IF you are an American or a western , how your views of arab and islam changed after september 11th?

Question

How do you view arab and islam before and after 9/11?
Do you think that all muslims are terrorist? or this is only the responsibility of some outraged groups that failed to understand the truth about islam and had used religion as an excuse to terrorist attack?

what are your first respond, action, attitudes, thoughts when you see an arabian or muslim?

Are muslims the only ones to be blamed for sep 11 ?

Do you think that it is possible for american and arabian cultures to open up to each others culture, visions, beliefs .etc and eventully form a peacefull bond between its people?

please answer as soon as posible
answer witn onesty and depth and no insulting laungage
this is for all ages, cultures, countries, belifes .......to be able to open up and spread justice

Answer 1

i am an arab and muslim
i don't think that it is fair to say that all arabs are terrorist or extremist or prejdice.

arabs are only 20% of the islamic world
and not all arabs are ... muslims
muslims should not only seen from iran and suadi arab view
there are 23 diffrent culture arabian country that share one laungage and 2 relgions ( christianity and Islam)

i do believe in god and that islam is a reliogen od peace and love
but some morals and idiots groups used islam as an excuse or just something to belong to to help some terrorist to reach thier goal.

since islam is a very deep, spritual religion to the extent that
muslims are ready to die for its name, i believe that some terrorists who use terrorism to achieve a personal or ecnomical goal , see muslims as thier best agents,..... since they are devoted to islam ....so they mislead them and use them.

also i want to point out, that islam is an arabic reliogen ( the QURAN and prophet Mohmmad speak arabic. therefore we can see that many terrorist today are from afganistan and non arabic countries...... this gives the terrorist a great advantage. so they use this weakness of not being able to read the Quaran by spreading thier own messages and not explaing the real ISLAM.... thus creating a corrupt muslim groups that think that what they learned is the only truth.

moreover i think that is truly unfair and injustice to blame all arabs and muslims....and label any one of them as a terroists without knowing who he is , what his intentions are, what he belive in, and what kind of life he lives in. being an arab or muslin doesnt mean you are a terrorist.
beside there is 200 million arabian
and 1000 million muslim
you cant judje them all based on some corrupt inviduals.
you need to examine the whole culture

lastly westerns should at least read about islam and understand the core of islam before making any judjments without any knowledge background about what islam really is and only judging corroupt ones.moreover it is true that all countries , societies, religions have some corrupt, morals members as muslims do and christianity.

moreover as a muslim and seeing all what happens ... i am totally against all type of terrorism and all terror and attacks that are happening today. as all western do ...we hate and are prejdice against all terrorists. we dont see ourselves among thier beliefs and narrow view of islam.

moreover i do believe in christianity as a religion and jesus as a holy prohet. islam believes in christianty and there is a whole chapter about Mother MARY and JESUS in Quran.
......... moreover my name is maria and my grandmother name is mary

i do believe that both western and arabian societies can open up to each other and bond . ] and understanding and respecting and accepting each other. we need the help and copperation of both society....this should happen soon for a peaceful future.

Answer 2

Arab Muslims are 20% of the world Muslim population. Meaning, not all Muslims are Arab or of Arab decent.

It seems it is the Arab Muslims who are causing most of the dissension and mistrust towards the "whole" Muslim community. Why? I believe it is a cultural/tribal phenomena.

It was Arab Muslims and their allies who attacked on 9/11. There was no conspiracy other than theirs.

No, I don't believe Arab culture and the Western culture will ever completely bond.

Look at Saudi Arabia (the cradle of the Islamic world) , that country alone makes it illegal to have Churches or Bibles. That community beheads gays. That community oppresses their women (won't let them drive, or go out without a male escort) That community has religious police walking about to punish people who are not following their Islamic laws. -- My knowledge of Saudi Arabia is first hand not from the media.

Most Arab countries practice gender segregation, women sit in part of an establishment, men in another -- this practice is outrageous!

No, Middle Eastern countries as a whole have not evolved enough to mix with or bond with western culture, that is why France and Britain are having such problems.

Answer 3

I am 31 and an American woman of Irish descent. My views on Arabs and Islam didn't change after 9/11. I believed, based on my own experience with Arabs who were Muslims, that it was simply a matter of geography and a different spiritual path towards internal improvement. My views on my fellow Americans have changed, though. When I worked at a pharmacy and would ask someone, "Oh, where are you from?" It literally pained me to see people try to say anything other than the Middle East because they didn't want to see a negative reaction. I feel saddened that my fellow Americans--who happen to be of Arab descent--don't get to feel as much a part of this country as I do. Hopefully that will change. I believe those overseas who choose to engage in terrorism aren't first and foremost Arabs or Muslims; they are criminals, and not indicative of all Arabs or Muslims at all.

Answer 4

Well no, but honestly it takes an effort not to. I watched on live t.v. how innocent people died. People were jumping out of windows to their death it was a horrible dark day in history. Then we find out these killers did it in the name of the muslim religion and that there were other muslims out there that felt the same way as the terrorists. Also, it didn't help to see Arabs jumping for joy and partying in the streets burning American flags rejoicing after 911. Despite what you think about the U.S. policy, Americans would NEVER jump for joy at the death of innocent people or anyone for that matter. Despite all these things, I do NOT harbor bad feelings. I hope, but doubt that there can be open dialogue amongst muslims within these conservative muslim countries. The U.S. is not a perfect nation, but we are free to speak. Heck, even non-Americans are free to express their opinions as the recent immigrants did. I hope Muslims don't hate Americans/and or Christians & Jews or harbor bad feeling toward them.

Answer 5

It remained the same. I do not feel that Islam is responsible in it's entirety for the actions of Wahabi funded Muslim radicals operating out of Taliban strongholds. There is a war going on between a group of People who happen to be Muslims and a society of People who have ensconced Democracy. The Democratic societies will prevail and the group that has perverted Islam into a vehicle from which to recruit and spread terror will be anilalated most assuredly. As to my thoughts regarding the Muslim People of our shared Planet, I say Asalam aweko.

Answer 6

I do not look at Muslims as being bad people. There are some groups of them that have totally twisted their muslim religion around and started believing that God (Alah) wants them to kill in order to go to Heaven. I have many friends on yahoo who are muslim. and they are some of the most sweetest people I have ever met. I do however have a big problem with the terrorist groups. But there is nothing I myself can do about it. God will punish them when their time comes. I love all people, and I would never look at the muslim community as being bad people. I mean c'mon! Their are some very insane Americans also. even some who have turned to the islam religion, and have turned their backs on the U.S. So for me. We are all equal in God's eyes. Their are just some of us screwed up more than others!

Answer 7

Im no Arab, but Ive lived in an Arab community and seen lots of different Arabs in that community. Not a single one can be the same as the other.

I am Muslim tho.

My views of Arabs did not change after 9/11 and that is because I do not believe Arabs were behind it one bit.

Osama bin Laden? Who is Osama bin Laden anyway?

A man who is more american than an arab, a man who follows a cult islamic movement that is wahhabism and a man who has no power but to run here and there and do hit and run scenarios.

9/11 was not hit and run ladies and gentleman.

9/11 was a disgrace in terms of public protection and safety and somebody should have been sleeping while two jumbo jet liners were taken over and flown into one of the busiest places in the world in broad day light.

My views of the world has seriously changed tho.

I started to ask myself, why isnt the US government going after the Saudi's who happen to obviously fund Osama bin Laden and who was blamed for these attacks.

And you know what I come up with? A lot of conspiracy theories that will never be proven. Unless somebody tells me what really went on on 9/11

Oh and yes Saudi Arabia is the biggest ally to the US and as long as the Saudis are giving the US oil barrels, the US government is not going to go after them one bit.

I dunno what you call that. But its definitely politics.

Answer 8

Truthfully, I woke up at 3:35AM (the time here when the first plane hit the tower) and heard it on the radio. All I thought was "Well, good riddance!" It was about time that America recieved a wake up call from their arrogance, and to stop thinking of themselves as better than the rest of the world.

But answering your question, I don't think Western or Eastern worlds will ever get along as long as America is as head-strong and stubborn to simply launch a war whenever they are threatened without taking the proper time to talk things through politically.

Editing out last paragraph to save potential 'hot-spots' later.

Answer 9

Actually, my views regarding Islam predate 9/11 by a considerable measure. My final decision regarding Islam and its followers was determined in 1972 during the Munich Olympics. Later, after reading the history of the Middle East and Islam's attitudes toward Israel and the west, my first impressions were cemented in. The oil embargo of 1973 helped, too. Religion in general doesn't impress me much and Islam impresses me the least. Do I think all Islamists are terrorists? No. Do I think they could be more tolerant and do more to police the fanatics in their ranks? Definitely. Do I believe they will ever actually get control of their own religion again? Never.

Answer 10

I began to learn more about Islam, not on a spiritual level, but more on a "what the heck are they doing" level.

But ended up VERY confused, because Islam is supposed to be a very peaceful religion; but then they kill each other and everyone else in violent ways. Very confusing.

I'm not saying christianity is any better, or jews are any better.

This is exactly why I believe in Science and Astrology. Scientists don't go around murdering entire civilizations. And when was the last time you heard of an astrologist blowing up a building in the name of the Zodiac?

Religion = trouble for the world