next call-day came, I called my parents. I had fifteen minutes. After saying a quick "hi" and "I'm fine" I asked if I could call my friend. I had ten minutes to talk with her, and make sure she was fine. I called her every week for the next month. It was interesting to watch the transformation.

Week 1: everyone gathering, and making sure everyone her family was okay.
Week 2: neighbors avoiding, but friends still calling
Week 3: no one was calling any more, everyone avoiding
Week 4: complete shun by everyone except other Islamic friends

It was tragic. The family was from Pakistan. The terrorists were from Afghanistan. I still don't understand why we attacked Iraq. I still don't understand why nothing was done about Afghanistan. I still don't understand why the American populace turned on everyone from the Middle East, even countries that were supporting America.

The world turned upside-down that day. America went paranoid, and started sacrificing freedoms in the name of safety. And I don't agree with most of what has happened in response to that day.